Another big milestone for Zach Bryan.
His fan-favorite song, the one that really started it all for him “Heading South,” has officially been certified Platinum by the RIAA. Platinum certification means “Heading South” has moved an impressive over 1,000,000 units in total.
Of course, we’ve all probably seen the original, grainy video he shared on social media back in 2019 that went viral. Shortly after the release of “Condemned,” he released “Heading South” which exploded to over 17 million views on YouTube.
Playing the song drenched in sweat from muggy Florida, this song and “Condemned” really kicked started the insane country music journey he’s been on ever since.
He previously shared a little bit of the backstory of the song on Twitter, saying he was inspired to write it after dealing with a less-than-pleasant Chief in the Navy, adding that he wrote it in about three minutes flat.
Zach was an active-duty member of the U.S. Navy for several years, before being honorably discharged to pursue music full time in October of 2021:
Zach acknowledge the new certification on Twitter, thanking the fans for spinning “Heading South” and helping him reach this new accomplishment:
“you guys are the best, thank you for spinning this old number.”
And he did it with practically zero play on mainstream radio, making it all the more impressive to have so many people gravitating to his music.
If that ain’t a testament to the power of Zach Bryan right now, I don’t know what is:
What a ride for the Oklahoma boy so far… and he’s just getting started.
It’s no secret that he’s has had a monster year since diving full-on into music, from releasing his debut studio album American Heartbreak, putting out his Summertime Blues EP, and releasing quite a few other stand-alone singles along the way, including two brand new ones called “The Greatest Day of My Life” and “Fifth of May.”
And as of Tuesday, it was announced that he was nominated for his very first Grammy Award for “Something in the Orange” in the in the Best Country Solo Performance category.
His label also recently sent that special song to country radio as his very first single, which is currently in the Top 40 at mainstream country radio.
And while you’re here, why not take a look back at the video that started it all:
“Heading South”
