A unique approach for sure.
If there has been one consistent throughline for Zach Bryan in 2025, other than the countless number of controversies that include brush-ups with Gavin Adcock, John Moreland, Barstool’s Dave Portnoy and Brianna Chickenfry and even the White House itself, it has been none other than Kings of Leon.
For those somehow unfamiliar with Kings of Leon, they’re an alternative rock band most famous for their 2008 hits, “Sex On Fire” and “Use Somebody.” Bryan has been a longtime fan of the group, frequently posting their music on his Instagram story and even walking out to their 2010 track, “Back Down South,” before his show at Pilgrimage Fest in Nashville in 2023.
Beyond bringing them along for a plethora of shows throughout the year, including his three nights at MetLife Stadium in July, his Golden Gate Park show in August and his second-ever headlining gig at Red Rocks Amphitheater, Bryan would release not one but two different songs (three if you count their appearance on the live recording of “Atlantic City” with Bruce Springsteen) with them throughout the year.
This, of course, began with the release of Bryan’s track, “Bowery,” back on August 8th, before Kings of Leon double-dipped with the “Something in the Orange” singer just two weeks later on August 22nd with their single, “We’re Onto Something.”
Just taking a look at the timing of these concerts and single releases, it becomes incredibly apparent just how fast both Bryan and the rock band were working on these releases. Putting it into perspective, the pair performed their string of MetLife Stadium shows from July 18th to 20th, with “Bowery” being released just 19 days later on August 8th.
What this means, obviously, is that Bryan, along with the rest of Kings of Leon, had just 19 days to fully write, produce, mix and master the song. If you know anything about the final stages of music production, you’d understand that this is a nearly unheard-of time to fully produce a song.
With that being said, however, that’s simply part of Bryan’s brand. If there’s one thing we’ve gathered throughout Bryan’s career, it’s the simple fact that he’s not too concerned about the overall polish of his releases. Of course, this is highlighted in the early days of his career on his two independently produced records, DeAnn and Elisabeth. When you take a look at his subsequent releases, even on Warner Records, you’ll see a plethora of different tracks, such as 2023’s “Smaller Acts” as well as this year’s non-album singles, “Blue Jean Baby” and “Dear Miss,” that feel even more stripped back and unpolished.
Ultimately, that’s one of Bryan’s defining characteristics as an artist, along with his songwriting ability, and it’s the reason a lot of non-traditional country fans have gravitated to his work. The same can be said for Kings of Leon frontman, Caleb Followill.
In a recent interview on Rolling Stone’s “Nashville Now” podcast, the Followill sat down with host, Joseph Hudak, to discuss everything from their time in Nashville over the years, the countless number of covers of their aforementioned hit, “Sex on Fire” and, of course, working with the “I Remember Everything” singer.
Followill would reveal to Hudak that he initially didn’t even know who Bryan was, thanks primarily to the fact that he is hardly ever on social media. Additionally, he’d also note that Bryan reached out to their manager in the past to work on a previous album (either Zach Bryan or The Great American Bar Scene most likely), but the manager ignored it on their behalf.
After finally sitting down and talking to Bryan, Followill was blown away by Bryan’s knowledge of their music. This led the Oklahoma native to ask them to open up the aforementioned shows and was ultimately the moment that sparked their newfound relationship.
Once the ball got rolling on the live shows, Followill truly got a taste of how quickly Bryan works. As he noted, he was blown away by the process.
“Once we played some shows and we got to really hang with him, I got to see his personality a little bit. He had sent me ‘Bowery,’ and it was just a verse, so on the flight home I wrote the chorus and the verse and sent it to him. He was like — he works very quickly — ‘Alright, next weekend, New York, I want you guys there, we’re recording it! I was like, ‘What? Next week?! Let me see if I can do that.”
After they finished recording both “Bowery” and “We’re Onto Something,” which Followill noted only took two three-hour recording sessions, Bryan was immediately set on releasing “Bowery” in a week, something that the Kings of Leon frontman was a bit surprised by.
“He’s like, ‘We’re putting it out in one week!’ I was like, ‘That’s it? We’re not going to, like, listen to it, see what we think? But we loved that approach. That’s his thing. If he has an idea, he puts it on video and sends it out into the world before he’s tweaked it.”
Later in the interview, he’d also note that Bryan’s loose, fast-paced style of recording and releasing music reminded him of the days of classic rap artists who would often green-light tracks quickly once they were written.
“It reminds me of old-school hip-hop artists, that hands-on approach, warts and all. People eat that up. If the only thing they hear from you is the polished finished product, you’re not letting them see the process and the thing that is really going to make them a fan.”
And it’s safe to say that this strategy has worked for Bryan and then some. While lately, it’s hard to have a conversation around Bryan that doesn’t involve the massive amount of aforementioned controversies over the past year, there’s absolutely no denying that his music has connected with fans in a way that few artists can ever dream of. As Followill points out, a lot of that has to do with the way he continuously gives them the songs they have been craving, with or without additional studio polishing.
Watch the full podcast here:
While you’re here, fire up their two collaborations, “Bowery” and “We’re Onto Something.”
“Bowery”
“We’re Onto Something”
