Taking responsibility.
It’s hard to imagine a more fascinating artist in today’s country music landscape than Zach Bryan. In a six-year span, the “Something in the Orange” singer has gone from recording his debut album, DeAnn, in a Florida Airbnb and scoring viral hits online to selling his publishing catalog for a staggering $350 million and, most notably, setting the record for the highest-attended concert in U.S. history when he performed to a crowd of 112,408 at Michigan Stadium.
When diving into Bryan’s artistry, there’s undeniably so much to discuss. Of course, you can talk about all the inherent drama from past relationships that have been pushed to the top of headlines, the public beefs he’s had with fellow artists and the political statements he’s made over the years. With that being said, however, when it’s all said and done, it’s become more than apparent that the Oklahoma native has become one of the most prolific songwriters we’ve seen in the current generation.
While discussing the Oklahoma native outside of his music, it’s hard not to at least acknowledge his long history of controversy that has been brought about thanks to his social media usage over the years.
Even ignoring all the drama that was stirred up online with his incredibly toxic, public breakup with Barstool personality Brianna Chickenfry (most of which was not due to Bryan’s online presence), you have high-profile incidents like when he accidentally told a 14-year-old fan to “GOMD” (get off my d*ck) after they complained about him not greeting fans after a concert last year (which later led to the fence-jumping encounter with Gavin Adcock), when he called fans “soft and weird” after receiving backlash for trolling another fan by saying a line from “I Think You Should Leave” and a countless other of admittedly odd interactions with fans on social media — mainly X (formerly Twitter) — which typically saw Bryan saying something snarky to supporters before promptly deleting said posts.
With that being said, however, it’s been pretty clear that the “I Remember Everything” singer has been focusing on slowing down, reflecting on himself and maturing as he enters his thirties. During a lengthy, beautiful two-hour conversation with Matthew McConaughey, which was also released on YouTube in tandem with the new EP, Young Manhood and Other Donatable Organs, Bryan would open up about everything from his sobriety to the tragic loss of his mother and much, much more.
Towards the end of the conversation, McConaughey seemingly references a line from Bryan’s upcoming book. Here, the Academy Award winner would quote Bryan by saying, “I’ve done my fair share of trolling, and I own that,” before asking him if he takes back any of the missteps he’s had online over the years.
In response, the 30-year-old singer/songwriter would admit he doesn’t… simply because the mistakes have led him to the clarity he has now. He would, however, say that he wishes he had a “few less beers” and said a “few less things” recently.
“I don’t know if I would take anything back, because I think all those decisions made me learn lessons [and] made me the man that I am now. But I can say, if I can go back in time, I would have had a few less beers and I would have said a few less things. I need to be silent more.”
Following that up, Bryan would recognize that he’s let a lot of fans down in the past. After explaining that he is, at the end of the day, just a normal person, he’d once again reiterate that he has so much appreciation for his fans.
Here, he’d say that he wishes he could apologize to anyone that he’s come across online in the past, once again telling McConaughey that he’s “done saying stupid sh*t.”
“I wish I could explain to those people that I’ve let down in that way. This is going to sound cliché, but I really am a person. It’s hard not to get tired. It’s hard not to joke with people [and] troll people on the internet when you’re exhausted and you just want to say something funny. It’s really easy to make a mistake when you’re just a person.
There’s no one that I appreciate more than the people that listen to my music. There’s no one I want to insult. I don’t want to harm anyone. I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. There’s jokes you can say and things you can do. But I’ve learned with who I am, there’s a lot of responsibility. I’ve disappointed myself in that. I wish I could have had that internal dialogue before I made that mistake in the world, and I wish I could apologize to that person.
I’m done saying stupid sh*t. I say a lot of stupid sh*t. [I] just don’t spew it to the world; my friends have to deal with it.”
You can watch the whole conversation with McConaughey here:
Zach Bryan 2027 Tour Dates
April 28 — Minneapolis, MN — U.S. Bank Stadium
May 1 — Indianapolis, IN — Lucas Oil Stadium
May 4 — Green Bay, WI — Lambeau Field
May 7 — Chicago, IL — Soldier Field
May 8 — Chicago, IL — Soldier Field
May 14 — East Rutherford, NJ — MetLife Stadium
May 15 — East Rutherford, NJ — MetLife Stadium
May 18 — Baltimore, MD — M&T Bank Stadium
May 22 — Nashville, TN — Nissan Stadium
May 25 — Philadelphia, PA — Lincoln Financial Stadium
May 29 — Atlanta, GA — Mercedes-Benz Stadium
June 2 — Buffalo, NY– Highmark Stadium
July 16 — Las Vegas, NV– Allegiant Stadium
July 20 — Los Angeles, CA– SoFi Stadium
July 24 — Seattle, Washington– Lumen Field
July 27 — Vancouver, BC– BC Place
July 28 — Vancouver, BC– BC Place
July 31 — Edmonton, AB — Commonwealth Stadium
August 1 — Edmonton, AB — Commonwealth Stadium
August 6 — Boise, ID — Albertsons Stadium
December 2 — Melbourne, VIC — Marvel Stadium
December 3 — Melbourne, VIC — Marvel Stadium
December 4 — Melbourne, VIC — Marvel Stadium
December 10 — Sydney, NSW — Accor Stadium
December 11 — Sydney, NSW — Accor Stadium
December 17 — Brisbane, QLD — Suncorp Stadium
December 18 — Brisbane, QLD — Suncorp Stadium
December 19 — Brisbane, QLD — Suncorp Stadium
