(Warner Records/ The University News)

Zach Bryan’s self-titled fourth studio album made history by securing his first number-one spot on the Billboard Top 200. Released on Aug. 25, 2023, the 16-track album has not only amassed over 200,000 album-equivalent units but has also earned critical acclaim for its raw, emotional storytelling, a consistent trend from the 27-year-old. Some are even comparing Bryan’s uprising in country music to that of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, a grunge rock band that reinvented and redefined the Rock genre in the 1990s.

Fittingly, the album that bears Bryan’s name is entirely self-produced, with Warner and Belting Bronco Records serving as the label companies, respectively. With a runtime of 54 minutes and 23 seconds, each individual song tells a unique story and provides a lens into the artist’s mind through Bryan’s raspy, soulful voice. This remarkable element of Bryan’s music, which can be found in virtually every song he creates, is an uncommon trend amongst mainstream musicians today. The vulnerability and relatability of Bryan’s work has put the young artist on the map. “Zach Bryan” also features guest appearances by Kasey Musgraves, The War and Treaty, Sierra Ferrell and The Lumineers.

“I’ve got no grand explanation for these songs, I [have] got no riddle in reasoning behind writing them,” Bryan said in an Instagram post. “I just wrote some poems and songs that I want to share because I think they’re special. Some of them are heavy, some of them are hopeful, but more than anything what’s most important to me is that they’re all mine.” 

The album immediately skyrocketed and has earned the largest streaming week for a Rock album in Billboard chart history.

Despite his newfound stardom, Bryan has come from humble beginnings. Born in Okinawa, Japan, while his parents were stationed in the Navy, the musician was raised in Oklahoma, received his first guitar at 14 and enlisted in the Navy at 17, using his free time to write songs. In 2017, an iPhone video of Bryan singing “Heading South” outside of his Navy Barracks went viral on YouTube, and the world saw the gripping, emotional weight that Bryan’s voice and music holds. The raw and moving YouTube video has generated over 23 million views and 288 thousand likes to date. Bryan received an honorable discharge in 2021 after serving for eight years and went on to pursue music full time.  

The groundbreaking musician has combined country, rock, folk and americana into one distinctive sound. Bryan’s debut album “DeAnn” came out in 2019 and was named after his late mother. Bryan’s third studio album and major label debut, “American Heartbreak,” was a major turning point for the singer, as it was the first time his music garnered national recognition. The album’s second track, “Something in the Orange,” instantly became the album’s most popular song and ultimately took the number-one spots on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs and the U.S. Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Despite his country roots, Bryan refuses to cater to modern-day country music stereotypes, unlike many of the major country artists of today, and helped push country music to mainstream media for the first time in 30 years.

Fans have already even compared Bryan’s impact on country to Nirvana, proclaiming that he has made country music cool again like Kurt Cobain did with rock in the ‘90s. The most prominent leader of this notion is Grady Smith, a country music advocate who has written for major publications and has over 200-thousand subscribers on YouTube. In 2015, Smith wrote an article for “The Guardian” titled, “Country music is the new hair metal – and we need a Nirvana moment,” which discussed how country was facing an image problem, how it had become dominated by formulaic, bro-country party anthems, and how it needed a “Nirvana moment” to save the genre. However, on Sept. 6, 2023, Smith released a follow up video, “This is Country Music’s Nirvana Moment,” stating that Byran’s refusal to cater to modern country music stereotypes is almost identical to how grunge band Nirvana helped redefine Rock music in the 1990s.

“[Zach Bryan] is almost in the same position within country music that Nirvana was in Rock music 30 years ago,” Smith said. “Just like the [rock] industry had to figure out why Nirvana was popular and swallow their own pride, the country music industry is continuing to learn they’re going to need to reckon with this sound being the cool sound of country music in order to move forward and stay relevant,” he said. “I think it’s cool. We’re in the midst of a full-on country music revolution.”

Bryan’s North American “Quittin Time Tour” will begin in March 2024 and will go until December of that year. He will be stopping in St. Louis and playing at the Enterprise Center on May 3 and 4, 2024, with The Middle East and Levi Turner. 

In a trailblazing moment for his career, Zach Bryan’s eponymous fourth studio album historically marked an important milestone in the resurgence of authentic storytelling within country music. Defined by its raw emotional depth, unique sound and refusal to conform to modern country stereotypes, Bryan’s music has sparked a revival reminiscent of Nirvana’s impact on rock in the ‘90s, positioning him as a leader in a country music revolution that continues to challenge the status quo.