Photo Credit: Kristín Braga Wright
Warner Chappell Music has announced a global publishing deal with singer-songwriter Zach Bryan.
Zach Bryan was Billboard’s Top New Country Artist of 2022 thanks to his platinum-certified hit, “Something in the Orange.” It’s the first song penned by a single songwriter top top the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart since Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.”
“I’d like to personally thank David and the team over at Warner Chappell,” says Zach Bryan about the deal. “I was just a confused kid in the Navy four years ago and they were the first people I talked to in the industry, literally. They never pushed a four-man writing team on me, they never asked me to do anything I didn’t want to do, they just believed in me. I owe them more than just support, I owe them back the faith they had in me as a barely 23-year-old Oklahoma kid walking around New York like a sore thumb.”
In 2022, the breakthrough artist’s first studio album American Heartbreak debuted atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and hit #5 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. It was the biggest first week for a country album in 2022 and has since racked up one billion global streams. Zach Bryan also holds the record for the most-streamed Country Album in a single day in 2022 on Spotify and Apple Music.
“Zach has already had a record-breaking start to his career and there’s so much more to come,” adds WCM President, North America, Ryan Press. “He isn’t afraid to do things differently, and it’s been incredible to see him become such a positive force in the industry and reshape how singer/songwriters release music. This is a huge moment, an we’re very proud to be on this journey together as he continues to carve out his own path.”
Zach Bryan first rose to prominence in 2019 with his soulful song, “Heading South.” The track is now RIAA platinum-certified and has amassed more than 19 million views. Later that year, Bryan released his debut album DeAnn, followed by his second album Elisabeth in 2020.