Zach Bryan previously spoke out against winning a CMA award, but will his 2023 nomination test his anti-award stance? Keep reading for all the details.
Zach Bryan Laying Low Since Arrest?
Country music fans were shocked in Sept. 2023 when news broke that the singer had been arrested in Oklahoma. Bryan was placed under arrest after interfering with the police during a traffic stop involving his security guard.
He was quickly released from jail. But after a flurry of news articles about the situation, things have seemingly quieted down for the singer.
Could it be because he’s spending time with his new girlfriend, or is he busy working on new music? Or perhaps he’s resting before his massive 2024 tour and playing with his new puppy.
Zach Bryan Nominated For CMA Award
Zach Bryan isn’t exactly new on the country music scene, so why does he keep getting nominated for Best New Artist in 2023?
Bryan’s swift rise in the country music industry is similar to what’s happening with Oliver Anthony right now. Bryan wasn’t signed with a big label when he first hit the scene.
His first brush with fame came after his 2019 self-filmed video of his song “Heading South” went viral.
Zach Bryan signed with major label Warner Records in 2021. He released a triple album, American Heartbreak, a year later.
In August 2023, he released a self-titled album. A month later, he released the EP Boys of Faith featuring Bon Iver and Noah Kahan.
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Zach Bryan is hardly a new artist, so why does he keep nabbing nominations for Best New Artist?
Lainey Wilson dominates the 2023 CMA Awards with nine nominations, including Entertainer of the Year. Fans may have been surprised to see Zach Bryan nominated for New Artist of the Year alongside Jelly Roll, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney, and Hailey Whitters.
However, it wasn’t Bryan’s first Best New Artist nomination this year. He was also nominated in the category at the first-annual People’s Choice Country Awards, but he lost to Jelly Roll.
Country music fans will have to wait until Nov. 8 to see if Zach Bryan wins. The CMA Awards will air live on ABC at 8 PM Eastern.
His Anti-Award Stance
In 2022, Zach Bryan didn’t get any CMA nominations. In response to the snub, he shared his anti-award stance on Twitter. He recently disabled his Twitter, making his prior tweets unavailable.
Luckily, Whiskey Riff kept receipts of the rant.
According to the outlet, Bryan wrote on Twitter in 2022, “Guys, I don’t and will never want to be considered at the CMAs.”
He went on to say that he wasn’t “trying to insult the validity of a CMA.” However, it wasn’t his “priority” to have awards sitting on a shelf.
He added, “There’s room for more important things there.”
If the “Something in the Orange” singer wins Best New Artist at the CMAs, will he accept it? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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