Zach Bryan has made Billboard Music Award (BBMA) history as the first country artist to win Top New Artist in the history of the awards. Bryan beat out Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, Ice Spice, and Peso Pluma for the Top New Artist win. The country singer and songwriter also picked three awards in the rock categories, including Top Rock Artist, Top Rock Album for American Heartbreak, and Top Country Song for his 2022 hit “Something in the Orange.”
Videos by American Songwriter
Along with his win for Top Rock Song for “Something in the Orange,” Bryan was nominated a second time in the category for “I Remember Everything,” featuring Kacey Musgraves. Bryan is also up for Top Male Artist and is up against Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs, which would also be another first for a country artist winning in the category.
His other 2023 nominations include Top Male Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Male Country Artist, Top Country Album for American Heartbreak, and Top Streaming Songs Artist. He was also nominated in the new BBMA categories Top Hot 100 Songwriter, and Top Hot 100 Producer, which was awarded to Joey Moi earlier in the evening.
Released in May 2022, Bryan’s third album American Heartbreak went to No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country and Top Rock Albums charts, while single “Something in the Orange” topped the Country and Rock charts, and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[RELATED: Behind the Meaning of Zach Bryan’s 2022 Country Hit “Something In The Orange”]
In 2017, Bryan began uploading his music on YouTube and went viral with his song “Heading South.” The Oklahoma singer and songwriter released his debut album DeAnn—dedicated to his late mother—in 2019, and follow-up to Elisabeth, a year later. Both albums were released while Bryan was still active in the U.S. Navy.
Bryan recently released his fourth eponymous album in 2023, which went to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Country, Rock, and Folk charts. His Musgraves collaboration from the album, “I Remember Everything,” also topped the Billboard Hot 100, along with the Country and Rock charts.
Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images
