Popular country music stars Zach Bryan and John Moreland are embroiled in a public feud.
The two roots-rock singer-songwriters are both from Tulsa, Oklahoma, so Moreland felt it was a natural fit when Bryan reached out to work together in 2023.
The pair collaborated on a song called Memphis; The Blues on Bryan’s 2024 hit album The Great American Bar Scene, elevating Moreland’s career.
Bryan is among the most popular artists in the US, with major artists like Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer also featuring on his album, but the exposure came at a personal cost for Moreland.
News recently broke that Bryan was selling his publishing rights to a new company called the Merrit Group and inking a new two-album record deal with Warner for a staggering $ 350 million (£278 million).
Moreland responded to that news, which created a lot of buzz in the country music scene, with a post on Instagram that read: ‘$350 M is a lot to pay for the f***in off-brand version of me y’all have a great day.’
Bryan then shared the story on his account, writing: ‘yooo just saw this from an artist I’ve always respected and supported. Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records. Replacing Memphis the Blues, if it goes down for a bit just know this is the reason! No hard feelings ! Confused as shit, Tulsans look out for Tulsans!’
Bryan also added: ‘Last thing I say on it! Not partial to arguing with butt hurt grown men.’
Bryan then removed Memphis and The Blues from streaming services on Friday.
In response, Moreland shared another story Saturday, writing, ‘Oh, guys, the Zachies are coming after me. They’re gonna ruin me. They’re gonna cancel my small-time folk-music career that I’ve had since they were in elementary school.’
Moreland then posted a long video discussing his feelings about Bryan in more depth.
He shared that he initially agreed to appear on the album without ever meeting Bryan: ‘Just a really big artist from where I’m from, asking me to be on a record. Cool.’
He continued, explaining their first meeting took place during the recording session, and though the artist admits he ‘didn’t have the greatest impression,’ he didn’t think much of it at the time.
However, after several more encounters, his opinion shifted dramatically. ‘At this point, I’ve hung out with him five, six times. I don’t like this motherf****r,’ he said.
The artist detailed specific grievances, accusing Bryan of being disrespectful to his wife and friends, telling ‘borderline racist jokes,’ and engaging in inappropriate behavior, such as bringing an under 21-year-old girl into a bar and expecting the artist to defend him.
‘If I was asked to be on the album today, I wouldn’t do it,’ he said plainly. ‘I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who… I’ve heard tell borderline racist jokes more than once.’
Ultimately, the artist framed his removal from the album not as a loss, but as a relief: ‘Getting kicked off a Zach Bryan album is way cooler than being on a Zach Bryan album.’
This is not the first time someone close to Bryan has complained about his problematic behaviour, with the country artist going through a very public breakup with Barstool podcast host Brianna (Chickenfry) LaPaglia last year.
During an episode of the BFFs Podcast, LaPaglia alleged that the singer was emotionally abusive.
‘The last year of my life has been the hardest year of my life dealing with the abuse from this dude,’ she said. ‘I’m still scared right now because I’m scared of him. My brain’s rewired and I’m scared to make him mad.’
She also alleged that Bryan asked her to sign an NDA, offering her $12million (£9.06) and an apartment to ‘not talk about the relationship.’
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