Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Emma Chance | Celebrity | October 22, 2024
If ever there was a musician who firmly believed in the maxim, “Take your broken heart, make it into art,” it’s country singer Zach Bryan, whose music is, according to Dustin, “soulful, ragged, and full of heartache,” and put him in a trance-like state where all he wanted to do was “drink whiskey and smoke cigarettes.” If that doesn’t sound good to you, congrats on having a stress-free existence, I guess?
The point is, Bryan’s music is full of suffering and longing because he really does live a life full of suffering and longing. Last fall, he had an embarrassing run-in with the police, which seems like a rite of passage for up-and-coming country musicians at this point, and last month he got in trouble for tweeting something anti-Swift, which is never a good idea for an up-and-coming musician of any genre. He’s had a hard year, you could say, which is exactly what he did say when he posted this on his Instagram story this morning:
Brianna is Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia, formerly of Barstool Sports fame, currently of podcasting fame. I only knew her as Zach Bryan’s girlfriend, as he posted about her often, usually gushingly, which is why I was surprised to read his somber message this morning. Well, surprised and not surprised, because the language of disappointing everyone including himself is very much Bryan’s brand.
LaPaglia first sparked breakup rumors with this post:
…Which I guess is why Bryan felt the need to respond. She then posted a story of her own:
…Followed by, most unfortunately, a weepy video explaining her shock over the situation.
Ouch. I feel for her because I too have been dumped unceremoniously before, but truth be told I didn’t know she was famous enough to warrant a tearful vlog explaining her situation to her followers. I sent this to Dustin immediately and he responded, “He’s messy! But it makes for very good music!”
Right you are, boss. Bryan chose not to submit himself for 2025 Grammy consideration because he “does not feel comfortable with awards shows making music competitive,” (Variety) even though he’s already won the competition once, for his duo performance of “I Remember Everything” with Kacey Musgraves. He might be changing his tune after writing about this, though …
