Country singer Zach Bryan is withholding his music from Grammys consideration.
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Per Variety, the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer had declined to submit his work for consideration in any category for the 2025 Grammys, including in likely categories for the cross-over star such as rock and country.
The ballot that just went out to Grammy voters, which is not available to the public but to Recording Academy members, shows that Bryan’s name does not appear when searched.
Sources told the publication that Bryan decided not to submit this year because he feels “uncomfortable” with awards shows making music competitive, a somewhat unlikely choice, given his decision to bow out of next year’s Grammys comes after he won this year’s edition.
His duet with Kacey Musgraves, ‘I Remember Everything’, scored him his first Grammy for
best country duo/group performance award in February. So far, he has been nominated four times, all for country – although he has previously said he doesn’t consider himself solely a country artist.
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In eschewing the Grammy Awards, Bryan joins the likes of Drake and The Weeknd in boycotting the process. Drake snubbed the Recording Academy in both 2021 and 2022 and claimed: “This show doesn’t dictate shit in our world“, while The Weeknd has maintained his boycott since ‘After Hours’ and ‘Blinding Lights’ were notably absent from the 2021 nominations.
The Weeknd went on to say the Grammys “remain corrupt” and that the organisation “owe me, my fans and the industry transparency”.
Bryan recently came under fire for a tweet he shared about Taylor Swift, which eventually led him to delete his account. He had initially shared an update reading: “Anyone willing to put politics above music don’t get the point of listening to music.”
Soon afterwards, he returned to the social media platform, and stirred the pot once more – this time taking aim at Swift. Sharing a tweet on September 17, the singer-songwriter wrote: “Eagles > Chiefs” and “Kanye > Taylor,” before finishing off the update with: “Who’s with me?”
It seems likely that the first part of the tweet is a jab at Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, who plays as the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kanye West mention is a nod to the long-running tension between the pop star and the controversial rapper.
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