Zach Bryan has broken his silence after facing backlash over his new song titled ‘Bad News.’ Bryan shared a teaser of the track on Instagram over the weekend, and the lyrics, which appeared to criticize the ICE, sparked widespread criticism.
Bryan has now addressed the backlash in a message posted to his Instagram Story. “This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media,” he wrote. “This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything.”
“When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back,” he continued.
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“I served this country,” Bryan explained. “I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space.”
Bryan has served in the US Navy for about eight years. He was honorably discharged in 2021 to pursue his music career.
“I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou a–hole, just a 29 year old man who is just as confused as everyone else,” Bryan wrote. “To see how much sh– it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides.”
“To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes,” he added.
Bryan also shared a follow-up note, writing, “The last few months of my life I’ve been scrutinized by more people than I ever thought possible. I feel like I’ve tried my hardest in so many ways and it’s so hard to see where my bearings even are anymore. Been falling off a cliff while trying to grow wings at the same time.”
He added, “I am SO proud to have served in a country where we can all speak freely and converse amongst each other without getting doxxed or accosted on the internet or worse; the violence and heartbreak we’ve faced in the last few months!”
Concluding his message, Bryan wrote, “God speed ol sons I’m out!”
The lyrics that prompted backlash
Bryan shared a snippet of his upcoming song on Instagram, with the caption, “the fading of the red white and blue.” Bryan sings, “The generational story of dropping the plot / I heard the cops came, cocky motherf—ers ain’t they? / And ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try to build a house, no bills no more, well I got a telephone / Kids are all scared and all alone.”
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Bryan was blasted for the lyrics by many, including the White House. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson telling Newsweek, “While Zach Bryan wants to Open the Gates to criminal illegal aliens and has Condemned heroic ICE officers, Something in the Orange tells me a majority of Americans disagree with him and support President Trump’s great American Revival.”
Bryan was also slammed byHomeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem, who can be seen saying in a video, “I hope Zach Bryan understands how completely disrespectful that song is, not just to law enforcement but to this country, to every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms. He just compromised it all by putting out a product such as that attacks individuals who are just trying to make our streets safe.”
She added, “Zach, I didn’t listen to your music. I’m happy about that today. Today, that makes me very happy that I never once gave you a single penny to enrich your lifestyle. I am going to go out and probably download some Jason Aldean, John Rich, Kid Rock, and Jon Pardi songs.”
