Zac Brown opens up about new album, divorce and surprising collaborations

It's been more than 10 years since Zac Brown Band’s debut hit single, "Chicken Fried.” For their newest studio album the Grammy-winning band teamed up with some unlikely collaborators, including pop producers Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco, and EDM producer Skrillex. Vladimir Duthiers reports.
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[@Baylinandkinito]

I went to high school with zach brown and he was always the sweetest person ever I have always been a fan

[@lucreciafigueroa7928]

Your from dahlonega too?

[@Baylinandkinito]

Yes born and raised

[@paulbrooks2024]

I don't know Zac other than his music, however I feel this started when he was young, he is a self made man inside radiation with the support of people who believe in him and didn't regret the decision.

[@jefferyrbrown]

Imagine being married to him and finding out he's doing hookers and coke... still the "Sweetest guy" then?

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@davidswarm7580]

Wow, this guy is really something - he feels so genuine. You can see that he's lost, but as he said - "everything feels fake", and he wants to go back to where he belongs. Totally agree! We are all surrounded by a fake world; Everyones perfect life on Instagram and we all read about this perfect celebrity life in Hollywood, where everyone looks and acts the same. No wonder he's lost! Who wouldnt be? Do what you love the most Zac, and you will find yourself again! Thank you and your awesome band for some really great tunes over the years! Love from Sweden!

[@barbaradaugherty3110]

Love Zach Brown Band he's so much more than country love all the songs especially the variety he's down to earth I love that

[@paulbrooks2024]

Zac Brown carries his own category, one great voice, with heart and entertained for thought.

[@casebogue6526]

He’s not himself rn, he’s working something out, he’ll be back

[@youneedsomefoods2323]

god i hope

[@bonniebrown6960]

My mom had a stroke about 3 and half years ago. I was at the hospital with her . I went outside to my car about 3 a.m. in the morning and Zack Brown's bus and his tractor trailer went by the hospital . I guess tractor trailer was for all of the band equipment , but it was all lit up with lights and it was all painted up so cool !! It had his name on the side of the tractor trailer . I was like .... wait what....!!!? I live in Winder Ga. , but I don't know where they were playing that night . Unless it was somewhere like Athens Ga . ? Anyway , that was cool just to get to see that .

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@anybodycanart]

5 kids and always on the road...that has to hurt everyone.

[@skopetv2]

Divorce and sobriety is a lot to swallow 😢🐤

[@jtlovescodelyoko]

Grady Smith Sent Me Here

[@burtyoung5909]

Zac nailed it if he was shooting for genuine. That's why i love his his music. "you cant fake it"

[@EricPhilippiofficial]

thank you for the awesome words, love & recognition, I am captivated💝. Where are you watching from?

[@haileycoelho658]

You're amazing zac brown!! The first concert I saw and at fenway! I got into country music that year through ir music and I am thankful for it. And I'm still here listening!

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks💞: [e-mail]

[@haileycoelho658]

@@zacbrown2396 yeah ok😂

[@musicsamples-electronicdan9717]

Superb Job, appreciate you posting 😃 🙌

[@mikemchugh3073]

Hold on tight and ride that crazy wave like so many before you. You'll figure it out and come through. Keep the faith.

[@-Wolfgang]

I really appreciate well done harmonization. ZBB does it the best.

[@michaelstamp157]

Great interview. Zac Brown 🎸

[@Deedeesfaves]

I love love love your beautiful voice and don't care what category they put you in. Keep em coming.

[@EricPhilippiofficial]

thank you for the awesome words, love & recognition, I am captivated💝. Where are you watching from?

[@firefighter2699]

Okay after watching this I understand the owl album. Hope he’s all good soon, love you and the islands song, keep em comin!

[@16davelle]

A TRUE ARTIST and he is dedicated to the music,gotta love him

[@daunking399]

Great artist 🦋

[@Bikewithlove]

What a great interview.

[@itscork]

I think he’s right. There are parts of me I don’t wanna be anymore too.

[@mathewgladden8914]

He contradicts himself a billion times with this interview - “I’m trying to engineer my life to only have things with soul” - drops “swayze” 👌🏼👍🏼💪🏿

[@paulag64]

Zack Brown could never be coined into one bucket! 🥰

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@LoveYouGreggy1]

I started listening to this new album certain I would hate it... but, several of the songs won me over. Loved the old stuff starting with Chicken Fried, loved Jekyll and Hyde the entire album especially the collaboration with Chis Cornell (RIP😢). Yea, some of the songs in Owl are not my thing, but I still love zac’s voice. I would love to hear more harmonies with the rest of the band though

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@Bikewithlove]

@@zacbrown2396 - Hi Zac - your song “Chicken Fried” has been playing on repeat since I heard it through a recent online ad that went viral. I think it’s a great song in its entirety. Iggy Pop didn’t mind his music being in a Nike ad because he knows the song came from the right place - as yours did. It was no coincidence that your song played over the start of a war, because inside your song is a message about the beauitiful moments in life that we sometimes have to suffer and fight for. Everyone who saw the commercial and laughed about the juxtaposition should follow up and give their time to more of your music. Like a flower through broken concrete, “Chicken Fried” is the one good, true thing to come out of mass news media in a long time. Cheers!

[@64kimmyjo]

He is fabulous! Prayers for you

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks💞: [e-mail]

[@TeresaGlasson-mj2yq]

God bless you thanks for your great music 🎶 🎵 🙏 ❤I love it

[@sharondarozier3115]

I love this band!!!

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks💞: [e-mail]

[@orlandobautista2848]

I Understand how feel you Zac

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@What_was_wrong_w_jst_our_names]

When did you know your marriage would t last? Zac: right around hookers and cocaine

[@jefferyrbrown]

Wanted to be a rock star more than he wanted to be a husband and dad.... seems like he's conflicted over it...like he still thinks he's a good guy. good guys don't pick hookers and cocaine over their wife and kids.

[@Leah_Sakowicz]

Amen Jeffery. Thank you 💙 I know there are still amazing men out there who know what is important. Life is like a vapor; He will turn around and see what has gone by, and what all he missed in life.

[@mysonsRnavy]

from sw Mo. Zac, Everyone used to tell me the pain gets less and it does but even after 12 years I still get a strong twinge on ocassion. I had just finalized mine in 2013 after 25 years... my son Justin (you might know him a lil) took me to my first trifecta 3 day concerts in 2013 and I think it may have changed my life. If it did not it made me more able to let go of some stuff.

[@TheAto2000]

I guess I was under a rock the last 3 years to not know about Zac Brown's divorce from.I recall (when I loved the band back in the early 2010s )how frequently the band leader and his wife were having kids.I thought the marriage would last.Good to see the band (recently in 2022) still doing their thing.I had no idea about Zac Brown not wanting to be boxed into country music,but I guess I can respect that.

[@squirmyrabbit4367]

If he is never home then that explains why his marriage didn't last.

[@shitubi_k]

well he was there just long enough to make babies, but never there to raise them... after knowing that he has to sacrifice his family on a fatherless alter to make good music not sure i want to listen to him anymore..

[@fatguyscanhike7656]

@@shitubi_k yeah it kinda sounds like he's super selfish and egotistical

[@guitargirl9714]

In this interview he seems so upset about the fact that he’s forced to chose a genre for his music. It’s almost as if he’s preemptively using that as an excuse for what is likely to be the epic failure of “The Owl.” Before anybody labels me a “hater” the facts speak for themselves... 2 out of 5 stars on Amazon, and while it did debut at #2 on Billboards top 200 albums, this was largely due to the free albums given with concert tickets. The second week numbers support this, as it dropped a whopping 71 spots to #73. Zac of all people should know that you can put your album in a particular genre but make whatever kind of music you want... after all Jeckyll and Hyde had everything on it from big band to hard rock. He’s also very focused on making the kind of music HE wants to make, which I’m assuming is the overproduced rap/pop/EDM that dominates “The Owl”, and vehemently states that “country purists” may not like it but he doesn’t really care. Well... Zac... when you’ve alienated much of your core fan base, NOT because we’re “country purists” but because we enjoy music that actually features your BAND instead of your MacBook, and your attendance at your concerts isn’t what it use to be, maybe then you’ll care. When you’re a touring musician, the people who buy concert tickets are basically “your boss.” If I went to my boss and informed him I was going to do a complete 180 and change how I do my job because “it doesn’t speak to my soul”, I’d be fired in about two seconds. So, “The Bowel”, I mean “The Owl” having to be labeled as country is the least of Zacs problems. His biggest problem is himself and his ego, and his lack of appreciation for his band and core fan base.

[@tropicalistic4581]

He is an artist., so comparing how your boss would react to you deciding to do your job differently is not a good analogy. He owes you and any other fan exactly nothing.

[@TheSharkAnt]

And keep in mind that this is the same guy who slammed Luke Bryan's 'That's My Kind Of Night', calling it the worst song he had ever heard. I wonder what his opinion on this song is NOW after he went way more pop than anything from Luke's discography.

[@jimgriggs2184]

@@tropicalistic4581 True. He owes us nothing. However, we owe him nothing either. It is however, his older stuff, highway 20 ride, chicken fried, sick him on a chicken etc. That got us on the bandwagon. And that is to say that was that music that made him the star he is. So to change it up alienates us, and does not attract a single bieber fan. So maybe the boss analogy is less than perfect, but the point stands. He established a fan base on a specific genre, an sub genre of music, for him to move to a new genre does not mean we follow along. And it does not mean that fans in the new genre are neccesarily going to jump right on board. He has a point to prove to his prospective new audience, because the rest of us are eating fried chicken somewhere on hwy 20.

[@user-tb2jy9lu3d]

That lady's offended/nervous look holding the door after they appear to say "Ooooh girl!" upon the break is classic. Is she part of the crew or just some kind of building staff?

[@Shamelslife]

Hey man, you be you. The haters will come and go, your true fans-the ones who like you for you-will always be there.

[@oceanchild8189]

Love him

[@annablessing8993]

Totally missed you in KC Sprint Center in early 2020, y'all cancelled the show. Hope you come back to KC area!!!! ( aka Annie B)

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks💞: [e-mail]

[@EricPhilippiofficial]

thank you for the awesome words, love & recognition, I am captivated💝. Where are you watching from?

[@adamstime]

His failed marriage clearly has devastated him. 2:03 watch the reaction

[@tachmin4ever]

I cannot connect with his music, recently, but I understand that every song is about his life how he’s feeling.

[@kierondillon4458]

Truth!.

[@taylormade2133]

God the new album is aweful

[@tropicalistic4581]

Actually, it's pretty good, it's just not country.

[@timothys3007]

No it’s not, it’s terrible.

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@josephrichardson4678]

I literally cried at his concert. Yea i was boozin lol

[@cathyanderson4645]

Hey 👋 your soul is beautiful and inspiring

[@zacbrown2396]

❣️❣️

[@Cimfamlover]

Good man Zach nice man

[@rosemarygranat4541]

The divorce? You ran off? I remember that well

[@philomenamannion833]

Come to Ireland when the lock down is over xx we will take care of you xx

[@classicwhitebread]

Good luck to you Zach! Glad you sobered up too. And eff the haters who don't appreciate more other than a country song.

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks💞: [e-mail]

[@bluemaxcnc4749]

ADGA ADGA ADGA, recover lift up, embrace your legacy, moments happen. Time to rosin the bow.

[@KevinCummingsFitness]

He’s a legend in music

[@casebogue6526]

KevinCummings Fitness up until 2019

[@ryanirish267]

Gettin' busted with cocaine and other women at a hotel will get you a divorce in most cases. I was a fan of the his albums up until Jekyll and Hyde, I could see this coming, but this most recent stuff is garbage. Last show I saw they whipped out Enter Sandman...not the band I want to see covering that tune. They'll be back eventually.

[@ryanpoli3209]

The last show? They've been doing that for YEARS.

[@shyn1ngst4r]

One of my favorite parts was the Enter Sandman cover 🤘

[@jefferyrbrown]

I like their "Enter Sandman" cover...well, everything except the vocals. You just ain't gonna hold a candle to Hetfield on that...I don't care who you are.

[@jacquietrytek4807]

Yes, he is an artist! He’s country and so much more. That’s okay with me.

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@MonaMona-cn5zw]

I always wonder if artists know that their career is severely affecting their family and marriage, why not step down? Why not just sit back and enjoy your family and write music for other folks? Sure, money won’t be the same but you also won’t feel heavy hearted every day.

[@wsmc14]

contractual agreements....

[@arnoldraffles3410]

Idk man he looked like he really sad about something

[@johndamjohn]

Divorce with five kids, yeah I would be sad also

[@lacemitchell9895]

john whitley missed the sarcasm did you?

[@johndamjohn]

@@lacemitchell9895 what sarcasm?

[@davepearce2070]

But country fans are what made hime popular! Don’t forget your base. Especially in front of your enemy

[@carriejowolf8354]

Suck it up buttercup country folks Will Survive

[@EricPhilippiofficial]

thank you for the awesome words, love & recognition, I am captivated💝. Where are you watching from?

[@corbenbecker2034]

Can artists stop blaming fans for their bad music

[@chloehaug7218]

Corben Becker exactly... it’s just not good music

[@fatguyscanhike7656]

The Ivan Moody of Country

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@sec9788]

Wonder if he still feel as strongly about COVID as he did a couple years ago?…🙄

[@MrSealers]

I’m so sorry that ur marriage ended.

[@zacbrown2396]

Myself and the entire team (Zac brown band) appreciate you for your kind words. Thanks for the endless support and encouragement, feel free to email me share your thoughts, thanks❣️: [e-mail]

[@dougfa3515]

Horrendous album. Unfortunately, Zac has crossed the line of self indulgence. Many artists have done the same before him. I get not wanting to be pigeonholed... not just doing the same old thing like following a formula, etc. He's going to 'engineer' his way out of the music business if he doesn't recognize it. But if he's not happy doing what he's been doing, so be it.

[@almo29]

Kinda feels like he told us to stuff it if we dont like his songs... I'm gonna be honest. It kinda hurt a little bit...

[@dessertman1181]

It’s kind of a broken record you’re on the road all the time broken marriage is broken families I feel bad for these guys they have a passion but it’s hard to balance family and the travel

[@ricksaunders8074]

Divorce is harder on children then the the two that now dont get along 5 children each will take it different Selfishness takes its toll

[@timothys3007]

This is what happens when fame and money go to your head. You totally lose touch with reality. Too bad, I used to be a huge fan.

[@fatguyscanhike7656]

You have to live the life he said, trash

[@12inch_monster]

i love country. i also love zb. i hate people who pigeonhole artists into categories. his country stuff is great, as well as his more pop collabos.

[@BrodyToYou]

Really? 22 years on the road?

[@jcarey65]

Stay in your lane, Bro...stay in your lane.

[@RockyTop85]

12 years and five kids...throw it all away. How disgusting

[@RockyTop85]

@@melissaray7295 the world treats sacred vows like it’s a handshake. Calling folks out for throwing it all away so easily is being a REAL hater...No one said anything about perfection. The beauty of it all is always fighting through all the imperfections.

[@mathewgladden8914]

CLEARLY you care zac. Or you wouldn’t have even mentioned the “haters”

[@shofizzled40]

Play what you want but don't expect the fans of your older music to like it because you don't want to be classified as what ever.

[@dkpitt3912]

Zac is a bit full of himself. He has done really wonderful things for people in need, but he seems to struggle with being on top of the mountain. He needs to go away for a while and refocus.

[@mattjazzfan2288]

omw is one of the worst songs of the year

[@Colt-dr6qw]

Matthew Mertens don’t forget about God Given!!

[@ASLB247]

Or Swayze!

[@codyhardy7998]

Gives guy a bank yes 5 kids he take of his kids.he when you singer you rord lot.he was not country band his first 10 years of career he bluegrass.he lot better in country.now he go in so rock where does suck at.but he come back when regwhy he suck at rock music. But does mean he don't care of kids when does.

[@rhinoblessnyc8324]

Sexy Father 🙂Bachelor 👍🏻

[@jmonopoly6822]

Release a pop album first.... Not country. All these Artist use country to get started then get their feelings hurt when they get a little criticism about not being pure. Get over yourself Mr. Brown.....

[@carlosarmijo3100]

Zac brown fell off bad !!

[@johnkeane6889]

Sellout

[@flipflopsandcarswaps1237]

How so?

[@dougfa3515]

Sellout implies he's doing it for the money... trust me, he ain't gonna be making much money on this 'music venture'.

[@roglcoe]

Cbs sucks. National news sucks. Local news sucks.