Journalism of Courage
Grammy award-winning country singer Zach Bryan appears to have taken aim at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in a teaser of his new song, CNN reported.
The 29-year-old uploaded a minute-long snippet of his upcoming single “Bad News” to Instagram on October 3, captioned: “the fading of the red white and blue.”
In the teaser, Bryan sings: “And ICE is gonna come bust down your door, try to build a house no one builds no more, but I got a telephone, kids are all scared and all alone.” The clip has divided opinion on social media, with right-leaning fans criticising him for a perceived swipe at President Donald Trump’s immigration raids, while left-leaning supporters have praised his stance.
A US Navy veteran from Oklahoma, Bryan began posting videos of his original songs on YouTube in 2017 and has since become one of country music’s biggest stars. His two most recent albums, 2023’s Zach Bryan and last year’s The Great American Bar Scene, have received both critical acclaim and commercial success.
Navigating politics remains tricky for country artists, who risk alienating conservative fans by publicly expressing progressive views. Bryan’s teaser comes shortly after he broke the record for the largest ticketed concert in US history, surpassing a title previously held by George Strait.
