Top officials at the Department of Homeland Security have heard the teasers for Zach Bryan‘s upcoming single. They aren’t fans.
The country superstar of recent vintage rode unvarnished YouTube uploads to virality and eventual chart success. Despite breaking big with 2022’s “American Heartbreak,” Bryan’s maintained a remarkably straightforward style. He shared a snippet of a new song (that appeared to be recorded from his phone) to Instagram late last week with the caption “the fading of the red, white and blue.” The lyrics in the teaser center around Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and general American malaise, noting that nothing’s getting built in a country where people are too afraid to go outside.
“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,” Bryan sings.
The direct call-out of ICE caught the attention of Trump Cabinet members. Speaking to conservative podcaster Benny Johnson, DHS head Kristi Noem called the snippet “disrespectful” to law enforcement and the country as a whole. Noem accused the singer and Navy veteran of badmouthing “every single individual that has ever stood up and fought for our freedoms.”
“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,” she said, before naming notable conservative country music stars. “I am going to go out and probably download some Jason Aldean, John Rich, Kid Rock, and Jon Pardi songs.”
Seeing the outrage from the administration and online conservatives, Bryan shared that his song had been “misconstrued.” He said that the full song paints a more complete picture of a confused United States and calls for people to come together.
“This shows how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats by social media,” he wrote on Instagram. “When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context.”
“I served this country, I love this country, and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space,” he continued. “Left-wing or right-wing, we are all one bird.”
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