Want to see Zach Bryan in concert? Head to Oklahoma's Born & Raised fest

Keeping up with rapidly rising Oklahoma country music star Zach Bryan can be a daunting task these days.

The industrious singer-songwriter — who in the past two years has morphed from a DIY viral standout into a genuine music sensation — not only is busily crisscrossing the nation on a bustling schedule of largely sold-out tour dates, but he also has released more than 40 new songs just over this summer.

Fortunately, Sooner State fans soon will have the chance to catch Bryan in familiar home-state territory: The prolific singer-songwriter, who hails from Oologah, will be back in Oklahoma to play the second Born & Raised Music Festival, set for Sept. 16-18 in Pryor.

Where is the Born & Raised Music Festival and who else is playing there?

Along with Bryan, the Born & Raised Music Festival will feature Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cody Jinks, Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Margo Price, Flatland Cavalry, Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Wade Bowen, American Aquarium and more.

A showcase for outlaw, Texas and Red Dirt country performers, the music and camping event will bring more than 35 acts to the Pryor Creek Music Festival Grounds, the long-standing home of the Rocklahoma rock festival. 

Bryan was on the original lineup for the Born & Raised Music Festival, which was initially planned for 2020 but had to be delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. By the time the inaugural event actually took place last year, he had moved up significantly on the event's roster.

Already gaining a reputation for his raucous live performances thanks to several high-profile festival dates, Bryan is returning to Born & Raised as Friday night headliner for what is currently the only Oklahoma show listed on the rest of his 2022 tour schedule.

Who is Zach Bryan and how did he break out as a rising country star?

Born in Okinawa, Japan, into a long line of military servicemen and women, Bryan, 26, grew up in small-town Oklahoma with dreams of becoming a songwriter. At age 17, he followed family tradition and joined the U.S. Navy, serving for eight years.

Even when he was on active duty, music was a big part of Bryan's life. In 2017, he started uploading his music to YouTube in the form of unedited performance videos his friends filmed on his phone. 

In 2019, the songwriter and his buddies recorded his debut album, "DeAnn," in a Florida Airbrb using equipment from Guitar Center. He named the self-funded and self-released collection for his late mother. 

Shortly after he released "DeAnn," Bryan posted a sweaty one-take performance clip for "Heading South," the first single from his sophomore album. The acoustic anthem went viral: The original video — recorded behind his Navy barracks on a humid 95-degree day — has been viewed more than 15.5 million times since its September 2019 release, while a studio version dropped on YouTube by Warner Records has earned more than 10.5 million views since December 2020. 

By the time he made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2021, the studio version of "Heading South" had surpassed 30 million Spotify plays. The song, featured on his 2020 album "Elisabeth," was certified gold last fall by the Recording Industry Association of America. 

"I feel incredibly blessed. I can't believe it happened so quick. It's been an incredible ride," Bryan told The Tennessean ahead of his Opry bow. 

Just how much music has Zach Bryan released this summer?

On May 20, the Oklahoman made his major-label debut when Warner Records unleashed his "American Heartbreak," a triple album boasting a whopping 34 tracks — all of which Bryan had a hand in writing. 

The epic debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s all-genre Top 200 Albums chart and No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums list. "American Heartbreak" marked his Billboard 200 bow, entering with 71,500 equivalent album units earned — the biggest week for a country album in 2022.

The album's fervent single “From Austin” topped both the Spotify and Apple Music’s country charts, while the vivid ballad "Something in the Orange” peaked just outside the Top 10 on the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 11. 

Less than two months after unleashing his "American Heartbreak," Bryan showed up with the "Summertime Blues," a new nine-track EP he released July 15.  

"Summertime Blues" debuted at No. 7 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, No. 2 on the Top Americana/Folk Albums list, No. 4 on the Top Rock Albums chart and No. 4 on Top Rock & Alternative Albums. Bryan celebrated by performing one of the highest attended sets on Lollapalooza’s Discord Stage July 28 in Chicago.

Even with two album releases less than four months, Bryan has continued his hot streak of new music. He most recently dropped the non-album singles “Til Brooklyn" and "Burn Burn Burn."

To date, Bryan has earned more than 1.5 billion global streams — and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

"I feel like it's a songwriter's job to analyze everything in his head and put that out in the world how he interpreted it," Bryan told The Tennessean last year. "And maybe somebody else can interpret it the same way. There's so much stuff ... going on around you all the time that's so hard to explain. By writing songs you can try your best and hope people relate." 

BORN & RAISED MUSIC FESTIVAL

With: Zach Bryan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cody Jinks, Tanya Tucker, Brothers Osborne, Margo Price, Flatland Cavalry, Randy Rogers Band, Josh Abbott Band, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, Wade Bowen, American Aquarium and more.

When: Sept. 16-18.

Where: Pryor Creek Music Festival Grounds, 1421 W 450 Road, off U.S. 69 north of Pryor.

Tickets and information: https://bornandraisedfestival.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Country star Zach Bryan returning to Oklahoma for Born & Raised fest