Is Zach Bryan’s New Music a Response to His Brianna Chickenfry Breakup?

In the wake of emotional abuse allegations from his ex-girlfriend Brianna Chickenfry, Zach Bryan is sharing new music that's got some fans wondering if the songs are inspired by his recent heartbreak.

Bryan dropped two new tracks at the end of last week — "This World's a Giant" and "High Road" — along with a reflective social media post about how the songs came to be.

In particular, he focuses on "High Road," a track that he says came together after a recent visit to his late mother's grave in Oklahoma.

"Told her I quit touring because I got accepted to get my masters in Paris next year, I told her I was back in Oklahoma, told her all about my best friends in New York and all the nights we howled with the moon, told her about the immeasurable laughter my band and me have shared these last five years, all the calluses on my finger tips, every tear shed, told her about making it on The Rolling Stone and most importantly told her about back porch swinging with my beautiful sister," he recounts in the caption of his post.

"I wrote the chorus for this song a month or two back and finished it when I realized I was blessed with all these things," Bryan continues. "I figured it was about time I released it."

The lyrics seem in part to be inspired by Bryan's mother. In particular, in one line, he sings "I've waited by the telephone all f--kin' night / For someone that ain't never gonna call."

That rings true with his reflections on his mom: He says that as he was sitting by her grave, he thought about the fact "that she never would call me again."

But other portions of the song seem like they could possibly be referencing Bryan's recent, highly-publicized breakup. He sings about "Adderall and white-lace bras that makes you fall in love"; in another, he adds, "Everyone is tellin' me that I need help or therapy / But all I need is to be left alone."

What Happened Since Zach Bryan's Breakup With Brianna Chickenfry?

• Bryan first announced his split from Chickenfry in late October.
• She subsequently shared a tearful video post saying she felt "blindsided" and "discarded," and that she didn't expect him to take their breakup public so soon.
• Chickenfry's BFFs podcast co-hosts Josh Richards and Dave Portnoy — the latter of whom is the founder of Barstool Sports — released a diss track aimed at Bryan.
• In a bombshell podcast episode released last week, Chickenfry accused Bryan of emotional abuse and said he offered her $12 million to sign an NDA agreeing not to talk about their relationship.

Bryan, like most songwriters, likely pulls from real-life subject matter as his source material for songs. Many of his hits have been rumored to be written about Chickenfry or situations surrounding their relationship. In particular, his The Great American Bar Scene single "Pink Skies" is rumored to be about an incident that took place when they were together, and Chickenfry appeared to confirm the story in a TikTok comment on a diss track snippet posted to her podcast's TikTok page.

"Can someone explain how pink skies is about Grace?" one fan wrote, referencing Chickenfry's best friend, comedian Grace O'Malley.

"Because I forced him to go to her grandma's funeral," Chickenfry replied. "He screamed at me then wrote it that night."

Zach Bryan's "High Road" Lyrics:

Adderall and white-lace bras that makes you fall in love / You left your blue jeans in my pick-up truck / New York this time of year ain't good for me / 'Cause all my friends lack self-control and empathy

All the boys are crawlin' in some s--thole in the wall again / I missed this place more than I missed my home / Everyone is tellin' me that I need help or therapy / But all I need is to be left alone

Chorus:

She's bound to come back and haunt you forever / There's ghosts in the windows and walls / I've waited by the telephone all f--kin' night / For someone that ain't ever gonna call

Remember tellin' me I was gonna hit the big time? / You died, guess you told God it was true / Remember sittin' on your porch, you talked about your old regrets? / In Tulsa while the bad things took your brain / It seems the quiet dreams have gotten much too heavy / But I'm home now and I'll hold you through the pain

Repeat Chorus x 2

Adderall and white-lace bras that'll make you fall in love / You left your blue jeans in my pick-up truck / New York this time of year ain't good for me / 'Cause all my friends lack self-control and empathy