Zach Bryan began feuding with John Moreland after Moreland reacted to Bryan’s new record deal by saying that “$350M is a lot of money to pay for the f—ing off-brand version of me”
Bryan responded by taking the musicians’ 2024 song “Memphis; the Blues” off of streaming platforms, and saying he was “confused” by Moreland’s statement
The beef culminated with Moreland making several allegations about Bryan’s behavior and stating, “I don’t like that person”
Zach Bryan is feuding with another Tulsa-based musician — and things have gotten pretty messy.
The “Something in the Orange” musician’s headline-making beef with singer-songwriter John Moreland began — at least publicly — on May 7 following news of Bryan’s $350 million deal with Warner Records, as reported by Variety.
Moreland — who collaborated with Bryan on “Memphis; the Blues” for his latest album, The Great American Bar Scene — publicly reacted to the record deal news on social media.
“$350M is a lot of money to pay for the f–ing off-brand version of me,” the singer-songwriter, 39, said. “Y’all have a great day.”
A “confused” Bryan responded to Moreland’s jab on social media a couple of days later by revealing plans to remove their collab track, “Memphis; the Blues,” from streaming services, according to Rolling Stone.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
John Moreland performing in Indio in April 2017
“Yooo just saw this from an artist I’ve always respected and supported. Not trying to be dramatic but refuse to have anyone with a problem with me on my records,” the “Pink Skies” singer wrote over a screen grab of Moreland’s original post, per Rolling Stone.
“Replacing ‘Memphis the Blues.’ If it goes down for a bit just know this is the reason!” he continued.
“No hard feelings! Confused as s—, Tulsans look out for Tulsans.”
In one more post, Bryan added that the statement would be the “last thing” he says about the apparent feud, Variety reported, adding that he’s “not partial to arguing with butt hurt grown men.”
Fans of the Grammy winner subsequently flocked to Moreland’s social media, where the singer then responded. He shared two videos on Instagram Stories, in which he called Bryan a “d—head” and made a series of accusations about his behavior.
In one of the clips, shared May 10, Moreland took a sarcastic tone, according to Variety. “Oh, guys, the Zachies are coming after me,” he said. “They’re gonna ruin me. They’re gonna cancel my small-time folk-music career that I’ve had since they were in elementary school.”
Frazer Harrison/Getty
Zach Bryan performs in Indio in April 2025
In a longer video, the self-described “cult songwriter” revealed that he did not know Bryan before they collaborated, and explained why does not “like” the musician.
“OK, so I’ll just say one more thing about it and I’m gonna get back to my real life and let y’all have fun on the internet,” the Tulsa native said, per Variety. “When I was asked to be on that album [The Great American Bar Scene], I did not know that dude. Never met him. Just a really big artist from where I’m from, asking me to be on a record. Cool. First time I met him, we recorded the song. Like, didn’t have the greatest impression, but no big deal — whatever, fine. Then we record the song. The album comes out like a month later. I had met him once at that point.”
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Now, having “hung out” with Bryan around five or six times, Moreland said, “I don’t like this motherf—er. Like, am I supposed to be upset?”
“If I was asked to be on the album today, I wouldn’t do it,” he continued, per Variety. “I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who is a d—head to my wife and my friends right in front of me every time I see him. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who I’ve heard tell borderline racist jokes more than once. I don’t want to be on an album with a dude who brings a 19-year-old girl in the bar, and then when they tell him she can’t be in there, looks at me like I’m supposed to have his f—ing back. I don’t like that person.”
“I don’t like that person,” he repeated.
Bryan has not responded to Moreland’s additional comments and accusations.
“Memphis; the Blues” is no longer available to stream on Spotify, and a replacement version has not yet been released. With over 20 million listens, the song was Moreland’s most-streamed track prior to its removal, according to Rolling Stone.
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