Recently, Zach Bryan, a famous country singer and former US veteran, has released a small snippet of a new song called “Bad News”. In this snippet, Bryan includes several lyrics that are critical of the government agency ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
There has been an impassioned response from both sides of the political aisle. Those in support of the current administration’s Immigration policy have shown their discontent with this song, some saying they will not support the song, and others saying they will not support the artist. Meanwhile, those who are against the current ICE operations have shown their support for the song’s political message.
However, the artist, Zach Bryan, has come out and said the song isn’t supposed to be a divisive statement, but rather a song about how much he loves his country and the people in it. He has come out and said, “When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle,” He continues, “Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back.”
Bryan has made it clear that he did not intend to divide his audience or express his support for either political party. He has said, “Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides,” he continues his statement, “To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!!!”
This event acts as a cautionary tale about how an incomplete story can spark a controversy where one was not intended. Personally, I will be interested to listen to the full song and see what the full song’s message is.
