About

Pairing the reflective insight of a roots poet with the edgy intensity of raw alt-rock, Sony Music Nashville artist Zach John King is pushing country in a brand new (yet-strangely-familiar) direction – straight toward the truth, no matter where it leads. Raised in Fayetteville, Georgia and a lyricist first (with multiple generations of poets in the family), the rising star grew up old school but dreaming of escape. A fan of everything from George Jones and Otis Redding to The Police, Third Eye Blind, Switchfoot, and Biz Markie, King fronted an indie-rock band through college before making the move to Nashville in 2021, inspired to explore his country roots as the mainstream genre expands. Whether it was through power chords and pounding drums or bare-knuckle balladry, his minimalistic country-meets-rock sound resulted in his first solo track in 2023 – an audacious collision of styles titled “Just Missed You,” filled with vivid authenticity – and a series of independent singles followed before King’s 2024 breakout single, “Wannabe Cowboy.” Boasting a less-is-more indie-roots presentation, the ballad stands in bold contrast to country’s chest thumping identity anthems and has so far garnered 3.4 million streams worldwide, with placement on high-profile playlists like Spotify’s New Boots, Fresh Country and Next From Nashville. Most recently, King announced an upcoming EP, Slow Down, dropping May 23. The announcement of the project follows the success of the title track, “Slow Down,” with the song earning 5 million global streams as well as placements on Spotify’s “Hot Country” playlist and Apple Music’s “Today’s Country” playlist, among others. With a total of 24.7 million global career streams, this track “I Deserve A Heartbreak” now playing on The Highway XM, and packed touring schedule ahead, King’s 2025 is off to an exciting start – and there’s much more on tap.