“Warrior” honors the U.S. Armed Services
Zac Brown Band has released their latest song, “Warrior,” which was written to pay tribute to the men and women of the US Armed Forces. The track is part of the bands upcoming new studio album, The Owl, to be released via BMG on September 20th. “Warrior,” is available now across all digital streaming platforms and follows last month’s debut of Zac Brown Band’s “Leaving Love Behind,” which debuted on iTunes’ Top 100 Country Songs chart and followed the release of “Someone I Used To Know.” Released in November 2018 and debuting on Billboard’s Hot Country Song Chart, “Someone I Used To Know” went on to win the band a 2019 CMT Award for Group Video of the Year.
The Owl will not only feature the intricate melodies and dynamic vocal arrangements that Zac Brown Band has long been known for, but also explore new sounds through the previously announced yet still unexpected collaborations with producers and writers across different facets of the music world including Skrillex, Andrew Watt, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Max Martin, Benny Blanco and Ryan Tedder among others. Zac Brown Band’s experimentation with sound can be heard throughout the band’s career discography and helped them develop a reputation as one of the most dynamic musical acts, marked by strong musicianship and a creative range that defies genre boundaries.
“Before we wrote the song ‘Warrior,’ I interviewed my friend Alexander R. Oliver who has over 21 years of dedication to our country in Special Ops. He now spends his time helping other veterans with things only they can relate to,” Brown says of the song. “He is a true warrior and a wordsmith, so I took some of his story and words and tried to channel a glimpse of what it means to be a modern day warrior. Below is a portion of a speech he wrote that we crafted ‘Warrior’ from:
‘There is no retirement for the warrior. Especially for his mind. Once he is forged and anointed on the battlefield he will always be a warrior. He will long for the feeling of standing with his brothers before the enemy. He will miss the quiet pride of leading his men into victory. And he will never forget the ones who selflessly gave their lives for the betterment of the Tribe. The warrior can always make one more mountain, one more mile and he can always take more weight. He can do all this because he fights for a cause bigger than himself. The warrior will never feel sorry for himself and never ask for help except maybe from his brothers. We eat the pain for a lot of years to keep doing the things we do for our country. The pain takes a backseat for the cause. The cause suppresses the pain and makes it bearable no matter how many injuries are absorbed . But when our contribution to the cause comes to an end the pain loses its suppressor and for some that pain is unbearable. But we all feel it to some degree.’
“God bless men like Alexander and all of our men and women warriors that keep us safe in this great country and God bless the USA.”
Zac Brown Band is currently touring its summer 2019 The Owl Tour, in support of the upcoming new album release. Both the tour and upcoming album title are inspired by the lore surrounding the great horned owl, which can see perfectly at night, making it a reliable guide, even during dark times. The Owl will explore a deeper side of Zac Brown Band as they pull from this inspiration to create their most personal album to date.
The Owl follows Zac Brown Band’s 2017 studio album, Welcome Home, which won the British Country Music Association Award for International Album of the Year. Prior to the release of Welcome Home, Zac Brown Band released four studio albums beginning with their debut major label studio album, certified 5x platinum, The Foundation, in 2008 featuring their hit debut single, “Chicken Fried.” Since then, the band’s studio album releases included You Get What You Give, in 2010; Uncaged, in 2012; and JEKYLL + HYDE, in 2015. Additionally, Zac Brown Band have released two live albums (Live From Bonnaroo, 2009; Pass The Jar, 2010), a greatest hits compilation (Greatest Hits So Far, 2014), and an extended play produced by Dave Grohl (The Grohl Sessions, Vol. 1., 2013).
A three-time Grammy Award-winning band, Zac Brown Band have sold more than 30 million singles, nine million albums, have achieved 15 No. 1 radio singles and are the second act in history to have topped both Country Airplay and Mainstream Rock Songs charts. They took the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Songs chart during their 2015 collaboration with the late Chris Cornell on “Heavy is the Head.”
