Zach Bryan’s Playful Jab Sparks Walker Hayes’ Amusing Response

Country singer Zach Bryan recently took a playful shot at Walker Hayes’ hit song “Fancy Like” on social media, prompting a response from Hayes himself.

Bryan, known for his duet with Kacey Musgraves titled “I Remember Everything,” achieved the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. However, despite the success in sales and streaming, his song faced slower adoption on country radio, currently sitting at No. 28 on the Country Airplay chart.

The conversation sparked from a tweet about Tyler Childers and radio preferences.

Bryan humorously expressed his surprise that radio would choose the catchy “Applebees song” over Childers’ “Shake the Frost,” a track from 2013.

“Imagine being radio (whoever the hell that is), hearing Shake the Frost and being like, ‘no no let’s go with the Applebees song,'” Bryan tweeted.

Within half an hour, Bryan clarified his intention, stating that he meant his comment with humor and not malice. He emphasized that he wasn’t trying to insult anyone and acknowledged that different people have different preferences.

Bryan explained his frustration, expressing disappointment that it took an artist of Childers’ caliber, whom he considers one of the best songwriters, a decade to break into country radio.

He also shared praise for “The Wolves,” a song by the Americana band Watchhouse.

About six hours later, Walker Hayes responded in good spirits.

“Big shout to radio for playing dat Applebees song,” Hayes wrote. “Zach and Tyler praying y’alls continued success.”

Hayes recently released a Christmas version of “Fancy Like.” While Bryan is gearing up for his Quittin Time Tour starting in March, Hayes has not announced major tour plans for 2024, with his last album, “Country Stuff the Album,” dropping in January 2022.