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Bailey Zimmerman’s Debut Album Focuses On Heartbreak

Bailey Zimmerman’s debut, Religiously The Album, is a big success. The album marked not only the biggest streaming debut album of the year across all genres but also the biggest streaming…

Bailey Zimmerman's Debut Album Focuses On Heartbreak
Rick Kern/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman's debut, Religiously The Album, is a big success. The album marked not only the biggest streaming debut album of the year across all genres but also the biggest streaming country debut of all time. The LP debuted Top 3 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, No. 7 on their all-genre Billboard 200 chart, and No. 8 on The Billboard Canadian Album Chart.

Zimmerman focused on writing songs he thought he would have liked to listen to when he was at a relationship-low point. He told us, "Honestly, when we went to go write the songs for Religiously. The Album was all about heartbreak because when I write a song about what I went through and at that time when I went through that, I would always say, 'Man, I wish I had a song that was talking about what I was going through.'"

He added, "I just remembered what I was doing and stuff, and I wrote songs about just those days or just the feelings I was feeling."

Zimmerman has already surpassed 2 billion global streams to date and recently celebrated a six-week #1 single with his multi-Platinum song "Rock And A Hard Place."

Bailey Zimmerman's June and July 2023 Tour Dates
*Morgan Wallen's 2023 One Night At A Time World Tour

Sat, May 27 Durant, OK Choctaw Casino
Sat, June 3 Panama City Beach, FL Gulf Coast Jam
Sun, June 4 Madison, IL Confluence Music Festival
Sat, June 10 Myrtle Beach, SC Carolina Country Music
Fri, June 16 Bloomington, IL Interstate Center
Wed, June 21 Mack, CO Country Jam
Thu, June 22 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field*
Fri, June 23 Chicago, IL Wrigley Field*
Tue, June 27, Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena*
Thu, June 29 Detroit, MI Ford Field*
Fri, June 30 Detroit, MI Ford Field*
Thu, July 6 St. Louis, MO Busch Stadium*
Fri, July 7 St. Louis, MO Busch Stadium*
Sat, July 8 Fort Loramie, OH Country Concert
Thu, July 13 Chicago, IL Windy City Smokeout
Fri, July 14 San Diego, CA Petco Park*
Sat, July 15 San Diego, CA Petco Park*
Sun, July 16 Craven, CAN Country Thunder
Wed, July 19 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field*
Thu, July 20 Phoenix, AZ Chase Field*
Fri, July 21 Cullman, AL Rock The South Festival
Sat, July 22 Los Angeles, CA SoFi Stadium*
Sun, July 23 Twin Lakes, WI Country Thunder
Fri, July 28 Auburn, MI Tailgate N' Tallboys
Sat, July 29 Taylorville, IL Tailgate N' Tallboys

Newcomer Bailey Zimmerman is heating up the country charts as his song "Rock and A Hard Place" enters the top five this week. Bailey is also preparing to open shows on Morgan Wallen's "One Night At A Time" tour in Australia next week.

Zimmerman has already logged over 400 million global streams, notched two entries on the Billboard Hot 100, and sold out his first headline tour.

Bailey grew up in the small town of Louisville, Illinois. His success began when a garage-recorded demo of his song "Never Comin' Home" amassed over a million plays overnight. Zimmerman's other singles included "Fall In Love," "Rock and A Hard Place," and "Where It Ends." He released a nine-song debut EP, Leave the Light, on October 14, 2022, via Warner Music Nashville. It debuted in the top ten of the Billboard 200.

Bailey recently recorded a special rendition of "God's Gonna Cut You Down" as part of Nashville Soccer Club's celebration of its brand-new Man in Black Kit, honoring legendary country music icon Johnny Cash.

And today (3/8), Zimmerman became a double nominee at the 2023 CMT Music Awards, where he is nominated for Male Video of the Year for "Rock and a Hard Place" and Male Breakout Video of the Year for "Fall In Love."

Here's a look at some things he has been up to in the last year.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2023

GettyImages-1453530273.jpgJesse Grant/Getty Images

In this image released on December 31, Bailey Zimmerman performs at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 broadcast on December 31, 2022 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.


2022 American Music Awards - Arrivals

GettyImages-1443098438.jpgFrazer Harrison/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman attends the 2022 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.


2022 Canadian Country Music Awards - Show

GettyImages-1243155249.jpgDerek Leung/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman performs during the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards at Scotiabank Saddledome on September 11, 2022 in Calgary, Canada.


The 56th Annual CMA Awards - Arrivals

GettyImages-1440358841.jpgJason Kempin/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman attends The 56th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena on November 09, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee.


2022 Canadian Country Music Awards - Arrivals

GettyImages-1423151825.jpgDerek Leung/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman poses for a photo on the red carpet prior to the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards at Scotiabank Saddledome on September 11, 2022 in Calgary, Canada.


2022 American Music Awards - Red Carpet

GettyImages-1443105676.jpgEmma McIntyre/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman attends the 2022 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 20, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for dcp)


Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2023

GettyImages-1453530284.jpgJesse Grant/Getty Images

In this image released on December 31, Bailey Zimmerman (C) attends Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2023 broadcast on December 31, 2022 at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California.


2022 Canadian Country Music Awards - Show

GettyImages-1423177539.jpgDerek Leung/Getty Images

Bailey Zimmerman speaks to the crowd during the 2022 Canadian Country Music Awards at Scotiabank Saddledome on September 11, 2022 in Calgary, Canada.

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.