Highly Anticipated Collection Completes His Transition from Social Media Sensation to Bona Fide Leader in the Country Music While He Continues Performing at Western Sports Events
Written by Matt Corirossi
Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher Thomas Carlyle was once quoted as, “permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements, and impossibilities: it is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.” This motivating remark shares the brutal honesty that not everyone who begins an endeavor is destined for great success. Achievement is not something that is handed out like a participation trophy. Instead, those individuals that reach a measurable benchmark earn it through hard work and resilience. When others turn around at the first sign of adversity, the ones that choose to charge forward will receive the benefits. For an artist immersed in the ever-changing music industry, the risk-reward stakes are even higher. Following a creative path means facing people who outwardly doubt their possibility of progress. When someone begins to see traction, people will diminish the movement as beginner’s luck or a flash in the pan. The artist is subjected to an uphill battle to prove their continued relevancy and membership. The key to advancement is to not listen or be influenced by the naysayers and to always follow a person’s gut instincts throughout the lifespan of an individual’s projects.
Hershey, Pennsylvania-native Warren Zeiders has built a promising career by blocking out any unproductive contributions and charting his own journey. Zeiders has a background in athletics and received numerous accolades on the lacrosse field. While some might say that he should be content with his sports prowess, Zeiders is a natural storyteller and yearns to express a narrative. Zeiders explained his inspiration to internet radio platform Audacy as, “Whether it’s my story to tell, or it’s a friend's story, or something I see in a movie, it doesn’t matter. I’m just super grateful to do what I do. I just love making music. It’s how I connect and probably one of my love languages, honestly.” When he entered the music industry, the common thought was to stick with a genre. However, Zeiders is most at home with blending styles to create a sound that mixes the country, rock ‘n’roll, and Christian genres. After his covers and music went viral on TikTok and started amassing a receptive audience, the collective felt that he should remain online. That was not his intention as he thrived on stage and dreamt of being played on country radio. Zeiders’ love of lacrosse transferred to a respect for Western sports. Scheduled among his headlining tours and appearances are dates for performances at rodeos. Zeiders is expected to further shakeup expectations as he is set to release his sophomore album Relapse on August 23rd via Warner Records. The album will be available on all major streaming platforms.
Relapse Cover Art. Photograph Courtesy of Warren Zeiders
Zeiders was raised away from music, in a supportive, business-oriented family. His mother was a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) with accounting experience and his father sold insurance and investments. For Zeiders, while he was always interested in music, it was initially viewed as a hobby and a fun diversion. He enjoyed singing hymns in church. Zeiders summarized his early viewpoints on music to the publication Country Swag as, “being raised in church and realizing that I loved to sing, music was always my outlet, but it was never a career path in my eyes or my family’s eyes.”
For over a decade, Zeiders’ focus was perfecting his lacrosse skills and participating in tournaments. Zeiders credits lacrosse for teaching him accountability, discipline, and work ethic. His busy traveling schedule prepared him for life on the road as a musician. Zeiders discussed this correlation further, “There were so many tournaments in different cities. So many different hotel rooms. It felt a lot like touring, and it taught me about travel, commitment, and hard work at a young age." He played lacrosse at Frostburg State University until 2019. That year, Zeiders received the devastating news that he would have to retire from the sport due to receiving too many concussions. This setback followed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced him to refocus his life and career.
While most would be derailed by the setback, Zeiders rekindled his love of music. On a whim, Zeiders played a cover of Luke Combs’ hit “Beautiful Crazy” at a local establishment and immediately was hooked on music. His friends encouraged him to post covers on social media and one night, he submitted his version of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey” on TikTok. The response was immediate as the video went viral and grabbed the attention of the music industry. Dubbed an overnight sensation, everyone wanted to hear more from the unknown singer with a gritty voice.
To meet the demand, he released cover songs alongside his original songs. This plan was successful, and he struggled to keep pace with the requests for more music. Zeiders would record songs in this bedroom and then post it on social media. Through this process, he homed in on his sound that would define his output. He described his musical style to publication Country Swag as, “I have a lot of different influences when it comes to where I take my inspiration from, so my music has hints of southern rock in it. I like to incorporate my Christian side into my music with my lyrics and certain messages that I spread to my fans and that I believe in.”
Fast forward to the present, and the last few years have been a whirlwind for Zeiders. Zeiders’ song “Ride the Lightning” became a cultural moment as it dominated TikTok with over 500 million views and earned over 135 million streams on Spotify. In 2022, he signed a record deal with Warner Records. With the label’s assistance, he re-released “Ride the Lightning” to country radio. He released two albums 717 Tapes The Album and Pretty Little Poison and EPs to set up each album. He debuted at the Grand Ole Opry and earned his first Number 1 on country radio with his single “Pretty Little Poison”. His culminating achievement is winning Breakthrough Male Video of the Year for “Pretty Little Poison” at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
The future is busy for Zeiders as he is balancing three current projects. He recorded a song “The Cards I’ve Been Dealt” for the movie soundtrack Twisters: The Album. The song was released on July 19th and is available on all major streaming services. In addition, Zeiders announced that he will be joining rising country music artist Jelly Roll this fall on his The Beautifully Broken Tour. Lastly, he announced the release date of his latest album Relapse.
Relapse is a ten-track project that is produced by Mike Elizondo. The album will resemble his trademark sound while allowing him to dive further into storytelling. To prepare for the album, Zeiders has released three singles, “Betrayal”, the title track, and “Addiction”. The title track has formed an instantaneous connection with an audience as it has received over 15 million streams and is receiving airplay on country radio. Building on the momentum, Zeiders released Relapse’s complete tracklist to the media. The tracklist can be viewed below:
Relapse Track Listing:
1. “Relapse” (Warren Zeiders, Blake Pendergrass, Justin Ebach)
2. “Intoxicated” (Zeiders, Bart Butler, Benjy Davis, Mark Holman, Randy Montana)
3. “Betrayal” (Zeiders, Pendergrass, Ebach, Jacob Kasher Hindlinand, Ali Tamposi)
4. “Addictions” (Zeiders, Rivers Rutherford, Alex Maxwell)
5. “Stones Throw Away” (Zeiders, Mark Holman, Montana, Erik Dylan)
6. “High Desert Road” (Zeiders, Eric Paslay, Rutherford)
7. “Death of a Cowboy” (Zeiders, Joybeth Taylor, Rutherford)
8. “Fight Like Hell” (Zeiders, Dylan, Ryan Beaver, Jared Keim)
9. “Devil, I Know” (Zeiders, Mike Walker, Joe Clemmons)
10. “Love on the Line” (Chris Stapleton, Al Anderson)
Alongside his surging musical career, Zeiders has embraced the Western way of life. He has been open in interviews about his love of attending and performing at rodeos. His lacrosse background leads to an appreciation of the competitors and the time and effort required to be proficient at a sport. In addition, Zeiders enjoys the passionate crowd that attends the events. He mentioned his fondness for performing at Western sports events to newspaper Gwinnett Daily Post as, “I have done a couple of rodeos before. It’s a fun night. The crowds are normally rowdy, so it always makes for good entertainment.” Among his recent headlining shows at Western sports events are Cheyenne Frontier Days, a Bulls, Bands & Barrels event in Duluth, Georgia, Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, Black Hills Stock Show & Rodeo, PBR (Professional Bull Riders, Inc.) Teams: Gambler Days, Clearwater Rodeo, Gunville Rodeo, and a concert at the Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan during the 2023 Wrangler NFR (National Finals Rodeo).
Those looking to stay updated on Zeiders’ music by following him online at warrenzeiders.com.
Zeiders has steadily reached new ground by eschewing ineffective advice, bravely facing a setback as an invitation for a fresh opportunity, and always listening to his personalized creative urges. Creating his own lane has formed a strong bond with an eager audience, creating viral moments, millions of streams, and a connection a Western sports crowd. This momentum is expected to amplify with the upcoming release of his album Relapse.