MODERN LUXURY - Cover Star Zac Brown Is Writing His Next Verse

As the co-founder and lead singer of Zac Brown Band, you likely know Zac Brown as the emotive voice behind upbeat country anthems “Chicken Fried” and “Knee Deep” or heartfelt ballads “Colder Weather” and “Free.” It’s those hits that have led the Atlanta native to his biggest moment yet—a headlining limited engagement at the Sphere Las Vegas, marking the first time a country music group has stepped onto the stage. Backed by his eight-piece band, Brown’s opening night at the revolutionary venue arrives Dec. 5, the same day he drops his seventh and most personal album to date, Love & Fear.

Cover Hats; Tom Ford jacket; Officine Générale shirt; Hudson Jeans denim.

Worth & Worth hat; John Varvatos shirt; Tom Ford vest and boots; Monfrère jeans; Cartier watch.

“I’m really proud of this record. I produced this album myself and had an incredible team of people that helped me to pull it off,” says Brown, who chats with me over Zoom from the art-filled music room in his Atlanta home. “It’s the story of my childhood and growing up—what pushed me into music and to be who I am. I’ve never really told that story, unless it’s to somebody who knows me really well. I’m telling the world about my challenges, what comes from those things and the resiliency you gain in character. Struggle is something we all share as humans, and I’m trying to be the victor rather than the victim.”

Since bursting onto the country music scene in 2005 with Home Grown, a self-released demo that led to rerecordings of hits “Chicken Fried,” “Whatever It Is,” “Toes” and “Free” for 2008’s major-label debut The Foundation, Brown has racked up three Grammy wins and 10 nominations. There have been 13 No. 1 singles on the Billboard charts, a greatest hits album and an album solely dedicated to the band’s incredible live covers. Yes, the highs have been high. But there have also been Brown’s public struggles with substances and two divorces—challenges that have led to redemption with him now living a sober life and finding love with his fiancee, jewelry designer Kendra Scott.

“AS A MAN, I’M AFTER THE RELENTLESS PURSUIT OF TRYING NOT TO COMPROMISE—IN MY ART OR IN MY RELATIONSHIPS.” –ZAC BROWN

“It’s never too late to get it right,” says Brown. “That perseverance is what’s gotten us to where we are in our career. As a man, I’m after the relentless pursuit of trying not to compromise—in my art or in my relationships.” It’s that dichotomy of life’s ups and downs that Brown taps into through his raw and soulful songwriting—a venture that’s entirely self-funded. “We don’t have a record label. We own all of our music. We own our masters. We’re completely independent,” he notes. “We’re putting a real budget and all of our energy behind this album and show. This is the next phase of our career—where we’re going, what we’re doing and the level at which we’re doing it. This is our biggest masterpiece so far in the craziest possible setting.”

A project two years in the making, the simultaneous debut of Love & Fear and the limited engagement at the Sphere will immerse fans in the art that has inspired Brown throughout his life. “I’m a big art collector. I love art, and I love being able to create a setting to be in,” says Brown, who sits in front of a painting called “Tree of Blood and Souls” by one of his favorite artists, Greg Overton, during our interview. “The show is a hero’s journey, and I’m talking from the very beginning. We recorded a 40-piece orchestra and a 20-person choir. I’ve never put more work into anything in my life, and I’m super proud of it and excited. If we do this right, everyone’s going to feel really inspired and connected on a human level because of things that we all go through.”

The album cover for Love & Fear is another homage to Brown’s fascination with fine art. “Louis Markoya painted the cover. He was Salvador Dalí’s protege in the ’70s and comes from a surrealist background,” reveals Brown, who’s also a fan of contemporary artists Yoshimoto Nara and Mark Maggiori. “Art is around everything I do, and I’ve never really gotten to showcase my taste in all these things until the Sphere show. There are original oil paintings for some of the songs that were painted based on the lyrics, and we’ve built some of these elements into the environment of the venue and brought those things to life through the music.”

The music, after all, is at the heart of everything Brown does in life. “Songs live forever, and good songs stand the test of time. I hope there are songs we’ve created that people will play for their first dances or for when they want to celebrate, or even when they lose a family member. Music carries all of those things,” he reflects. “One of the last true forms of American poetry lives in a song, and country music is one of those places where it lives. When you get the right lyric with the right melody, harmony and accompaniment, it can drive you to tears. That’s what I’m searching for.”

Shot on location at 2795 La Castana Drive, Los Angeles. Listed by Claire and Samantha O’Connor of O’Connor Estates with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties; designed by Amanda Leigh and Taylor Hahn of House of Rolison