“I Won't Back Down”: Zach Bryan Shares Defiant New Song as ICE Furore Cools Down

Zach Bryan hasn't allowed the ‘Bad News’ media storm that has engulfed him in recent weeks to stem his creative flow, with the Oklahoma native taking to Instagram to share his second unreleased song snippet in the space of just a few days.

In the newly shared clip, the ‘Something in the Orange’ singer-songwriter seemingly addresses the backlash he's been facing, with Bryan offering a defiant message.

Across a noodling guitar, Bryan croons, “I won't back down, no, I won't back down / You can stand me up at the gates of Hell, but I won't back down / Well, I won't back down, no, I won't back down / And I'll keep this world from dragging me down”.

He goes on to double-down on this bullish tone, “No, I won't back down / And I know what's right / ‘Cause I got just one life / And I'll keep this world from pushin’ me down / No, I won't back down / And I'll stand my ground / No, I won't back down”.

It comes just a couple of days after the ‘Dawns’ hitmaker shared another unreleased track, ‘Sundown Girls’. The title of this newly shared offering is unclear, but judging by the repeated refrain of ‘I Won't Back Down’, we suspect this might be it.

We shouldn't assume, of course, that ‘I Won't Back Down’ is a reference to the furore that has ensued after Bryan shared a snippet of ‘Bad News’ - but it must be said that the timing certainly feels pointed. On that track, Bryan has drawn flak from many conservative-leaning commentators for seemingly criticising this year's ICE raids.

The Trump administration's controversial ICE raids have sparked widespread protests and fury, with many condemning the aggression and force of these mass deportations.

Bryan paints a bleak scene, “I heard the cops came / Cocky motherfuckers, ain't they? / And ICE is gonna come bust down your door / Try to build a house no one builds no more”.

This led to angry comments from the likes of Gavin Adcock, Nate Smith and the Department of Homeland Security's Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughin.

Bryan then responded, clarifying the message of ‘Bad News’, “I wrote this song months ago. I posted this song three months ago as a snippet. This shows you how divisive a narrative can be when shoved down our throats through social media. This song is about how much I love this country and everyone in it more than anything. When you hear the rest of the song, you will understand the full context that hits on both sides of the aisle. Everyone using this now as a weapon is only proving how devastatingly divided we all are. We need to find our way back”.

The country-folk megastar went on to underline, “I served this country, I love this country and the song itself is about all of us coming out of this divided space. I wasn’t speaking as a politician or some greater-than-thou asshole, just a 29 year old man who is just as confused as everyone else. To see how much shit it stirred up makes me not only embarrassed but kind of scared. Left wing or right wing we’re all one bird and American. To be clear I’m on neither of these radical sides. To all those disappointed in me on either side of whatever you believe in just know I’m trying my best too and we all say things that are misconstrued sometimes. Everyone have a great day and I love each and every one of ya!!!”

With Bryan readying his eagerly anticipated new project, With Heaven On Top, for January 2026, he continues to test the waters with unreleased material as he narrows down the tracklist. It remains to be seen whether With Heaven On Top is an EP - as was originally intended - or whether this has been expanded into a full-length album. It'll also be fascinating to see if Bryan slips ’Bad News’ onto the tracklist...

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