Warren Zeiders Is Country Music's Newest Breakout Star

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Warren Zeiders Is Country Music’s Newest Breakout Star

22-year-old Warren Zeiders has quickly made a name for himself, rising to fame on TikTok where he has over 1.6…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

January 28, 2022

11:52 am

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Photo Courtesy Warren Zeiders

22-year-old Warren Zeiders has quickly made a name for himself, rising to fame on TikTok where he has over 1.6 million followers thanks to his covers and original music.

The Pennsylvania native quickly caught the attention of music industry executives after his song “Ride The Lightning” gained major traction. Amassing over 72 million global streams and more than 500 million global TikTok views, the track became Zeiders’ first Gold record with sales in excess of over 500,000 units.

Showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, Zeiders has signed a record deal with Warner Records. The news was announced this week, coinciding with his performance debut on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where he performed “Ride The Listening” from his 717 Tapes EP.

Watch Warren Zeiders Perform ‘Ride The Lightning”

https://youtu.be/g_JoUbBUa58

“I had one meeting with Warner and it sealed the deal for me,” Zeiders told Billboard of his record deal. “It was just how open the whole Warner team was, from marketing to sync to the heads of the label. When I was talking to labels, I wanted to see the passion from every single level and Warner had that.”

“Warren is a gifted songwriter and storyteller, has the confidence and drive to work harder than anyone, understands all the modern tools at an artist’s fingertips to market and promote themselves, and is just a great human being,” Aaron Bay-Schuck, co-chairman and CEO of Warner Records, added. “We just had the best time getting to know one another and both Tom (Corson) and I felt that Warner Records was a natural fit for Warren.”

Zeiders is a self-taught musician whose life once revolved around sports. An injury sidelined him from his favorite sport, lacrosse, in college. He graduated and pursued a career in medical sales, however, turned to music when the world shut down in 2020.

The singer/songwriter penned his breakout hit with Eric Paslay and Rob Crosby and admits he had no idea the song would resonate with fans the way it has.

“I had no idea that song would be my breakout song,” Zeiders told the publication. “I put teasers up on social media after I finished writing it, and then I played it on my livestreams and realized there was a real demand for it. It was just this overwhelming love for this song that we didn’t see coming.”

Although he’s signed to Warner Records in Los Angeles, Billboard reports that the label will work closely with Warner Music Nashville to bring his music to country radio, starting with “Ride The Lightning.”

Zeiders latest release, “Burn It Down,” was co-written by the rising star alongside Erik Dylan, Andy Sheridan and Rob Snyder. Click above to listen.

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Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.

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