Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill Opens Up About His Friendship with Zach Bryan: “He’s Been Awesome”

During a new interview, the Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill is opening up about his friendship with Zach Bryan. Kings of Leon and the ‘Something in the Orange’ hitmaker have joined forces on two songs previously, ‘We're Onto Something’ and ‘Bowery’, as well as teaming up for an array of huge stadium shows last year.

While chatting to American Songwriter, Followill explains that Bryan had “been a fan of ours for a while”. When the interviewer, Lisa Konicki, brings up the fact that Bryan has called Followill “the greatest songwriter ever”, the ‘Sex on Fire’ singer-songwriter modestly responds, “Well, I don't know about that...He's a great songwriter too”.

He goes on to recall the first time he met Bryan backstage at a show, “We didn't realize he was a fan of our music. To be honest, I didn't know a lot about him. Then one day we got a call and he wanted to come up to our studio and just meet us”.

Followill continues, “The questions he was asking and the way that he was talking to us were like, wow, he knows a lot about us. So that was the start of the relationship”.

Followill explains that their creative partnership began with Bryan asking the band if they'd be up for a collaboration, “He had sent a song to me. I think he just wanted me to jump on the song with him or something, and I ended up collaborating, doing some writing with him. He wanted us to come up to New York and record it”.

He adds, “So we were like, well, if we're going to go up there and we're going to be in the studio, maybe there's something of ours that he can do. So we did that and he had some shows he wanted us to play...The relationship just kind of naturally evolved”.

Followill outlines that he feels like he and Bryan are alike in some ways, “We're a little stubborn and hard-headed and maybe not as approachable as some people might [think]”.

He pays tribute to the ’I Remember Everything’ crooner for showing Kings of Leon love in recent years, “Zach's been sweet and he's been awesome, taking us on the road and playing these big shows”, before hinting at the possibility of more to come.

Followill shares that Bryan relocating to Nashville might make collaborating easier, “I don't know. Now he's here in town...We always talk about getting together and having dinner or something, but I know it'll turn into a session of some sort”.

Bryan has been open about how Kings of Leon have influenced him tremendously over the years, with the Oklahoma native regularly paying tribute to the rock band. Bryan famously described their first collaboration as the “honor of my life”.

It's therefore heartwarming to see how Followill has gone from being one of Bryan's idols, to being a friend. Perhaps, at least in some cases, you should meet your heroes.

Given how electric both ‘We're Onto Something’ and ‘Bowery’ sound, and the fact that Bryan linked up with Kings of Leon at their recent Basement East show in Nashville, we're definitely hoping Followill takes up Bryan's offer of a dinner - and session - soon.

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