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Country newbie Breland performs national anthem at Daytona 500: Get to know the singer

Edward Segarra   | Paste BN

Country music newcomer Breland is a pedal-to-the-metal sensation.

The 27-year-old singer-songwriter performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2023 Daytona 500 Sunday, eliciting cheers with his soulful vocals.

Since the release of his debut single "My Truck" in 2019, Breland has scored two platinum hits, a trio of top 20 country singles and collaborated with a bevy of country superstars, all while shaking up the genre with his "cross-country" style.

Here’s everything you need to know about the singer, who went from posting pop-trap ditties about not scuffing his Air Jordans on TikTok to singing about sharing beers with Dierks Bentley. 

Breland makes splash in country music with Tik Tok-friendly 'My Truck'

Breland burst onto the scene with his TikTok viral single "My Truck," taken from his self-titled debut EP "Breland." The platinum-selling track was a Billboard Hot 100 chart crossover.

The snappy, trap-style single blurred edges between pop, hip-hop and bluegrass-style country in equal measure, raising eyebrows and opening doors for the artist. The song also cemented what he describes as his "cross-country" brand of musicality.

"I don't want to be in a box. Artists, radio representatives, and labels in country music are often okay with being comfortable," Breland told The Nashville Tennessean, part of the Paste BN Network, in January 2022. "It works for some artists who know they have a bread-and-butter sound and style that works for them.

"I’m always working on a variety of songs in a variety of styles. However, I feel that they can all be a part of the country landscape." 

Breland joins forces with country stars Mickey Guyton, Keith Urban, more

In less than two years, Breland has amassed an impressive rolodex of collaborators in country music, working on songs with Mickey Guyton, Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett, Lady A and Dierks Bentley.

Breland enlisted the star power of Guyton, Rhett and Lady A's Charles Kelley – along with special guests Nelly, Kane Brown Sam Hunt and Jimmie Allen – for a sold-out show at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in April 2022.

"Surprisingly, they almost all agreed to come after I texted them and asked them to pull up,” Breland told The Tennessean at the time. "So, thankfully, a bunch of artists helped me sell this venue."

Breland wants to make country music 'more inclusive'

Breland released his debut album "Cross Country" in September. The music video for the album’s title track earned him a CMT nomination for breakthrough video earlier that year (one of three nominations).

"'Cross Country' is not just a song I wrote and perform; it's the title song of my entire movement," Breland said at the time. "I'm breaking down genres by building bridges between them. I tell my story in that song, hoping to inspire other people to tell their stories (in country music)."

While Breland didn’t "have a ton of specific checkpoints" laid out for his career growth, he said he "wanted to come into country music with a fresh perspective and find a way to make the genre more inclusive."

"My talent has opened doors," Breland told The Tennessean in January 2022. "I'm not in the position I’m in because of a referendum on race. Rather, I think there's real traction that I’m gaining for my career because people are connecting to the uniqueness of my story as an artist, and that’s all rooted in my talent."

More on Breland, country music stars

Contributing: Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean

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