BRELAND

After entering the music industry as a gifted songwriter, Breland broke into a solo career with the country-rap anthem “My Truck” in 2020. The rapper/singer drew on his diverse musical tastes and ability to write across genres for the viral hit, which found him rapping in a Southern drawl over a twangy trap beat about how much he loved his truck. The song anchored his debut EP, which he followed with the smooth 2021 road trip anthem “Cross Country,” a duet with Mickey Guyton that became the title track for his first full-length album in 2022.
Breland (born Daniel Breland in 1995) grew up in Burlington, New Jersey, in a highly musical family, absorbing sounds ranging from Prince to Rascal Flatts. After graduating high school, he enrolled in Georgetown University. While in college, he tapped into his songwriting skills, drawing on the influence of everyone from Stevie Wonder to Justin Bieber. Breland pursued the music industry vigorously, and by 2018 the young songwriter was working with major-label artists, penning songs for R&B singer Ann Marie and rappers like Elhae and YK Osiris.
After relocating to Atlanta, Breland began working with a sharper focus on his own music, experimenting with different beats and approaches. In December 2019, Atlantic released his debut single, “My Truck,” along with a highly stylized video to accompany the catchy country-rap song. Within weeks the song had gone viral, climbing the charts and being streamed millions of times. “My Truck” led off his 2020 Breland EP, which also featured popular tracks like “Hot Sauce” and the Chase Rice and Lauren Alaina collaboration “In the Woulds.” Breland’s next single, “Cross Country,” was released in early 2021, and he followed it with high-profile collaborations including “Throw it Back” with Keith Urban and “High Horse” with Nelly and Blanco Brown.
In early 2022, Breland teamed up with Thomas Rhett for “Praise the Lord,” a gospel-inflected single that brought him to 21 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. “Natural,” the Lady A collaboration “Told You I Could Drink,” and “For What It’s Worth” all appeared as singles prior to the September release of Cross Country, his debut full-length album. ~ Fred Thomas