Machine Gun Kelly Soft-Launches His Country Era by Covering Zach Bryan

From Beyoncé to Lana Del Rey to Post Malone, pop stars pivoting into country music has been a hot trend this year. Now, it looks like Machine Gun Kelly (who’s changed his name to mgk) is soft-launching his country era.

Earlier this month, the rapper-turned-pop-punk singer performed a set during CMA Fest at Spotify House, which featured a cover from The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” from their debut album, Wide Open Spaces. Accompanied by a violin, he actually didn’t sound half-bad. Say what you will about mgk, but he is a capable musician.

Fast forward to today, when mgk dropped a new cover of Zach Bryan’s “Sun to Me” off the latter’s breakout 2022 album, American Heartbreak. This time, it’s a recording of a performance from his living room at Cheshire Cottage.

Once again, mgk’s take on the track isn’t terrible and he certainly gives it his all, but there’s no chance it could ever measure up to the original, in which Bryan sings about a deep connection with a lover. There’s a depth missing in mgk’s performance, which feels more like really good karaoke than anything else.

Below, you can listen to mgk’s covers of Zach Bryan’s “Sun to Me” (plus the original) and The Chicks’ “There’s Your Trouble” for yourself.

It looks like the CMA Fest set and covers were just the beginning. Next month, mgk is scheduled for performances at Wyoming’s Cheyenne Frontier Days and the North Dakota State Fair.