Zach Bryan courtesy of zachbryan.com
In the summer of 2023, Zach Bryan had new music just around the corner. Earlier in 2023, the country artist released a ten-track teaser for his next album, Writers & Fighters. He shared on Twitter that he had, “ACTUALLY finished the record last night in Toronto of all places. Thank you to my friends for being the hardest-working group of men I have ever met. NOW LET’S GO QUEBEC, cannot wait to play tonight.” Teasing a new album amid his 2023 Burn, Burn, Burn Tour was one way to show his fans this man was not on track to slow down anytime soon.
Introducing Elena Duffy
Speaking of Zach Bryan’s tour, Music Daily spoke to fan-turned-viral sensation, Elena Duffy. She attended the Zach Bryan concert at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, NY, with a sign and a dream. In a once-in-a-lifetime chance, the dream came true. Below are the features of our interview. Watch the video at the end for the full scoop.
Music Daily: So, over a million people have now viewed your video of you getting pulled up on stage by Zach Bryan and singing in front of thousands of people. What made you come up with the idea of holding a sign like that?
Elena Duffy: When I got these tickets, I was in Italy and I just happened to get floor tickets. And from the moment I got them, I was like, maybe I’ll hold up a sign and maybe he’ll see it. I had seen videos before of him pulling people up on stage. I’m not sure if that was from earlier in his career or recent times, but I told all my friends, “I’m gonna bring a sign. I’m gonna see if it works.” And it actually did, which was so surprising.
Music Daily: So, what did it feel like once you were up on stage and you counted down the band and you were ready to start singing? What did it feel like with all of those people looking at you, ready to hear your amazing voice?
Elena Duffy: It honestly didn’t feel real. It just felt like a dream. Even standing there afterward, I couldn’t even process that. I had thought of that moment so many, so many times, and when it was actually happening, I just couldn’t believe it.
Music Daily: So, what kind of music do you write?
Elena Duffy: I’m trying to write sort of like indie alternative pop, sort of like Maggie Rogers. I love her style. That’s what I wanna go for.
Music Daily: That’s awesome. So, if you had to come up with a music career plan, what would you wish for your future to look like? What do you want to take the next step? You’ve obviously had this amazing thing happen to you, people now know your name. You’re out there, we know you sound amazing. What do you hope to come from this?
Elena Duffy: Well, honestly, putting out more music, putting out more songs, I guess. In the past, I just didn’t think it was really possible. I didn’t have that much of a platform. But ever since doing this and seeing everyone’s comments and DMing me and seeing how nice everyone is and how much they’ve said I’ve inspired them, I think it’s definitely a possibility. So I’m definitely gonna start by putting music out and seeing where it goes from there. I honestly just love singing and if I can do that for the rest of my life, that would be the goal.
As Elena mentioned in her interview, she is completing her second internship at American Express. We found it fascinating that someone studying and interning in analytics also has such musical talent. Her manager, Melissa Coluccio, commented on this experience, “I was ecstatic to see Elena go viral for singing at the Zach Bryan concert. It’s great when a colleague has a passion to excel in and outside of the office. Our team is proud of her and encourages her to continue chasing her dreams!” We here at Music Daily wish Elena the best and look forward to seeing where she goes from here.
