Warren Zeiders

A flinty vocalist with roots in outlaw country, Warren Zeiders crafts lean, slightly haunted C&W that carries an eerie undertow. That spectral quality propelled his “Ride the Lightning” to viral status across social platforms in 2021. The streaming phenomenon secured a Warner Music deal, which issued his first EPs—2022’s 717 Tapes and Pretty Little Poison—before the latter’s expanded edition, his 2023 debut full-length, climbed to number 12 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. Subsequent singles “Sin So Sweet” and 2024’s “Betrayal” cleared the path for his fourth album, Relapse, released that August, followed by the 2025 deluxe edition Relapse, Lies & Betrayal.

Born in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Zeiders grew up as the child of an insurance salesman and a CFO in a home where music played only a minor role. Church hymns first sparked his interest in singing; even after picking up guitar in sixth grade he stayed rooted in Christian material while gradually absorbing Southern rock, country, and hard-rock acts such as Mötley Crüe and AC/DC. He treated music as a pastime, pouring energy into collegiate lacrosse until an injury ended his playing days. A marketing major eyeing medical-sales work, he only pivoted toward a musical career when the COVID-19 pandemic upended his plans. Sent home to reassess, he began sharing acoustic covers online; the response prompted him to spend “a couple grand” at Guitar Center on recording gear. Those bedroom tracks built a sizable following and landed him a management agreement with Underscore Works.

Relocating to Nashville, Zeiders co-wrote “Ride the Lightning” via Zoom at his manager’s residence alongside Eric Paslay and Rob Crosby. The track unexpectedly scaled the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 30, and anchored the self-released EP 717 Tapes issued in October 2021. He quickly followed with Acoustic Covers (Deluxe), featuring renditions of songs by Jason Isbell, Afroman, and Tyler Childers plus a duet with Craig Campbell on “Outskirts of Heaven.”

Warner Music signed Zeiders in January 2022. The label promoted “Ride the Lightning” to country radio while issuing “Burn It Down” as a new digital single; further 717 Tapes cuts such as “Wild Horse” and “Heavy Pour” arrived soon after. In April 2023 the label released the Pretty Little Poison (Sampler) EP, spotlighting the track “Coming Down High.” Several singles later, Zeiders unveiled the full Pretty Little Poison album, a 14-song set that debuted at number 12 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and number 59 on the Top 200. “Sin So Sweet” reached the Top Ten on Hot Digital Songs, and he placed “The Cards I’ve Been Dealt” on the soundtrack to the 2024 film Twisters.

Zeiders returned in August 2024 with his fourth studio album, the introspective Relapse, whose title track and thematically linked singles—“Intoxicated,” “Betrayal,” and “Addictions”—anchored the project. A deluxe edition, Relapse, Lies & Betrayal, appeared in January 2025, adding “Lies,” “Can a Heart Take,” “You for a Reason,” and additional cuts.