At just 25 years old, Warren Zeiders possesses a discipline far beyond his years. He’s racked up billions of streams, millions of social media followers, and countless swoons with his mix of internet savvy, catchy songs, and shredded body. Before taking his talents to Nashville, the Hershey, Pennsylvania native was a college athlete, which taught him valuable lessons about the tireless work needed to perfect his craft.
Once he hung up the lacrosse stick, it didn’t take him long to find success in the music industry. He’s had singles go double platinum, brought home a CMT Award, and thanks to a maniacal workout routine, also earned a spot in People’s Sexiest Man Alive 2024 edition. When Zeiders sat down for a video call with GQ in February, he had just finished a European tour, marking the first time he’d ever been across the pond. With his new album Relapse, Lies, & Betrayal set to drop on March 14 and a headlining spot at the Houston Rodeo, life is good for the long-haired country heartthrob, who’s not afraid to put down two steaks at lunch.
GQ: Is it true that you’ve had seven concussions?
Warren Zeiders: That is true, yeah.
How did that happen?
Twelve years of playing lacrosse. Lacrosse is a lot more of a physical sport than people care to imagine.
That’s what I always say!
Were all seven concussions from lacrosse?
I would say yes. I was always just an active kid: snowboarding, wakeboarding, skateboarding, BMX, dirt biking, four wheelers. I probably had hit my head a couple times doing that stuff, too. So, I would say that I had seven diagnosed probably, but there’s no telling how many times I’ve hit my damned head.
I was raised in a household with two loving parents, but I also grew up in a household where they knew when to show tough love. My dad was very much the old school way of rub some dirt on it. He was a very gifted baseball player, had the opportunity to try out for the majors and stuff. Unfortunately, he was not fast enough running around the bases, so he didn’t make it. That being said, my household was very sports-driven, so I played lacrosse 365 days a year. There was no offseason for me, which I’m very grateful for. That really, in turn, built me for what I do for a living now. I believe there’s no offseason for me doing what I do now. Being in this industry, it’s not a career, it’s a lifestyle.
What lessons do you feel like you’ve been able to bring from the lacrosse field to your new line of work? Are there any similarities that you notice?
There’s a lot of similarities. The big thing that was tough for me when getting into this is that music is art. It’s all up to interpretation when it comes to, are the fans going to like this song? Is this song streaming better than this song? What made this hook better? What made this resonate with a larger demographic compared to these songs? Why did this have success on social media? Why did this one not? I’m very much an analytical guy, I love numbers. That’s very much so from my mother and father, who are like that too. When I played lacrosse, it was like, how’d you play? Well, I had this many ground balls, I had this many assists, I had this many goals. I’m always analyzing in that aspect, from sports to what I’m doing now.
Man, there’s a lot of different things that I’ve taken away from sports. It is a lifestyle [as well]. I’m not the guy out there on the road that’s going to bars after shows. I’m the dude that’s hopping on his bus, grabbing a shower, throwing on a movie, working with my content guy figuring out what we’re posting on the [Instagram] Story that night. I’m always on the grind, wanting to perfect my craft, and that was how I treated lacrosse. I played in college for two years, so it was 4 am wake up calls, being on the field before anyone was awake. Then you have your second workout in the afternoon, more class, then you have homework, you have film room, you have study hall with the team, and then some days you go back out and have a scrimmage.
