"I've almost died a couple times, and [since then] I've thought about what my legacy is going to be. I had to ask myself 'Am I going to be known as someone who just kept bailing and giving up or someone who got out of their own damn way and made it happen?'"When Bryan Martin was invited to perform on the Mane Stage, which was the main stage at the legendary Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California, on April 26, 2025, it was also a personal acknowledgment of how far he had come in recent years. Because a successful life isn't really meant to be steered by drugs, a serious car accident, and a suicide attempt.
Just 3 weeks prior, on April 4, 2025, he had released his fourth studio album on the independent label Average Joes Entertainment. It's titled "Years In The Making" and features 13 songs. On 12 of them Bryan Martin also contributed as a songwriter. An exercise that is particularly dear to his heart. For with songs that speak of his personal doubts and fears, he wants to tell other people that they are not alone.
"If I go hide my scars and I go putting a mask on myself or who I am, I'm doing exactly what I never wanted to do", he says on his Website. "The reason why I don’t hide anything is because there’s too many people that need to know that there is no difference between me and them."
So he sings with his life-beaten voice on the album's title track:
You can hear it in the songs I sing,
it's a desperate, aching thing.
'cause I've been down, I've been kicked around,
I've been broken off and I'm still breaking.
With a biting voice over edgy sounds, he combines country with rock and gospel influences to recount painful experiences of his life. Even the country ballad ('Ain't My Old Man') about his father is full of bitterness and the realization that from time to time he recognizes his father in himself. Even if he only wishes he didn't.
"I think a lot of us grow up wanting to be like our dads, but at the same time saying, 'I don’t want to be nothing like that when I grow up'," he emphasizes at musicrow.com. "I want to have more patience and teach my kids how to do things."
His intense song 'We Ride' (2022) reached number 3 on the radio (Billboard Country Airplay) chart last year, thus bringing him to a wider audience. Thanks in no small part to Stagecoach, chances are good that this won't be a one-off hit, but that underdog Bryan Martin may have a chance at longer-term commercial success. After all, not only has 'We Ride' been streamed over 340 million times on Spotify, but his entire repertoire now boasts nearly 900 million Spotify streams ...
I’ve seen the deepest, darkest days and every time I’ve hit rock bottom I learned more about myself and life…mainly that I had no one else to blame but me, hence ‘Self Inflicted Scars.’ Through the album you’ll go on the same roller coaster I’ve been on; moving through love, heartbreak, self-destruction and redemption.”
https://averagejoesent.com/artist/bryan-martin/#1487737663838-886b7f01-3bb2
“We’re all human, and we all come to this town with dreams. But we put so much pressure on ourselves that we ultimately set ourselves up to fail, and I’m just trying to change that trend,” expressed Martin. “I want to show people that they don’t have to be scared of falling off the deep end, that they can come here and enjoy their time chasing their dreams.” https://musicrow.com/2024/07/on-the-row-bryan-martin-boldly-recounts-real-experiences-in-his-music/
“I just think that if I go hide my scars and I go putting a mask on myself or who I am, I’m doing exactly what I never wanted to do. I wear the scars, and I’m learning to wear it better. The reason why I don’t hide anything is because there’s too many people that need to know that there is no difference between me and them.” https://bryanmartinofficial.com/about/
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