By MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Here’s to a lifetime of pink skies: The irreverent country singer Zach Bryan is married.
Bryan, 29, confirmed the news in an Instagram post shared Thursday. Beneath a photo of him holding his bride, Samantha Leonard, 28, he wrote the caption, “tougher than the rest,” a reference to the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name. In the next slide of the two-frame carousel, Bryan shared a short clip of him covering the song.
It is unclear when the couple started dating or got engaged. Rumors of their relationship hit social media in August, when Leonard posted a picture of the pair embracing on a boat on her official Instagram account.
Bryan shared a tribute to Leonard on his Instagram account a few months later, in October, writing, “Today is your birthday and I love you, Samantha Marie. To the only woman who can hike six miles in Chanel flats, skydive over the alps and catch a bigger fish than me all in the same day,” he wrote. “Hope your day was as graceful as you are.”
A representative for Bryan confirmed the marriage but did not provide additional comment.
Bryan’s 2023 self-titled album debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200. At the time, the trade publication reported that the release moved 200,000 units in its first week. His duet with Kacey Musgraves from the album “I Remember Everything” earned Bryan his sole No. 1 hit. AP named the collaboration one of the year’s best songs.
His last album, 2024’s “The Great American Bar Scene” peaked at No. 2.
Bryan is scheduled to release his sixth studio album, “With Heaven On Top,” next Friday.