After gaining popularity on TikTok for his song “Ride the Lighting,” country artist Warren Zeiders has taken the world by storm — and his star is only continuing to rise thanks to his debut album, Pretty Little Poison.
“I always had a love for music since I was young, [I] just never had anyone in my life telling me it was a possibility of pursuing,” Zeiders, 24, reveals in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly. “It wasn’t until I started posting myself on social media where my followers turned into fans and pushed me in the direction of chasing down a dream that I never knew was possible. I remember the first time taking the stage for my first show ever in front of a sold out crowd. By the end of the night, I realized that this is what I was born to do.”
The Hershey, Pennsylvania native released his first EP, 717 Tapes, in October 2021. Shortly after “Ride the Lighting” went viral on TikTok, Zeiders signed with Warner Records and the tune landed him on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Pretty Little Poison dropped in August, and Zeiders is excited to play his hits live when he sets out on tour this fall.
“[I’m going to continue] playing new music from my debut album, Pretty Little Poison, [and] spending time in cities and states I’ve already been to, along with going to new areas and meeting and gaining new fans,” Zeiders tells Us.
Keep scrolling to learn more about the country singer:
On His Dream Collaborator
“Chris Stapleton has always been my gut answer,” Zeiders tells Us. “His music and his voice has always connected and resonated with me. He is definitely an inspiration of mine, which is why I found it an amazing opportunity to record his song ‘Inside Your Head’ for my debut album.”
On His Alternate Profession
Zeiders tells Us that if he “had to choose another profession” other than performing, he’d still want to be in the music industry in some capacity. “I could see myself working in a role of management for an artist or in the marketing side for an artist,” he explains.
On His Favorite Song He’s Written
Zeiders is partial to the Pretty Little Poison title track. “The day I wrote this song, I knew it was something special and knew it had the ability to touch many lives,” he says. “It’s one of my favorites because of the struggle it put me through. I must have sung this song 500 times because I wasn’t going to release the song until I believed the person singing it.”
His hard work paid off. “It’s been amazing to see how rapidly it has connected, resonated and touched many lives,” he tells Us. “No better feeling than singing this song on stage night after night hearing the crowd sing word for word with me.”
On His Go-To Karaoke Song
“Don’t have time for karaoke,” he jokes. “If you mean singing with my boys on the bus, ‘Trick or Treat’ [by] Young Dolph.”
On What’s Next
Along with performing live on the Pretty Little Poison tour this fall, Zeiders plans to “keep putting the pen to paper and writing and recording for the next project already.”
