What is ‘Pink Skies’ by Zach Bryan about? Grace O'Malley's revelation in Dave Portnoy's 'Country Diddy' diss track goes viral
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy released a diss track against singer-songwriter Zach Bryan, titled Country Diddy. The track debuted on the YouTube channel ‘BFFs: Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards, & Bri Chickenfry’ on November 10.
This release followed Zach Bryan's public announcement of his breakup with podcaster Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia on October 22, seemingly leaving her “blindsided.”
LaPaglia and Portnoy co-host the Barstool Sports podcast BFFs, and the latter’s latest diss track appears to be a defense for his colleague. Notably, more than halfway through Country Diddy, Dave Portnoy rapped:
“No amount of bribery can silence me/ You say you hate Grace that you’re nothing alike/ Then the song ‘Pink Skies’ is based on her life?/ Your personality’s a narcissist starter kit/ Such a manipulating p*ssy that it’s startling/ Your music’s just some lies for us to listen to.”
In these lyrics, Grace reportedly refers to Brianna Chickenfry’s best friend, Grace O’Malley. Dave Portnoy reportedly alleges Zach Bryan not only of abruptly ending his relationship with LaPaglia but also of allegedly drawing inspiration from O’Malley’s life for his May 2024 single Pink Skies.
For the unversed, Pink Skies is about a family funeral. Zach clarified on social media at the time of the song’s release that it “wasn’t inspired by my story.” However, he didn’t clarify whose story inspired his song. Reportedly, Bryan once accompanied LaPaglia to O’Malley’s grandmother’s funeral. However, it remains unknown whether this particular real-life funeral inspired the song.
All you need to know about Zach Bryan’s Pink Skies
Zach Bryan released Pink Skies on May 24, 2024, as the lead single of his fifth studio album, The Great American Bar Scene. The country song was produced under the label of Belting Branco and Warner Records Inc. It explores the themes of loss and grief arising from missing someone you love.
Pink Skies revolves around a scene of a family, including children and adults, gathering for the funeral of one of their members. For instance, the opening verse reads:
“The kids are in town for a funeral/ So pack the car and dry your eyes/ I know they got plenty of young blood left in ’em/ And plenty nights under pink skies you taught ’em to enjoy.”
The lyrics continue:
“If you could see ’em now, you’d be proud/ But you’d think they’s yuppiеs/ Your funeral was beautiful/ I bet God hеard you comin’.”
However, according to the singer’s post on X, the song was not inspired by his own life or his mother’s death in 2016.
“Every time I sing about someone dying people assume it’s about my mom, this definitely was not. I just think all the dynamics in families are beautiful and interesting and generationally it’s a really cool thing,” he wrote.
Bryan also mentioned how he often wrote and recorded songs “reckless and fast.” The Grammy winner performed Pink Skies live for the first time in Oakland in June 2024. The song went high up on several notable charts, including number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Exploring Dave Portnoy’s latest diss track against Zach Bryan
Over the weekend, Dave Portnoy launched the diss track Country Diddy directed at Zach Bryan. Apart from the Grace O’Malley allegation, the song accuses the country singer of forcing former girlfriends to sign non-disclosure agreements and ill-treating his dog, Miss Peaches.
“Offered Bri $13mil just to shut her trap/ Then she turned around and said 'shove it up you’re a*s/ … I'm the one problem you can't pay to go away,” Dave rapped.
Dave Portnoy also hinted that Zach is a hypocrite and alcoholic, alleging that he has stolen heartbreak stories and used them as inspirations for his songs.
Elsewhere, the Barstool Sports owner called out Zach Bryan for sending a legal notice via his label, Warner Records Inc., to pull the previous diss track, Smallest Man. This track was co-created by Dave and his BFFs podcast co-host Josh Richards. The collective has also prohibited Portnoy and Richards from re-dropping the first diss track. This is because the latter is also signed to Warner, and there’s an alleged copyright issue.
“Buttercup really thought that he could shut me up/ Someone tell your cheap lawyers I don’t give a f*ck/ Josh can sit it out ‘cause we only need me/ Only one man but you’re getting DP’d,” he rapped.
Regardless, Dave Portnoy released Smallest Man: Dave's Version as a response.
The diss track’s title is seemingly a reference to Sean “Diddy” Combs and calling Zach Bryan his “country” counterpart.
“Country Diddy, country Diddy/ Steal another story write another country ditty/ All these NDAs, you sound like a country Diddy/ Something like your face, This isn’t looking pretty,” the song read.
Country Diddy was shared on YouTube on Sunday night with a lyric video, the background of which was an animated down, seemingly somewhere in Bryan’s home state Oklahoma. The backdrop appeared to mock Zach with the portrait of a musician standing in front of an animated bank building, wearing a Lego cowboy hat, holding a guitar, and an NDA.
Zach Bryan and Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia dated from the summer of 2023 to the fall of 2024. During their relationship, Bryan was reportedly not supportive of Brianna's friendship with her best friend Grace.
However, following her abrupt breakup late last month, LaPaglia clarified on social media that Grace continues to be like her “sister,” as she had been since they were teenagers. She added she wished her on her birthday privately. The duo co-hosts the podcast PlanBri Uncut.