I mean, he said he never lies…
Zach Top has been at the center of a lot of country music conspiracies ever since he rocketed onto the scene with his neotraditional country sound. You are likely familiar with the theory that Alan Jackson is Zach Top’s father. With how similar they sound, and with the age gap between the two artists… it’s certainly possible, and the internet ran with it when a country music radio station proposed the idea.
Since then, that theory has seemingly been debunked, but there’s another rumor that’s stepped into the place of the “Who’s the father?” conversation. There’s a good chance that you’ve heard about this one as well, and it certainly has some legs if you dig into some old videos of Zach Top.
The theory? Zach Top is faking his country accent and southern twang.
Most of that conspiracy is fueled by the fact that Top was born and raised in Sunnyside, Washington. In case you aren’t up to date on your geography, that state isn’t located in the southern U.S., where country accents are the most prevalent. It’s actually about as far north (and far west) as you can get.
Zach Top was even asked about the rumor recently, and here’s how he decided to combat the theory that he was putting on his country twang:
“All I know is I’ve been practicing it ever since I was a baby. I liked how all them old country guys sang, so I figured I’d talk like them too. And yeah, since I’ve been in Nashville, it’s just been accentuated I guess.”
@itsgabemercer #Zachtop sets the record straight on his accent!!!! #seattle ♬ I Never Lie – Zach Top
Guess that makes sense?
And that last little part that Zach added is an important detail. Why? Because it almost has to be true, and needs to be true. When you watch videos of him from when he first burst onto the scene in Nashville, he’s certainly got the country get-up, but the twang that music fans are familiar with from him isn’t exactly there.
Just check out this footage from his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2022:
@zachtopsjeans (PART 1) Crazy to think this was only two and a half years ago… Our Little Zach Top is all grown up 🤧 #zachtop #realcountrymusic #livecountrymusic #grandoleopry ♬ original sound – Zach Top’s Jeans (Fan Page)
Obviously… there’s a little southern twang there.
It’s not totally absent, but it’s definitely intensified in the years since then. I suppose Zach’s own theory that the longer he’s been in Nashville, the more country he’s become could hold true. And if he’s trying to sound like the country great’s of yesteryear (for my money, he’s doing a great job at that), that undoubtedly plays a role in his country accent getting thicker as time goes on.
