A pretty important goal.
Zach Top seems to be everywhere these days. Riding the highs of his debut album last year and his highly-successful sophomore effort this year, Ain’t In It For My Health, the Washington native has simply flown through the ranks in country music over the past two years. Whether it’s his ACM win for New Male Artist this past April, his five CMA nominations and a win for Best New Artist this November, his high praise from fellow artists such as Dierks Bentley or his continued domination on social media, Top has, without a doubt, become the genre’s new “it” artist.
While all the awards and viral success are great, the “I Never Lie” singer has also helped usher in a new generation of traditional country fans. Of course, it’s not like Top is the only artist sticking to the sounds and styles of ’90s country, with names like Randall King, Drake Milligan, Mae Estes and tourmate, Jake Worthington, all carrying the torch of traditionalism. With that being said, however, Top has quite clearly become the leader of the pack over the past two years.
This is thanks to a multitude of different reasons. Outside of the obvious fact that he’s simply outrageously talented, with his smooth, seemingly effortless vocals rivaling his world-class guitar ability, Top’s personality and general presence both on stage and in interviews have boosted his popularity tenfold.
Though he gets his fair share of comparisons to the likes of Alan Jackson and George Strait, there’s no denying that he presents himself, especially in today’s social media-dominated age, as a much more down-to-earth everyman. While Jackson has always presented himself as a bit more stoic and reserved figure and Strait has taken on a nearly mythic status, rarely doing interviews and media appearances in general, Top has rarely let a media appearance slip by him.
Of course, this has resulted in a plethora of hilarious moments from the “Use Me” singer, ranging from his now-iconic CMA New Artist of the Year acceptance speech with a Coors Banquet in hand to posting videos of cold plunges with Dierks Bentley, cigarette in hand.
It’s clear that Top has begun to recognize just how much of an influence he’s starting to have on the next generation. And recently, he noted just how important it is to him moving forward in his career.
After his aforementioned big night at the CMA Awards in November, fresh off a New Artist of the Year win, Top was asked what his biggest career goals were at a post-show press conference.
Not missing a beat, the Washington native would explain that his biggest goal is inspiring the next generation to pursue country music, noting how big a role his heroes, such as George Strait, Alan Jackson, Ricky Skaggs and more, were on him as a kid.
“One of the biggest goals in my career… I know I had a string of heroes that I wanted to play guitar like and sing like. And that hit me at a very, very early age. So I hope there’s some young kids out there, guys or gals, that see me playing and singing and want to do the same thing and kind of get inspired by me.”
@the_country_hub Zach Top is a legend 🐐 #ZachTop #Country ♬ original sound – Country Hub
Judging by his popularity online with fans of seemingly all ages, it’s safe to say that Top’s goal is already being achieved pretty damn well.
Zach Top Tour Dates
February 5 – Scottsdale, Arizona – Coors Light Birds Nest 2026
February 21 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
February 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – K.B. Hallen
February 28 – Stockholm, Sweden – Annexet
March 3 – Oslo, Norway – Sentrum Scene
March 7 – Rotterdamn, Netherlands – Rotterdam Ahoy
March 8 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Eats Music Hall
March 13 – London, United Kingdom – The O2
March 14 – Belfat, Northern Ireland – SSE Arena
March 15 – Glasgow, United Kingdom – OVO Hydro
April 9 – Florence, Arizona – Country Thunder Arizona
April 24 – Lubbock, Texas – Jones AT&T Stadium
May 22 – Norfolk, Virginia – Patriotic Festival
