Just call it country.
Zach Top is speaking out about how he really feels after winning his first Grammy Award. Zach Top made history earlier this year, taking home his first-ever Grammy Award and being named the winner in a brand new category.
Ahead of the Grammy Awards, the Recording Academy announced that for the first time ever, they would be adding a fifth and final country category in the form of Best Traditional Country Album. Despite many reports claiming that the Recording Academy intentionally added the Traditional Country category in direct response to the controversy of Beyoncé’s win this past February, Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy CEO, noted that many prominent members of the alternative country community had been pushing for the creation of the category for years.
“The community of people that are making country music in all different subgenres came to us with a proposal and said we would like to have more variety in how our music is honored. They said, we think we need more space for our music to be celebrated and honored.”
What resulted was nothing short of a star-studded group of nominees featuring Charley Crockett’s Dollar A Day, Margo Price’s Hard Headed Woman, Zach Top’s Ain’t In It For My Health, Lukas’ American Romance, and Willie’s, Oh What A Beautiful World. However, Top ultimately brought home the win, marking his first career Grammy Award.
Zach Top was extremely thankful to receive this honor when he got on stage to accept his award, and later, he spoke to Rolling Stone on the red carpet, praising the new category from the Recording Academy and noting that country music is returning to its more traditional roots.
“…Country is such a wide umbrella right now. It’s just fun; it’s exciting. There’s so many things that fall into that genre, so having a couple different ways to classify stuff, I think is cool. And, I mean, it gives me a chance to get in on something.”
During a recent sit-down with the God’s Country podcast, Zach Top expanded on his feelings surrounding the win in the category now that the dust has settled a little from it. Top shared with hosts Dan and Reid Isbell that he was honored to receive the first win in the category. Reid Isbell also commented that it was “nice enough of the Grammys to make an award that you could win.” Which might sound like a backhanded compliment, however, the comment is true. Without the creation of the Traditional Country category, Top most likely would not have taken home the award.
Top acknowledged how big a deal it was to be tapped as the first winner by the Recording Academy.
“It feels like you know a little extra special to win that the first year that it was a category. You know, it’s kind of like a little piece of history, I guess, no, for however long, maybe they’ll axe it next year or something, but then maybe I’ll be the only one that ever won that one.”
But Top later shared in the conversation that at times he wishes the Recording Academy would call his album “country.” Top admitted to the podcast hosts.
“The ornery jacka** in me wants to say, ‘No, just call mine country.’ Qualify the other stuff if you want… like you know, make the contemporary country category, that’s fine.”
I mean… I don’t think he’s entirely wrong for wishing it were just called Best Country Album. Country music has sounded like the music Top is making for generations now, and while the genre is now a wide umbrella, the sound that Top has curated follows in the suit of the “tradition” set by artists before him.
It is traditional, but it’s also country to its core. While it might not be a perfect system to name this category “traditional country,” it does open the door for many other classic country artists to be recognized on a massive platform so it’s hard to complain, but at the same time, I think he’s spot on with his assertion that “Contemporary Country” should’ve been the pop country category and just “Country” should’ve included the more traditional acts like Top. Right?
Check out the whole podcast episode while you’re here:
