Zach Top

Biography

Zachary Dirk Top (born September 26, 1997) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Sunnyside, Washington, he began his musical career in 2019 and signed to record label Leo33 in 2023. Top has released two albums for the label: Cold Beer & Country Music and Ain't in It for My Health. These have charted five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. Top is known for his neotraditional country sound, and has drawn comparisons to 1990s-era country artists and received widespread critical acclaim. He won the Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year in 2025 and the Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year later that year. In 2026 Ain't in It for My Health won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Traditional Country Album.

Background

Zachary Dirk Top was born on September 26, 1997, and grew up on a ranch in Sunnyside, Washington. He got his musical start performing as part of a bluegrass band with his siblings called Top String. In 2015, Top relocated to Boulder, Colorado, where he enrolled in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. After one year in engineering school, Top dropped out citing a lack of interest and found work to save up money to move to Nashville to start a career in country and bluegrass music. After performing as part of various bluegrass groups throughout his early twenties, he began recording as a solo artist in 2019, releasing a string of bluegrass singles. Top relocated to Nashville in 2021, where he first signed a publishing deal with Major Bob Music. Top's bluegrass singles culminated in the release of his self-titled debut EP with RBR Entertainment on May 13, 2022.
Top began recording country music. In September 2023, it was announced that Top was signed as the flagship artist for the newly-formed independent record label Leo33. His debut single to country radio, "Sounds Like the Radio", was released on January 8, 2024, and was the most-added song at the format with 55 stations adding the song upon impact. It has since charted in the top 20 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart. Top co-wrote "Sounds Like the Radio" with Carson Chamberlain and Wyatt McCubbin, inspired by his love of 1990s-era country music. It served as the lead single to Top's debut studio album, Cold Beer & Country Music, which was released on April 5, 2024.
Top's second studio album, Ain't in It for My Health, was released on August 29, 2025. It was preceded by the release of "Good Times & Tan Lines". The album was well-received, and debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200 and number one on the Top Country Albums chart, with more than 30 million global streams in its first week.

Musical style

Top is known for his neotraditional country sound, drawing heavily on 1990s-era country artists such as George Strait, Keith Whitley and Randy Travis, as well as Marty Robbins. His musical roots lie in bluegrass, having formed a family band, Top String, with his siblings at age seven. Both of Top's studio albums were produced by Carson Chamberlain, a former bandleader for Whitley who has written for Strait and Alan Jackson.
Critics have noted the deliberate fidelity of Top's sound to earlier eras of country music. Writing in The New York Times, Jon Caramanica observed that "Top's commitment to form remains immaculate: a high-wire routine so aesthetically faithful and brimming with theatrical mirth that he's almost winking, merging a sense of history and a sense of play."

Critical reception

Top's debut studio album, Cold Beer & Country Music, received widespread critical acclaim on release. The Tennessean praised it as full of "star-making tunes", while Country Central called it "a masterclass in traditional country music", adding that "with a record this strong, Zach Top has proven himself as a standout rising star in this format and a premier vocalist in country music."
His second album, Ain't in It for My Health, was similarly well received. Rolling Stone's Daniel Kohn wrote that Top "holds his own with the country greats", adding that his "vocals soar with the confidence of a seasoned storyteller", and that the album "brings to mind legends like George Strait and Alan Jackson." Pitchfork's Millan Verma described it as "good, clean country fun, full of clear-eyed comedic writing and tight arrangements", awarding the album a score of 7.2 out of 10.
The album debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Current Country Albums chart and number 11 on the Billboard 200, earning more than 30 million global streams in its first week of release.

Notable performances and collaborations

Top released Me & Billy, a three-track EP with Billy Strings featuring reimagined versions of Top's songs "Bad Luck" and "Things to Do", along with a cover of Ricky Skaggs's "Don't Cheat in Our Home Town". The EP was first released as an Apple Music exclusive in October 2024, before becoming widely available on 28 February 2025. In 2026, Top performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. At the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, Top performed an acoustic rendition of "Use Me", which American Songwriter described as "moving".

Personal life

Top is in a relationship with model and social media influencer Amelia Taylor, from Grenada, Mississippi. The couple made their relationship public in November 2024, and made their red carpet debut together weeks later at the 58th Country Music Association Awards. The pair have since continued to appear together publicly, including at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards and the 2025 CMA Awards.