No one had a meteoric rise in 2024, quite like Zach Top. He went from being relatively unknown to one of the biggest names in country music in the blink of an eye. The release of his debut country album, Cold Beer & Country Music, grabbed listeners’ attention everywhere, earning him numerous accolades, including a New Artist of the Year nomination at the 2024 CMA Awards. His ‘90s country influence introduced the classic sound to a new generation while reviving the love of it for those who experienced it the first time around. But as Zach Top continues to turn back the clock, will he be able to survive the constantly evolving future?
Everyone knows that country music (like everything else) is consistently changing while learning lessons and taking influence from the past. It wasn’t all that long ago that Florida Georgia Line was setting the standard in country music; they were so dominant that they seemed invincible. Somewhere along the way, they plummeted from the top to rock bottom and quickly became a complete laughingstock. However, they influenced a whole generation of country music, built on their sound, and added a revitalizing flair to make it feel more unique; Morgan Wallen is the greatest example of the artists to come out of the Florida Georgia Line umbrella.
Zach Top’s case is much different than FGL’s. FGL, Luke Bryan, Chase Rice, and others built bro country from the ground up. Zach Top is revitalizing a neo-traditional country, clearly proving that it has passed the test of time decades later. As Morgan Wallen hopped on rap tracks, people craved “real country music,” and Zach Top ultimately became the savior.
Zach Top is insanely huge right now. He’s sitting comfortably atop the CC50 power rankings in a spot that Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen have dominated for the better part of two years. That’s pretty good company. Bryan and Wallen are selling out stadiums, and Zach Top is playing bars and getting ready to open for Dierks Bentley. It is incredibly rare for an artist at this stage in their career to be in this much demand.
He’s scratching an itch that some people didn’t even realize they had. It’s new music that sounds like it came out 30 years ago. But there is one glaring truth to the whole thing – it’s not 30 years ago. People aren’t using jukeboxes or the same phrases they used back then – it’s a whole new generation. Of course, people love to romanticize that era or pretend they were part of it, but the truth is, this sort of imagery isn’t as relevant to people in 2025. It’s not unfair to think that the itch will eventually fade, and people will no longer crave the Zach Top drug.
With each passing year, we get further and further away from the reality of the 1990s. Some of the technology in today’s world couldn’t have even been dreamt of back then. That is what gives Zach Top his charm; his music simplifies everything. That should give hope that the 27-year-old will stick around longer than some other country music trends. Not only is it refreshing, but we have seen this pattern of success remain in demand through people like George Strait, Brooks & Dunn, and more.
The big kicker is that it is less believable for Zach Top than for someone like George Strait. The King was born and raised in Texas and fit the timeline of the content he was singing about. Top, on the other hand, is from Washington state, which has some country areas, but it does seem a little bit off from his overall brand. This isn’t saying Zach Top isn’t a real country boy – no doubt he is – but it feels less real than some people who have done it before him. On top of that, he doesn’t have the same industry power in Washington as George Strait had in Texas. There are far fewer eyes on that region of America, which makes his success all the more impressive.
Building on that, since he’s the first artist of his kind to see this level of success since the 90s country first had its moment, it almost feels like karaoke. Obviously, they’re all original songs, but they sometimes feel like a copy-and-paste of what we heard back then. It’s not necessarily a bad thing; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But the formula is laid out for him. Other than the lyrics, there isn’t anything new that Zach Top is providing.
Top isn’t the only one to repopularize that style of music. Ernest has also hopped on the wave, but the big difference is that Ern adds modern aspects to it. He shows more versatility in his music, ranging from songs like “Honkytonk Fairytale” to “Did It For The Story.” Top’s versatility ranges in the same sub-genre, but he balances upbeat, fun songs like “Things To Do” with some slower love songs like “There’s The Sun.” The range is nice, but the vibe doesn’t shift too far since it’s all under the same umbrella.
Despite all of that, Zach Top is one of the top artists (no pun intended) in all of country music for a reason. It’s been done before, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t refreshing. It seems mostly authentic, and at the end of the day, good music is good music; there is no way around it. It may run its course years down the road, but it seems like Zach Top is here to stay. If history has taught us anything, Top won’t stay on the A-list forever unless he adapts as the genre does. There are ways to stay true to your sound and stay relevant like Ernest or Luke Combs throughout the years. It would be great to get more music like his debut album, but that won’t feed the wolves forever. In a perfect world, he would utilize more modern-day material so younger listeners could relate. Regardless, if he stays true to his music, he may become less popular, but he’ll have no problem selling tickets on tour.
