Traditional country music is all that Zach Top has known his entire life. Starting a simple family band with his siblings back in Sunnyside, Washington, he recalls George Strait and Marty Robbins being major influences to him and his entire family from an early age. “I grew up around country music, for sure. My folks were not musical at all, but they always had it playing around the house,” Top explains. “George Strait was the first thing I remember hearing all the time. That and Marty Robbins was the first step that made me want to pick up the guitar.”
Just because the Pacific Northwest isn’t known for scorching hot summers and sunburnt necks doesn’t mean someone can’t be “country” like those who live in the South. Calling Washington State home, Top is a living testimony that even though someone isn’t from the Southeastern and Midwestern regions of the country, they can still live the same values and have the same experiences that ring true in the music they love. “It had a hand in shaping the type of artist that I am today, but it gives me a bit of a different lens to look out for,” Top said. “I think it probably plays a little to my advantage, coming from a different part of the country and living the same lifestyle.”
Once his days with his family bluegrass band were over, Zach Top went all in on music and was determined to develop a craft true to his heart. When deciding the direction to take his music, Top said it was just what felt right; it wasn’t a preconceived idea or strategy. “It was never a calculated decision to do the traditional or be ‘the 90’s guy’. It’s just what comes out of me.”
Top’s relationship with his producer and frequent co-writer, Carson Chamberlain, has been beneficial in many ways. Whether introducing him to new people or working out a new tune, “When I came to town, he was the one that took me under his wing and helped set up a lot of things and those co-writing sessions,” Top said. “I think that ‘find your tribe’ thing really holds true, and I think we definitely found ours.”
On his debut album, Cold Beer and Country Music, Chamberlain played a significant role in developing the neo-traditional sound and identity that Top’s music is known for. Top said that he needed a direction he wanted to take when creating this sound. “It’s just what comes out of me. That’s all [the music] I know how to make. I couldn’t write you a Morgan Wallen song if I tried.”
Nonetheless, Top isn’t looking down on anyone in other sub-genres of country music, “I ain’t knockin’ any of that. It’s just that this is all I know how to do, and it’s who I am.”
Having a helping hand in creating his music has been a crucial factor in the authenticity that fans can feel in his music. When he first transitioned to Nashville and began networking, he needed to find a group of people he could trust and work with. Nashville has a reputation for having a ‘small town’ feel despite being a major city, and it is an ever-changing landscape that all budding musicians have to overcome.
Top credits much of his success to both the people he’s met along the way who have contributed to his career and the outstanding reach a social media platform has awarded him. “It’s ironic to me because I never enjoyed using social media; it’s always just been out of necessity,” he explains. “I moved to town because someone found me off of a Facebook video, and I got a publishing deal because someone saw a TikTok video of me.”
However, regardless of the connections he’s made, its social media that he’s been able to harness that boosted him into the spotlight. Zach Top has been putting up his camera and live-streaming on TikTok to fans worldwide for a while, getting his name out to everyone who will listen. Due to consistent dedication to the platform and learning algorithms, he’s achieved his dreams of making music for a living.
Still in his twenties, Top has much to learn from many people in his career, including his live performances. Having toured with Ashley McBryde as his first significant ticket, he grants a ton of respect for how she conducts her shows and carries herself as a performer.
“She has a great presence without needing to go too crazy or too overboard trying to hold people’s attention. She’s got a bit of a magnetism that keeps people engaged and holds it without you knowing it.”
Even though Ashley McBryde may have a more high-energy show, Zach Top prefers the quainter setting of a man and a guitar singing his songs. Stage presence is an individualistic trait that varies by performer, and Top is still working out his style.
“I try to be entertaining on stage, but I ain’t flying in on a trapeze like Mr. [Garth] Brooks,” he detailed. “I ain’t knocking on anyone for what they do, but I like seeing people stand there with a guitar rather than running around with a solo cup in my hand. It’s a nice change of pace, I feel.”
After releasing his debut album, Cold Beer and Country Music, his career has been on nothing short of an upward trajectory. Going out on tour with Lainey Wilson this summer, he says it’s a great honor that someone as iconic as her is aware of the music he’s making.
When asked about upcoming music, Zach Top hinted that he has a plethora of music in the vault that he can’t wait to share with fans. He is also excited to return to the studio and create something new shortly.
