Before January 2024, Zach Top was a relative unknown. Then he released “Sounds Like the Radio,” the lead single off his studio debut, Cold Beer & Country Music. “All of a sudden, just everything was selling out and we couldn’t play anywhere without it being packed out,” Top said recently.
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Now it’s 2025, and the “I Never Lie” singer has embarked on his first-ever headlining tour. It’s a far cry from the trajectory Top envisioned for himself a decade ago.
Zach Top Got His Start Performing With His Siblings
As Zach Top told Dale Brisby of the Rodeo Time podcast, “There’s a lot more to the art of being a performer than just playing and singing good.” Fortunately, the “Cold Beer And Country Music” singer had a head start. He began performing during his late teens as part of the bluegrass band Top String with his siblings. Top says his mom played a crucial role in his future success. She would write out setlists and script jokes for her children ahead of gigs.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter’s musical talent was plain to his parents. However, with no industry knowledge or connections, they urged Top to pursue a different career path before chasing his performance dreams.
“My dad’s advice was just like, ‘Nah, you need to go get a good job that’ll pay you good, where you can afford to take weekends off and go play for fun at these same bluegrass festivals,” Top said.
“I Was Not Into It”
So in 2015, Zach Top moved from his Washington hometown to Boulder, Colorado, where he planned to major in mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado. However, he wound up dropping out after the first year.
“I was not in into it,” Top said. Rather than accrue additional student loan debt, he decided to work and save money for a move to Nashville. He made that move in 2021, releasing a self-titled bluegrass EP the next year.
In September 2023, the CMA nominee signed as the flagship artist for Leo33, a new independent record label. His debut single, “Sounds Like the Radio” hit the airwaves in January 2024.
Featured image by Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock)
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