“Now We’re Going Somewhere”: Mark Chesnutt Reveals the Two Rising Stars Who Restored His Faith in Traditional Country

Breaking through with his 1990 debut single “Too Cold at Home”, Mark Chesnutt became a mainstay of the 1990s honky-tonk scene. Releasing 18 studio albums and eight No. 1 singles, the Beaumont, Texas-born artist has done his best to keep the genre’s past alive over the course of his nearly four-decade career. Lately, however, he was losing hope in ever finding a next-generation star to pick up the neotraditional torch and carrying it into the future. During a recent interview, the “It Sure Is Monday” singer, 62, revealed which up-and-coming artist changed his mind.

Mark Chesnutt Feared Traditional Country Was “Long Gone”

Undoubtedly one of the biggest names in Nashville right now is Zach Top. Although he wasn’t born until 1997, the 28-year-old Washington native has a voice and style straight out of the Randy Travis and Keith Whitley playbook.

Since releasing his studio debut, 2024’s Cold Beer and Country Music, Top has seized control of the genre, winning this year’s inaugural Grammy Award for Best Traditional Country Album for his sophomore record, last year’s Ain’t In it For My Health.

The upstart country singer received four nominations at this year’s upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards, including Single and Song of the Year for his viral hit “I Never Lie”.

In fact, it was that very song that changed Mark Chesnutt’s mind about what he had already written off as a bygone era.

“Ol’ Zach. When I saw him come along, I thought, ‘Now we’re talking. Finally, somebody’s speaking my language again,’” said the two-time CMA Award winner during an appearance this week on the podcast Pickin’ It Out With Andrew Pope. “And it’s getting heard. Because you know, there’s been so many people come up over the years that were really traditional and couldn’t break.”

He continued, “I heard Zach Top… I’ve been hearing about him for years. I heard all about him, but I never heard him.  And the first time I heard ‘I Never Lie,’ It just floored me. I thought, ‘Now we’re going somewhere.’ Thank God that it’s not dead — as dead as I thought it was. I thought it was long gone.”

[RELATED: Now Sober, Mark Chesnutt Reveals How Close He Was to Death]

He Also Praised This Record-Breaking Country Star

Ella Langley’s name is another that hasn’t escaped Mark Chesnutt’s notice. The 27-year-old Alabama native keeps making history with her single “Choosin’ Texas”, which made her the first woman in country music to top all three of Billboard’s charts at the same time.

“I’ll tell you, I love that Ella Langley. Man, I love her singing,” Chesnutt said. “She’s got it going on, man… I think she’s gonna be around forever.”

Featured image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images