It’s the most wonderful time of the year for NFL fans. With Super Bowl LX looming, all 18 weeks of the regular season have come down to this. Seeking their fourth Super Bowl appearance overall and second Lombardi Trophy, the Seattle Seahawks must push past the Los Angeles Rams on their home turf at Lumen Field. Meanwhile, the Rams are on the hunt for their second Super Bowl win since moving from St. Louis to California. Ahead of Sunday’s (Jan. 25) NFC Championship battle, CMA New Artist of the Year (and Washington native) Zach Top sent chills down the spines of everyone at Lumen Field with a ringing rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
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Zach Top Brings Nashville to the Pacific Northwest
With rising country star Tucker Wetmore—another Washington native—taking the stage at halftime, country music was well represented in the Pacific Northwest today. Zach Top grew up on a ranch in Sunnyside, a town of less than 20,000 people in south central Washington.
I FUCKIN LOVE ZACH TOP GOT ME FIRED UP LIKE A MF FLYOVER XACH TOP COLD BEER HELL YEAHHH pic.twitter.com/TbWYOmBjCE
— matt (@mattyicceeeee) January 25, 2026
“Very honored, very excited,” said the “Good Times & Tan Lines” crooner, 27, in a video ahead of today’s game. “Let’s go, 12s. Let’s go, Hawks.”
Zach Top under theses arches! 🙌 Don’t miss his national anthem ahead of the NFC Championship. pic.twitter.com/93PzNBcsdF
— Lumen Field (@LumenField) January 25, 2026
After dropping out of the University of Colorado Boulder—where he was studying mechanical engineering—Top headed to Nashville in 2021. Three years later, his debut single, “Sounds Like the Radio”, arrived to fill a void for many traditional country music fans.
Zach Top NFC Championship national anthem?? pic.twitter.com/NsCklXzQZ6
— Jake! (@JakeAndBall) January 25, 2026
Drawing inspiration from artists like Keith Whitley, Randy Travis, and George Strait, Zach Top has since released two albums—Cold Beer and Country Music (2024) and Ain’t in It for My Health (2025). The latter earned a nod at this year’s Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Country Album. It’s one of three nominations for the Grammy newcomer, with his No. 1 single, “I Never Lie,” up for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.
Top is no stranger to the patriotic tune. Watch his stellar national anthem performance ahead of an October 2024 Cincinnati Bengals-Philadelphia Eagles matchup below.
“I feel American after seeing this (I’m Canadian,” remarked one TikTok user.
Featured image by Tibrina Hobson/CBS via Getty Images
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