Tonight’s (May 8) Academy of Country Music Awards are a star-studded affair. Some of the biggest names in country music gathered at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, for the prestigious event. The night featured stars who have spent decades honing their craft and climbing the ranks, as well as some of the hottest new stars the genre has to offer. Among them was the 2025 New Male Artist of the Year winner Zach Top.
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Unlike most of tonight’s performers, Top took the stage solo, giving the house band a break. Standing in the center of the dimly lit stage, the Washington native delivered a moving acoustic rendition of the fan favorite song.
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Top may have released his debut studio album, Cold Beer & Country Music, in 2024, but he sounds like an artist with three decades under his belt. His respect for the traditions of country music comes through in every note of the songs he sings. “Use Me” is no different.
Zach Top Gives a Nod to Country Music History with “Use Me”
Country music is full of different kinds of songs. Drinking tunes, heartbreak ballads, love songs, and summer jams are popular categories today. However, there was a time when cheating songs were all the rage. For whatever reason, songs about infidelity have fallen out of favor over the years, but Zach Top isn’t concerned with trends.
“Use Me” is a stunning example of a cheating song. However, it doesn’t glorify infidelity. Instead, it puts the lies, insecurity, and loneliness of the song’s two characters on full display.
It was already obvious that country fans wanted more traditional-sounding country music when Top’s singles, “Sounds Like the Radio” and “I Never Lie,” became hits. However, it became clearer when album cuts landed on the Hot Country Songs chart. “Bad Luck” and “Use Me” landed at No. 38 and No. 37 on the survey, respectively.
Tonight’s ACM Awards performance proves that the future of country music is in good hands.
Featured Image by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach
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