By the time newcomer Zach Top released his debut country album, Cold beer and country musicIn April, the 27-year-old singer-songwriter already saw a groundswell of support from fans and his fellow artists. With his unapologetic commitment to traditional country sounds on songs like “Bad Luck” and “There’s The Sun,” paired with his unmistakable country accent, the singer-songwriter from Sunnyside, Washington, has drawn comparisons to ’90s country stars like Alan Jackson , Doug Stone and one of his musical heroes, Keith Whitley.

Signed to label Leo33 and managed and published by Major Bob Music, Top has been on tour with reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson since May. He was a guest at Dierks Bentley’s headlining show in early September at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and most recently teamed up with bluegrass great Billy Strings to release a trio of collaborations for Apple Music.

While Top’s “Sounds Like the Radio” continues to grow Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, reaching a new No. 16 high on the November 9 list, another song from Cold beer and country music has also become a hit: “I Never Lie.” After the slow grooving, sarcastic song became its first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 in September (it has since reached No. 68), his team pushed “I Never Lie” to country radio. It debuted on Country Airplay in late October and simultaneously racked up two top songs on the chart – a feat typically accomplished by arena and stadium stars in the genre.

Later this month he will be named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards, and his rising career has led to additional dates for his 2025 show. Cold beer and country music Tour, which kicks off Jan. 16 in Nebraska, features openers Jake Worthington and Cole Goodwin.

Billboard spoke with Top to discuss “I Never Lie” hitting new charts, as well as his thoughts on his upcoming CMA Award nomination for New Artist of the Year and who he thinks will take home the honor for Entertainer of the Year.

“I Never Lie” was on your debut studio album, Cold beer and country music. How did the song come about?

I wrote it with Carson Chamberlain and Tim Nichols. I have one of my cleverer rhymes on there, with the rhymes ‘Angel’ and ‘April’ in the first verse (‘You still look like an angel / I heard you’re doing well, I’m in April promoted’). We did it pretty old school with the band, and I would sing and follow along with the vocals as they played. They don’t hear the song until the day we record it. I have an acoustic recording of it on my phone, and they hear it once or twice, and that’s it. It’s two or three takes and we play it the way we feel it. We can overdub some things or add some fills, but it’s all played live, there’s nothing automated about it. Carson produced it and (engineer) Matt (Rovey) mixed it.

What was your reaction to connecting with fans at this level?

It is perhaps the most country song on the album. It sticks out and there’s just steel guitar on it – sonically you haven’t heard a song like that in a long time. I think people have been craving my kind of country for a while, and we’re getting a dose of it. You would expect songs like ‘Sounds Like the Radio’ and ‘Cold Beer & Country Music’ to be hits because they are up-tempo. This song goes against what is happening right now.

When did you first realize the song was a hit?

We were already playing it in live shows, so people already knew about it. We had our album release show around April 5th, and over the last four months it’s really taken off. Our fans know every word to every song on the album; they’re not just waiting to hear one song. It gives me chills every night when we play that first riff (from “I Never Lie”). They don’t need to hear any words, they know it from the first note.

“I Never Lie” debuted on Country Airplay in late October and spawned two current hits Billboard chart, including the top 20 hit ‘Sounds Like The Radio’. How does that feel?

I’m excited because you don’t often see that with an artist as new as me. I am proud that I have achieved the success so far and that I am not just a one hit wonder.

You also gained traction on TikTok with “I Never Lie.” What is your approach to social media?

I’m not on social media much. There’s a girl in my band named Cheyenne who has TikTok and she tells me about videos with “I Never Lie” or other songs in them. I was never really into social media; it was just a tool to get music out there. At the beginning of this year I handed it all over (to my team). I don’t have the apps on my phone and I don’t think I have the logins. It can suck you in, scrolling through it, and I think it’s probably healthy for me to stay away from it.

You’ve been nominated for New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards on November 20. What do you remember when you heard about your nomination?

It’s funny, because I got a couple of texts saying, “Happy Birthday,” and I was like, “It’s not my birthday.” What’s going on?” They sent me screenshots and filled me in. There are some great artists on that list, and I’m proud to be in this group.

Who do you think will be the Entertainer of the Year at the CMA Awards?

I think Lainey (Wilson) would be a good choice. She puts on a great show and is a great entertainer. And (Chris) Stapleton, I saw his show at Nissan Stadium (Nashville), and I hadn’t seen his show before and it’s pretty old school with the band up there. He sings and captivates people with his voice and music, so he gets my vote too.

A version of this story will appear in the October 26, 2024 issue Billboard.