Zach Top Wins First GRAMMY Award for Traditional Country Album

Zach Top is helping inspire a younger audience to develop a love for traditional-style country music. Within only two short years, he has captivated countless fans with a classic-style country sound, differentiating himself from the popular hip-hop elements found throughout much of today's contemporary country radio.

Top's breakout album Cold Beer & Country Music earned the GRAMMY Award for Best Traditional Country Album, a newly created category, and followed his 2025 CMA Award win for New Artist of the Year, positioning him as one of the genre's fastest-rising stars.

"When they announced it, they said the title of the record, and I was looking around for who was getting up to accept the award," he tells BBC News. "Then it suddenly hit me, it was mine."

"That seems sacrilegious to me. I certainly don't aim at awards when I'm making the music, I'd be doing it either way," he says. "But it does feel really good when the rest of your industry thinks you're doing a good enough job and give you a trophy for it."

At the center of his appeal is an old-school sound shaped by early influences and childhood performances with his siblings in Washington state. "It's just what comes out of me when I open my mouth or play the guitar," he explains. "I grew up loving the really, really old stuff, so it makes sense that I landed somewhere similar. It's cool, there's a spot for hillbillies like me," says Top. "Up 'till now, what they brand 'contemporary country' has taken home most of those awards.

Between late 2025 and early 2026, Top maintained his momentum through songs like "I Never Lie" and "Ain't In It for My Health," an intense touring agenda, and through a multi-project creative arc. At the start of 2026, he began expanding globally by adding more dates in Europe and performing at many of the top country music festivals, while recognizing what it takes to live a life on the road.

"We get a lot of younger people at the shows. With country music, at some point, the fans always want to return to the roots and traditions of what we know and love as country music."

With continued awards recognition, Top remains prolific, promising to keep delivering “cold beer and country music” to fans worldwide.