Zach Top Discusses His Musical Influences

"I think people have had an appetite for my kind of country for a little while," Zach Top told "Billboard" as his debut album, 2024's "Cold Beer & Country Music," was taking off. "And we're getting a dose of it."

Top's music has received labels including "classic country" and "90s country," though, he insists he makes music a lot like what he grew up listening to—old-school country songs on cassettes served as a soundtrack to ranch work in his native Washington state.

Country Music Hall of Fame members George Strait, Alan Jackson, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Keith Whitley are among Top's influences. Like Whitley, Top brings a strong bluegrass pedigree to country music, having learned the ropes from his guitar teacher at an early age.

His connection to Whitley runs deeper than comparison alone. For "Cold Beer & Country Music," Top worked with producer Carson Chamberlain—Whitley's bandleader and steel player until the singer's untimely death—as well as veteran country songwriting aces Tim Nichols and Paul Overstreet. The album has become a word-of-mouth hit, producing radio singles "Sounds Like the Radio" and "I Never Lie."

In 2025, Top followed the success of his first album with a critically acclaimed follow-up, "Ain't in It for My Health." He was also named New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards. Top is featured alongside Whitley in the Museum exhibit “American Currents: State of the Music,” which spotlights country music's latest chapter.