One year ago, most people had never heard the name Zach Top. Now this ranch kid from Washington just walked into country music’s biggest awards night with model Amelia Taylor on his arm and walked out with the “New Artist of the Year” trophy.
His music sounds like the ‘90s again—George Strait, Randy Travis, dance halls, and neon signs. Now that old-school sound has a new face…and she is right there beside him on the red carpet.
All night, Amelia was part of the story. From the cameras flashing as they arrived, to the backstage smiles, to the posts that popped up later on social media, you could see it: this was not just his big night, it was theirs. While the industry talked about five nominations, chart runs, and neotraditional country “making a comeback,” they looked like two people who already knew exactly how hard they had worked to get here.
Then came the win. Zach stepped up, Coors Banquet in hand, thanking his parents for realizing he would never be a real cowboy or ballplayer, “so maybe the closest I could get was to sing about cowboys.” It was funny, humble, and very him.
Zach Top Forgot to Put Down His Beer When Winning the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year.
That red carpet moment with Amelia set the tone, but the real turning point of the night came a few minutes later, when Zach finally had the chance to let the music speak for itself. Standing on a guitar-shaped stage with a full band behind him under the bright CMA arena lights, he launched into “Guitar,” the song he calls almost biographical. For anyone new to his name, this performance is the purest first impression.
Zach Top – I Never Lie (Live At The Ryman)
“I Never Lie” is the track that turned a ranch kid into a serious contender, pulling in big nominations at both the CMA Awards and the Grammys. In this live version, he is onstage at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, the old home of the Grand Ole Opry.