Only Zach Top would name an album “Cold Beer & Country Music” and then live it in real time. All year he has been the face of a quiet little neo traditional comeback, carrying steel guitars and fiddle breaks into rooms that forgot how they sound.
The CMA stage was supposed to be the fancy finish, with New Artist of the Year, bright lights and perfect speeches. Instead, a country kid from Washington walked up to claim his first big trophy with a beer still hanging from his hand, grinning like he had just stepped out of a honky tonk instead of a TV show.
He did not drop the act or the bottle. He just laughed and said he could not remember if he was supposed to put his beer down first or not. In that simple line you can hear his whole story. There was no media training and no focus group polish, just a guy who worked hard, loves country music, and suddenly finds the spotlight pointed straight at him.
People in the room say you could feel the shift as it happened. One second he was the new kid, and the next second he was the new standard for what “real” can look like on country’s biggest night.
Zach Top Forgot to Put Down His Beer When Winning the CMA Award for New Artist of the Year.
On the same CMA stage where he forgot to put his beer down, Zach Top also had to prove he deserved that New Artist trophy. Enter “Guitar.” Under the bright lights, the jokes fade, and the focus shifts to the thing that got him there in the first place, a razor sharp country song built on real playing and clean storytelling.
Zach Top – “Guitar” | Live at CMA Awards 2025
Away from the TV lights, at the historic Ryman Auditorium, Zach Top trades the big show for something smaller and sharper. “I Never Lie” is not about fireworks. It is a straight shot of heartache, steel guitar, and old school storytelling that hits like a secret you say out loud by mistake.