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\n\tThe past year has brought accolades Zach Top\u2019s way \u2014 the newcomer won an ACM Award for new male artist and his Cold Beer & Country Music<\/em> album was the first debut set to be nominated<\/a> for an ACM Award for album of the year since 2016. He also landed his all-genre Billboard Hot 100 debut<\/a> with \u201cI Never Lie.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tExplore\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n\tBut as Top prepares to release his new album Ain\u2019t in It for My Health<\/em>, out Friday (Aug. 29) on Leo33, he\u2019s approaching it like a seasoned pro, as he continues making music that\u2019s richly layered in the best tradition of \u201880s and \u201890s country artists such as Alan Jackson and Keith Whitley, but with a fresh spin.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYou always have in the back of your mind the age-old tale of the sophomore slump,\u201d he tells Billboard<\/em>. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t say there were no nerves, but not a ton. When I put out that first record, I wasn\u2019t doing anything that I didn\u2019t love and that I didn\u2019t think was entirely me. When I put that out and people loved it as much as they did, it was kind of a sigh of relief. It\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, well s\u2014t,\u2019 I can keep doing that. That\u2019s just me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhen it came time to record his new album, Top was prepared. Ten of the album\u2019s 15 songs were written prior to the release of his debut album.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cA lot of stuff was stacked up already, so we had a little bit of a blueprint for it already going, then we went in and recorded five more songs at the beginning of the year to round out the project,\u201d Top says.<\/p>\n \n\tAin\u2019t in It for My Health<\/em>\u2018s debut single, the Jimmy Buffett-esque \u201cGood Times and Tan Lines,\u201d is currently at No. 20 on the Country Airplay chart. He\u2019s followed the summery hit with newly-released, stone-cold ballad \u201cSouth of Sanity.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe sophomore country set reunites him with producer-writer Carson Chamberlain, who also worked on Cold Beer & Country Music<\/em>. Chamberlain is a former bandleader for Whitley and a songwriter who penned hits for George Strait and Jackson. Several writers and musicians on the new album are known for crafting or recording on projects for some of most revered artists of the \u201880s and \u201890s. Beyond Chamberlain, those who contributed to the album include guitarist Brent Mason (Strait, Brooks & Dunn, Randy Travis), multi-instrumentalist Andy Leftwich (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Dailey & Vincent), drummer Tommy Harden (Skaggs, Jackson, Reba), bassist Jimmy Carter (George Jones, Dierks Bentley, Tim McGraw), and songwriters Paul Overstreet (\u201cDiggin\u2019 Up Bones,\u201d \u201cOn The Other Hand\u201d), Tim Nichols (\u201cLive Like You Were Dying,\u201d \u201cBrotherly Love\u201d) and Mark Nesler (\u201cJust to See You Smile\u201d).<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhen they had no promise of a return, they invested a lot of time into writing songs, spending time writing with me and appreciated what I was doing enough to want to add their talent and craft to it,\u201d Top says. \u201cSo, if it ain\u2019t broke, don\u2019t fix it. It went pretty good on the first record, let\u2019s go back to the well and see if we can do it a second time around.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe album also features plenty of fleet-fingered acoustic guitar work from Top himself, who played more guitar on this album than his previous one. His bluegrass roots also shine throughout the project.<\/p>\n \n\tLike such country forebears as Whitley, Skaggs, Vince Gill and Chris Stapleton, the Sunnyside, Washington native started out playing bluegrass, even as he was enamored early on with the music of Strait and Whitley. Top and his siblings formed the bluegrass group Top String, and after briefly enrolling in an engineering program at the University of Colorado Boulder, Top continued playing in various bluegrass groups, while also crafting country songs. Top began posting videos of his music and cover songs on social media. In 2018, he caught Chamberlain\u2019s attention. The two began working together, with Top making regular trips to Nashville \n\tTop issued his self-released bluegrass album in 2022 (his recent country popularity sent that project back onto Billboard<\/em>\u2019s Top Bluegrass Albums chart, where it still resides in the top 10). In 2023, he signed with Leo33, becoming the independent label\u2019s flagship artist. His country radio debut, \u201cSounds Like The Radio,\u201d reached the top 15 on Billboard\u2019<\/em>s Country Airplay chart, but was bested by \u201cI Never Lie,\u201d which peaked at No. 2.<\/p>\n \n\tMuch of Ain\u2019t In It For My Health<\/em> leans into summer anthems such as the lead single, and honky-tonk fare like \u201cCountry Boy Blues,\u201d and \u201cHonky Tonk \u2018Til It Hurts,\u201d while he proves his cool way with a ballad on the romantic \u201cI Know A Place\u201d and the devastating \u201cSouth of Sanity.\u201d There\u2019s room for humor, too. The cheeky, beach-themed \u201cFlip-Flop,\u201d written with Chamberlain and Overstreet, came together after Overstreet arrived late to the writing session, wearing the titular beach footwear.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cYeah, this song ain\u2019t going to change the world, but who knows, it might change somebody\u2019s tax bracket,\u201d Top jokes. \u201cYou write something kind of funny and it\u2019s easy to get too far over the top and turn it a little too cornball, but I think this one tows the line nicely.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe album\u2019s title comes from a line in the opening track \u201cGuitar,\u201d an ode to Top\u2019s love and devotion to making music, while also serving as a career declaration.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat whole chorus of \u2018Ain\u2019t in it for the money\/ If it was I\u2019d do somethin\u2019 else\/ Ain\u2019t in it for the fame\u2019 \u2014it\u2019s a light-hearted song, but for me it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, this wasn\u2019t a one-hit wonder. I\u2019m around here to stay.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Top has remained steadfast in the studio, the stage has been a launching pad. Earlier this year, he opened shows for Country Music Hall of Famer Jackson, and he\u2019s currently supporting Bentley\u2019s Broken Branches Tour. Meanwhile, he\u2019s added shows to his own headlining Cold Beer & Country Music Tour, scaling up to headlining arenas. He\u2019ll also play two shows at coveted outdoor venue Red Rocks.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe tour has been a blast,\u201d Top says of playing with Bentley. \u201cIt\u2019s cool to have a resource like that, a guy that I admire the way that he does stuff, the way that he\u2019s just professionally run his career. You can\u2019t find somebody that has something bad to say about Dierks. He treats everybody really well. And then, he puts a lot of effort into being a family man while also being on the road and doing this thing that he loves, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBentley even invited Top to partake in what has become a ritual of sorts on the road: taking an ice plunge. \u201cHe\u2019s a big time cut up, a jokester, which I tend to be as well,\u201d Top says. \u201cIt was the first time I\u2019d ever done one and I guess that was kind of part of my initiation into the tour, so I think I passed the test. I would do it again.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOnstage, Top\u2019s laid-back delivery, guitar prowess, neo-traditional sound, and his image all evoke one of country\u2019s golden eras, even down to his black hat, denim shirts and jeans, which are a throwback to artists such as Strait and Garth Brooks. Fans have also noticed Top sometimes has another accessory on stage: singing and playing while puffing away on a cigarette.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019d imagine it might end up starting to affect me,\u201d he says of the habit. \u201cI\u2019m not ignorant to all of the data we have on smoking at this point either, so I don\u2019t smoke as much as I did a year ago. And I kind of enjoy it. I like what it does [vocally], it kind of puts a little edge on my lower end that I kind of enjoy. I won\u2019t smoke forever, I don\u2019t imagine.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWith success and fame come not only bigger stages, but some adjustments.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI used to be writing a few days a week, and now, it\u2019s like once every few months I\u2019ll get to write with one of those guys, or get to even just see \u2018em,\u201d Top says of working with the writers on the album. \u201cSo definitely a different time, but they\u2019ve been there from the beginning of it.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHe\u2019s also had to navigate handling social media and opinions from online commentators. But Top takes a pragmatic approach to those stressors.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cSeeing what people are having to say, most of it\u2019s a lot of praise and a lot of good things, and then some nasty things too,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd none of it means that much \u2014 because at the end of the day, none of those people really know you. They know the portion of me that I choose to share with them, which is my professional life and my career. And outside of that, I keep the rest of my life fairly private on purpose. I think the best way to handle it is to not put too much stock into what anybody on there has to say, unless you actually met \u2019em and you actually know them.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tEarlier this year, Top also circled back to his bluegrass roots by releasing a three-song EP with Billy Strings, Me & Billy<\/em>, and he says that won\u2019t be their last collab.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI\u2019m a huge fan of his and it\u2019s fun that we\u2019ve gotten to be buddies too, outside of just appreciating what each one of us does professionally,\u201d Top says. \u201cHe\u2019s a super-inspiring person, super nice guy. I\u2019ll say you can bet on seeing some more from us in the future. Exactly what it\u2019ll be or when it\u2019ll be, I don\u2019t know, but we\u2019ll do something again in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor the immediate future, he\u2019s on the road, but he\u2019s already looking toward his next album.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve already got some [songs] stacked away and I\u2019m going to have a couple of months off from shows at the end of this year. where I\u2019m going to do a bunch of writing again,\u201d he says. \u201cI wrote one song in 2024, and I\u2019ve written a couple this year, but it\u2019s not much. I\u2019m looking forward to setting aside some time to write.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs one of the fastest-rising artists in country music, with his new album poised to bring him to even greater acclaim, Top is grateful for every moment along the way.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cI don\u2019t take it for granted,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m very thankful for everything. It\u2019s going about as well as I could have ever hoped it would go.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.billboard.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The past year has brought accolades Zach Top\u2019s way \u2014 the newcomer won an ACM Award for new male artist and his Cold Beer & Country Music album was the first debut set to be nominated for an ACM Award for album of the year since 2016. He also landed his all-genre Billboard Hot 100 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1986658,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[309228],"class_list":["post-1986657","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-genre-country"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Zach-Top-Talks-Expands-His-Style-on-Aint-In-It.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986657","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1986657"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1986657\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1986658"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1986657"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1986657"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1986657"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
,<\/s> before relocating to Music City in 2021.<\/p>\n