Zach Top Gives A Sneak Peek At His First CMA Awards Performance, Reflects On Milestone Nominations [Exclusive]

Zach Top is feeling all the emotions as he’s heading into the 2025 CMA Awards as one of the top nominees of the year. With five nominations under his belt, he’s also gearing up for his first-ever performance on the big stage for “Country Music’s Biggest Night.”

Catching up with Country Now backstage of the CMA Awards on the eve of the star-studded event, the country music act heeded a warning that his delivery of the song, “Guitar,” is going to unsurprisingly lean into his traditional country sound.

When asked what viewers can expect from the performance, he simply stated, “Country music, baby.” Penned by Top with Tim Nichols and Carson Chamberlain, “Guitar” serves as the first track off his Sophomore album, Ain’t In It For My Health. From the very first strum, the powerful tune captivates you with its autobiographical storyline that stems from the country star’s real-life love for the instrument.

With his traditional country twang on full display, Top’s vocals depict his strong relationship with the guitar and how it’s been with him through every stage of his life. The song sends the message that no number of awards or milestones will compare to the feeling of sitting down with a guitar in his hands and strumming the delicate strings.

“I’m excited. [It’s] uptempo, fun. I feel like it’ll be a nice introduction to any folks who haven’t heard me before either,” Top said of the upcoming performance. “The song is kind of biographical to me, almost. And yeah, it is country music. If you love it, great. And if you don’t, I’m sorry, it’s probably not going to get any different.”

There’s no denying that the Sunnyside, WA native is quickly making a name for himself in the genre and his recognition at this year’s CMA Award further proves that. He has been named one of the top nominees of the night, with nods in the categories of Album of the year (Cold Beer & Country Music), Male Vocalist of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Single of the Year (“I Never Lie”) and Song of the Year (“I Never Lie”).

“It’s wild. I think I still have sort of the mindset of the underground, under the radar, up and comer, so…it’s strange to be up for all the awards, but I’m very thankful, obviously. It is cool whenever other folks in your business feel like you’ve been doing a good job and want to pat you on the back and say, ‘good job.’ So I’m really, really proud to just be nominated for all them things.”

Being included in each of these categories is a feat of its own, but earning a slot in the coveted Album of the Year category for his debut album is an especially significant highlight for Top.

“It’s crazy, especially for my debut record and getting that nomination feels wild,” he admitted honestly. “That’s definitely the one that would blow me away if we end up taking that one home. It’s already just mind boggling that we’re in that category. So very, very excited for that one. And like you said, to have that stamp on a body of work, not just like a single moment or a single song is kind of just an added sort of kudos, I guess, that I’m very thankful for.”

Top also revealed that he won’t be celebrating alone on Wednesday as his girlfriend, Amelia will once again be by his side. He hinted that their looks will be “semi-coordinated.”

“Hopefully everybody will look at her and listen to me later. I think that’s how it’s meant to be,” he joked. “She finds out what she wants to wear and then I ask her, can I wear this? She is the boss of the aesthetic for sure.”

Looking ahead to his next set of performances, Top has a few more dates left on the current leg of his Cold Beer & Country Music tour before heading to Europe in 2026. After wrapping up his 2025 run in Las Vegas on December 12, he will take a brief break to enjoy the holidays and then kickstart his next set of live shows in February.

It was also recently announced that he will take the stage in Lubbock, TX on April 24 as an opener for Georgia Strait at Jones AT&T stadium. This performance will be a true full-circle moment for Top who reflected on the fact that the King of Country Music’s catalog has been a big part of his musical journey.

“The first guitar lesson I ever took, I was five years old and my teacher asked me what I wanted to learn to play, and I said ‘Amarillo By Morning.’ It’s crazy. The first show I ever played when I was seven years old, I think ‘Amarillo’ was in the set list then. I think a couple of the church crowd gasped a little bit. They didn’t think singing about wives and girlfriends and losing them was age-appropriate material for a 7-year-old. But we’re still doing it,” he shared.

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The “I Never Lie” singer will make his appearance on the 59^th CMA Awards this Wednesday nigh. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, the show will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena at 8:00-11:00 PM/ET on ABC. It will also be available next day on Hulu.