Zach Top has an ACM Award. The rising star was recently revealed as the winner of New Male Artist of the Year. Top found out the exciting news via video by Brooks & Dunn, before taking the stage for his headlining Cold Beer & Country Music Tour.
“Hey man, we just got a call today,” Kix Brooks says. “The ACMs told us that you are the ACMs New Male Artist of the Year.”
Top graciously accepts his trophy, sharing a heartfelt message to his fans.
“They just told me I am the ACM New Male Artist of the Year,” Top says. “I couldn’t be more honored, and I can’t say a big enough thank you to my fans for loving music and loving what we do on the road, and listening to the songs every day. It means the world to me. I’ve always wanted to just play and sing for a living, and I get to do that now. And it’s cool to be able to get a little trophy every now, and then to let us know that we’re doing good doing it. So thank you so much. This is beautiful.”
There’s nothing like winning your FIRST #ACMawards!
Congratulations, @Zachtopmusic, on winning ACM New Male Artist of the Year! #ACM60 pic.twitter.com/owC4wuLu9N
— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) April 25, 2025
Top shared the New Male Artist of the Year category with Gavin Adcock, Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore and Bailey Zimmerman. He is also nominated for Album of the Year, for his freshman Cold Beer & Country Music record. Top has been praised for introducing a new, younger generation of fans to the traditional sounds of country music, with artists like Mark Chesnutt praising him for his sound. Alan Jackson also invited Top to open for him on his final Last Call: One More For The Road Tour.
“It’s not like I made the choice that I’m going to be the ’90s throwback guy,” Top tells Wrangler Western. “I think that maybe part of the reason that people like my music so much is that it’s not a ’90s gimmick thing. I’m not trying to — this is all I know how to do. It’s not like I made the choice to, ‘I’m going to be the ’90s country throwback guy.’
“I grew up listening and learning from those same guys that all those ’90s guys would have been influenced by,” he continues. “So it comes from as genuine of a place as those guys did the first time they came around … It feels comfortable. It feels like an old boot.
Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Blake Shelton, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Stapleton, Clint Black, Kelsea Ballerini, LeAnn Rimes, Miranda Lambert, Rascal Flatts and Wynonna Judd have been announced as performers, with more artists expected to be announced in the near future.
See a complete list of nominees here.
The 2025 ACM Awards will air live on Prime Video from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, on Thursday, May 8 at 8:00 PM ET. A very limited number of tickets are still available at SeatGeek. More information is available at ACMCountry.com.