Zach Top Didn’t Expect Country Fans to Embrace Him

Zach Top recently received five nominations in the upcoming 2026 ACM Awards, and his reaction makes him one of the humblest artists you will ever see in the music industry.

Top was a recent guest on Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton, where he got to talking about his slew of nominations for this year’s ACM Awards.

The “South of Sanity” singer says, “They keep throwing them [nominations] my way. I keep waiting for them to pull the rug back out from under me.”

Here is a guy with all the success in the world out of the gate, worrying that all the accolades he has accumulated thus far are a mistake and that the industry will someday realize that and take them away.

We all know that is not the case.

Did Zach Top Expect to Be As Popular as He Is?

Top tells Helton, “It’s wild, I didn’t expect to be embraced by the industry as much as I have. It feels really good. It’s gratifying that the industry has taken a liking to me. I’m grateful for it.”

It is kind of a shock to the system that a guy that is as country as they get — posting videos of him playing guitar and singing with a case of beer behind him while sitting on a riding lawn mower — thought that the country music industry would not embrace him, as he is a walking country music monument.

READ MORE: Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert Top 2026 ACM Nominees – See the Full List

Zach Top’s 2026 ACM Awards Nominations

Top is up for five ACMs at this year’s show:

• Male Artist of the Year
• Album of the Year
• Song of the Year for “I Never Lie” (Artist and Songwriter nominations)
• Single of the Year

How to Watch the 2026 ACM Awards

The 2026 ACM Awards take place on Sunday, May 17, 2026, beginning at 8PM ET/7PM CT.

Fans can watch the show exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, which will carry the broadcast live from Las Vegas.