Zach Top Turns the ACM Awards Into A Honky Tonk With “Raucous” Performance
on May 17, 2026
Zach Top turned the ACM Awards into a honky-tonk with a “raucous” performance on Sunday night.
Zach Top has emerged as one of the most talked-about male artists in country music. His 90s country sound and influence have been embraced by music fans who long for traditional country music after the bro-country era.
After taking home last year’s New Male Artist of the Year trophy, Top is returning to country music’s biggest night with five nods to his credit. He is the second-most-nominated male artist this year, receiving one fewer nomination than Chris Stapleton.
Three of Zach’s five nominations at this year’s 61st Academy of Country Music Awards are tied to his multi-platinum hit, “I Never Lie.” The song earned him nominations for Single of the Year as an artist and for Song of the Year as an artist and songwriter.
He is also nominated for Album of the Year for Ain’t In It For My Health. The project already earned him a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Country Album. His final nod came in one of the night’s biggest categories: Male Artist of the Year.
Zach Top teased his ACM Awards performance.
Prior to taking the stage on Sunday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Zach promised to “turn it into a honky tonk for a minute.” He added that it would be “louder” and more “raucous.”
His performance delivered on all of the above. Zach took the stage to sing “Honky Tonk Till It Hurts,” a track from his album, Ain’t In It For My Health.
Zach paid homage to classic country by donning a George Strait jacket as he played in front of marquee lights that spelled out his name. The retro vibe served as the perfect backdrop for Top’s pure country performance, further proving why he is one of the hottest acts in country music and is deserving of all of his award nominations.
See a clip of Zach Top’s ACM Awards performance below:
@acmawards This cowboy knows how to put on a SHOW 🤠🎸 @zachtop 👀 Are you watching the #ACMawards ♬ original sound – ACM Awards
