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The Grammy winner bringing traditional country to new audiences
It's been a whirlwind few weeks for Zach Top. Three weeks ago, the rising star of country music won his first Grammy Award, in the newly created category of best traditional country album. He says it still feels like a dream.
"When they announced it, they said the title of the record and I was looking around for who was getting up to accept the award," he tells BBC News.
Then it suddenly hit me, it was mine.
Top, who has more than six million monthly listeners on Spotify, was the first winner in the new category for his second album, Ain't In It For My Health, beating icons of the country music genre including Willie Nelson.
That seems sacrilegious to me. I certainly don't aim at awards when I'm making the music, I'd be doing it either way," he says. "But it does feel really good when the rest of your industry thinks you're doing a good enough job and give you a trophy for it.
The best traditional country album category was introduced at the Grammys this year alongside an award for best contemporary country album, which was won by rapper-turned-country-star Jelly Roll – after the Recording Academy said it wanted to honour both the genre's historic roots and its more modern sound.
"It's cool there's a spot for hillbillies like me," says Top. "Up 'till now what they brand 'contemporary country' has taken home most of those awards.
I feel like it's opened up a lot and new people that weren't always fans get to fall in love with the genre and all that it has to offer," he adds. "But it's good artists like me have got a place to hang our hat.
Reflecting on his win, he says: "I still feel like it's not sunk in, but whatever happens no-one can take that away from me for the rest of my life."
Top, 28, only burst onto the country music scene two years ago, but music has always been in his veins. Growing up in Washington state, he started playing in a band with his siblings at the age of seven.
In a world where country encompasses many genres, Top is known for his more traditional sounding songs including I Never Lie, which was also Grammy nominated.
It's just what comes out of me when I open my mouth or play the guitar," he explains. "I grew up loving the really, really old stuff, so it makes sense that I landed somewhere similar.
Top has been widely credited with bringing old-school country to younger audiences. "For them it's something fresh and brand new," he says.
"We get a lot of younger people at the shows. With country music, at some point the fans always want to return to the roots and traditions of what we know and love as country music.
I got fortunate, I came along at the right time, and people wanted something raw versus the more hip-hop influenced country music that's much more produced. I think people were ready to hear something more simple and real.
Top is now in the UK ahead of his headline slot at the C2C Festival in March, the biggest country music festival outside North America, with shows in London, Belfast and Glasgow. He says he's been waiting to play for his British fans for a long time.
"If there are fans around the world that want to hear my music, I feel I have an obligation to take a show to where they are, and it's such an exciting time for country with it getting so much attention and love on a global scale.
I'd be foolish not to embrace that and go to wherever people are falling in love with the music.
Top says seeing people across the world resonating with his songs never gets old. "But it is a big undertaking," he adds. "It costs a lot to get over here, so you have to make that commitment that you do want to be an artist internationally."
When Top returns to the US, he has a busy summer of headlining country festivals in the US and writing his next album. But he says he's not feeling any pressure and instead just wants to enjoy the ride.
"I don't have any existential crisis in my head about trying to keep bearing the country music torch," he says.
"It's just people are going crazy for what I'm doing, so I'm going to try and keep doing what I am doing as well as I can, and hopefully they don't get tired of it.
I'll keep bringing the cold beer and country music wherever people want it.
Source: BBC
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