Zach Top Tops Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman & More to Win ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year
Zach Top was named the winner of the Academy of Country Music Award for new male artist of the year on Thursday night (April 24) prior to taking the stage for a sold-out show in Wilmington, N.C. The news was revealed by Brooks & Dunn, the winningest duo in ACM history, through a congratulatory video.
Top, a country traditionalist, beat strong competition, including Shaboozey, whose megahit 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' is nominated for an ACM Award for single of the year; Bailey Zimmerman, who was nominated for new male artist of the year for the second year in a row; Tucker Wetmore; and Gavin Adcock.
More from Billboard
Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, LeAnn Rimes & More Added as 2025 ACM Awards Performers
Ye Disses Kendrick Lamar & Tyler, the Creator Again: 'The Two Most Overrated So-Called Artist'
Benson Boone Drops 'Mystical Magical' New Song After Its Live Debut at Coachella
'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,' Top said after being handed his award. '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.'
Top, 27, got the news before a stop on his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour. The tour was named after his debut album, which is nominated for an ACM Award for album of the year. The LP peaked at No. 4 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
Top's headlining tour includes stops at Nashville's iconic Ryman Auditorium (two nights), New York's Terminal 5, and Boston's MGM Music Hall at Fenway. In addition, Top is supporting select dates with Alan Jackson on his Last Call Tour and will join Dierks Bentley's Broken Branches Tour when it kicks off next month.
Top was nominated for new artist of the year at last fall's Country Music Association Awards. He lost to Megan Moroney, but the leading country awards shows allow artists two nominations in this category, so he could be nominated there again this year.
New artist of the year winners are typically issued invitations to perform on the ACM Awards telecast. Last year's new male artist of the year winner, Nate Smith, performed (joined by Avril Lavigne), as did last year's new duo or group of the year winner, Tigirlily Gold. Last year's new female artist of the year winner, Moroney, did not.
The 60th ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will stream live for a global audience on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 8 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT. The two and one half-hour show will be held at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase on SeatGeek.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Greeneville's annual Juneteenth Celebration takes place June 21
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) — The Town of Greeneville and the George Clem Multicultural Alliance (GCMA) will host their annual Juneteenth Celebration on June 21 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Bicentennial Park. A news release from the town said the celebration aligns with the federal holiday, which was recognized in 2021. Juneteenth commemorates the June 19, 1865, announcement that proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in Texas, the last state of the Confederacy with institutional slavery after emancipation. Crowder, Shenandoah, Zach Top and more performing at Appalachian Fair The celebration starts that Saturday with a welcome from Mayor Cal Doty and the GCMA's Candi Turner and Shanda Story. A prayer and scripture reading take place afterward by Rev. Sarah Varnell of Trinity United Methodist Church. Musical performances will be provided by JessBless, Kelle Jolly and Devoted. A kids' area will be available for children to enjoy, which will include inflatables, oversized games, bubbles, hula hoops, touch-a-truck and a book bus. Carolina Ace Barbecue, Creamy Cup Ice Cream, Marcus Cameron (chicken and fish), and The Sweet Spot (kettle corn, candy, and dirty sodas) will be selling food and treats. Bicentennial Park is located in downtown Greeneville at 207 N College St. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chair or picnic blanket. More information about the event can be found at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Country Star's Puzzling Reaction at the 2025 AMAs Left Fans Screaming
Did you catch Shaboozey's reaction at the 2025 American Music Awards? Country music fans certainly did. Shaboozey's now-viral moment took place during the May 26 ceremony, when he and fellow country star Megan Moroney presented the award for Favorite Country Duo or Group to the eventual winners, Dan+Shay. Both Shaboozey and Moroney represent the new generation of country music. Megan's breakout success came in 2022, when 'Tennessee Orange' reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country charts. Shaboozey (born Collins Chibueze) had the biggest hit of 2024 with 'A Bar Song (Tipsy),' going 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. While these two represent country music's future, something Megan said about its past left Shaboozey briefly speechless. In the lead-up to presenting the award, Shaboozey honored Charley Pride, who won the inaugural American Music Award for Favorite Male Country Artist in 1974. 'That same year,' said Megan, 'Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award [Favorite Country Duo or Group] went to The Carter Family, who basically invented country music.' Shaboozey then paused and let out a laugh. While this could have been him reading the next part on the teleprompter, the pause was all the Internet needed. 'Shaboozey's face when she said the Carter Family 'created country music' is frying me!' wrote one fan on X. 'The way his soul left his body from cringing,' said another, while a third wrote, 'his reaction is everything.' The Carter Family rose to fame in the 1920s and is considered highly influential in the development of country music as a genre. In 1974, the era Megan referenced, the Carter Family was two generations older, according to The Tennessean, with 'Mother' Maybelle Carter and the Carter Sisters (June and Anita) operating under the 'Carter Family' name. The Tennessean notes that 'traditional' country music comes from African, English, German, and other folk traditions, and that a Black artist named Lesley Riddle taught many of the Appalachian folk songs to A.P. Carter and the rest of the Carter Family. Maybelle's daughter, June Carter, was a member of the group. She retained her maiden name when she married Johnny Cash, going by June Carter Cash until her death in Star's Puzzling Reaction at the 2025 AMAs Left Fans Screaming first appeared on Parade on May 27, 2025
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mom Thought Her Toddler Was Just Playing. Then Something Caught Her Eye (Exclusive)
One evening, Alex Moore was playing with her 23-month-old daughter, Addy They were being silly and listening to nursery rhymes when all of a sudden, Addy started dancing Alex watched as her daughter slid off the bed and began doing little high-kick stompsAlex Moore and her husband, Christian, both work full-time. So after wrapping up their workdays and picking up their daughter from daycare, the North Carolina-based couple likes to wind down by laying in bed to decompress. One evening, Christian went to make dinner while Alex stayed back to play with their 23-month-old daughter, Addy. They were being silly and listening to nursery rhymes when all of a sudden, Addy started dancing. Alex watched as her daughter slid off the bed and began doing little high-kick stomps. "I had no idea what she was doing until she said 'cha cha??' " Alex, 31, tells PEOPLE exclusively. Alex goes on to explain that her daughter learned the "Cha-Cha Slide" by DJ Casper at daycare. She says her teacher, Ms. Mikaila, plays the song often and has been teaching the kids the steps. Although Ms. Mikaila had previously sent Alex videos of Addy dancing along to the "Cha-Cha Slide" at daycare, this was the first time she had seen her daughter perform some of the correct steps in person — especially the stomping and the 'hands on your knees' move. "She was walking around stomping her feet with almost a high-kick fashion, and I kept giggling because I'd never seen her stomp like that before," Alex, a aesthetics technician, says. In the moment, Alex pulled out her phone and recorded the sweet scene. Later, she decided to post it to TikTok, thinking, 'This is too good to not share with more people.' But then, the video quickly went viral, amassing more than 7.4 million views and 13,000 comments. "I knew she was demanding the cha cha slide at daycare' is in incredible statement in itself 😭," one user wrote. "and it is already knows her left and right ✅️❤️," someone else replied. Another person commented, "That's actually so impressive that she knows the cha cha slide at her age .. what an icon." Reading through the comments, Alex says she couldn't help but smile. "The kind of responses I've received from the video are the exact ones I was hoping," she says. " 'This made my day, thank you so much.' It was an added bonus to hear that my daughter could excel in a dance class, because what parent doesn't want to hear that their child has a knack for something?" "My daughter brings me so much joy every day, so I really loved that I could do that for other people," the mom adds. "Also hearing from other daycare employees that they'll start implementing the song into their classrooms for teaching directions, and dance teachers that she has amazing skills for her age — that feedback really stood out to me the most." Since her daughter is so young, Alex knows won't remember much from this time, but in teaching her about it in a few years, she hopes her daughter realizes that she made a lot of people smile when they felt like they couldn't. "Addy has taught me that children truly are like flowers: when they're given a loving environment, taught things with patience and in a fun way, they can blossom into the best versions of themselves," she says. "Along with truly being able to dance your little heart out when you feel it!" Read the original article on People
