On Tuesday, Sept. 29, Leo33 surprised Zach Top at Goodtimes in downtown Nashville with a new batch of RIAA plaques, led by quadruple-platinum certifications for “I Never Lie” in both the United States and Canada.
The honors land as his Cold Beer & Country Music Tour reaches 921,820 ticket buyers. Its namesake album, Cold Beer & Country Music, has now passed 1 million units, becoming his first platinum album.
In the U.S., “Bad Luck,” “Sounds Like the Radio,” and “Use Me” climbed to platinum, while “South of Sanity,” “Cold Beer & Country Music,” “Lonely for Long,” and “There’s the Sun” earned gold. In Canada, “Bad Luck” went platinum, and “Cold Beer & Country Music,” “Good Times & Tan Lines,” “South of Sanity,” and “Use Me” each reached gold.
After reading the full list aloud, Leo33 co-head Katie Dean turned the praise toward the room: “Everybody in this room has played a role in Zach Tops’ very quick ascent to superstardom. We all believed Zach was a generational talent when we began working together, and sitting here today with this much to celebrate only reinforces that belief. We are all so honored to celebrate you today, Zach. Congratulations.”
Fellow co-head Shane Tarleton was just as emphatic: “He is the finest that country music has right now. Walking into a room surrounded by the people whose fingerprints are across these milestones is pretty incredible because every one of these plaques represents a song that found its way into somebody’s life.”
Top thanked his collaborators and fans, noting that songs eventually become part of listeners’ own stories.
Raised in Sunnyside, Washington, Top spent his youth playing bluegrass festivals with his family. In February 2018, he posted a cover of Daryle Singletary’s “Spilled Whiskey” the day Singletary died. The video drew more than 300,000 views and connected him with producer Carson Chamberlain, paving the way for his 2024 debut.
Pollstar now counts him among dependable arena headliners, and WME agent Jay Williams says stadiums may be next, along with a circus-style traveling show featuring rodeo elements.
Manager Mike Doyle says Top’s uncalculated approach to social media, paired with his devotion to the live show, has built a fan base spanning Gen Z and older listeners. That combination places him at the front of country’s neo-traditional revival.