Zach Top can now officially add singing live at the ACM awards to his rapidly growing list of accomplishments. On Thursday, May 8, during the 60th anniversary of the Academy of Country Music Awards, Top made his ACM debut with a stirring performance of his ballad, “Use Me.” Given Top has a number of well-known, more upbeat hits that have gone viral, this slow, bittersweet tune was a bit of a curveball choice. Nonetheless, his heartfelt delivery captivated the audience and proved to be a good pick for the occasion. Earlier in the week, Top was named ACM’s New Male…
Author: Casey Nyman
Casey Nyman
Casey, a New Jersey native raised on country music, graduated from the University of Delaware with a BA in Communication and minors in Journalism, English, and Advertising. With her strong journalism background and love for country music, it was only natural for her to start writing about the genre she’s most passionate about. She has been contributing to Country Chord since January 2025. A quick look at her playlists reveals favorites like Megan Moroney, Ella Langley, ERNEST, Zach Top, and Turnpike Troubadours.
If you want a blast from the past, just watch Alan Jackson’s 1993 music video for Mercury Blues, and you may catch a glimpse of a shaggy-haired baby Keith Urban making a cameo. Sure, his wife Nicole Kidman may be the star actor out of the two in their relationship, but Urban apparently has had some acting chops of his own. In a recent interview with Bobby Bones for his ACM special on Amazon Prime, he spoke to Keith Urban, who is this year’s triple crown award honoree. The two got to talking about an epic moment at the start…
Country music has seen some wild collaborations throughout its time, but 2025 has taken it to a whole new level. This year alone, genre-blending tracks have kept the genre interesting and unpredictable. From Cody Johnson’s Mexican-influenced duet with Carin León, “She Hurts Like Tequila,” to Bailey Zimmerman teaming up with BigXthaPlug on the trap-infused “All The Way,” we thought we’d seen it all. That is, until a surprising interview clip began making the rounds online. In a truly unexpected twist, iconic ’90s rock band Creed revealed during an interview with Billboard at Stagecoach that their dream country collaboration is none…
Stagecoach this past weekend felt more like a lineup of the most unexpected crossover episodes than a traditional country music festival. The 3-day event, taking place April 25th through the 27th, was jam-packed with an assortment of country artists, along with other big names from varying genres, which of course made leadway to some epic on-stage duets and surprise performances. From Lana Del Rey singing with Jelly Roll to Jeff Bezos front row at Zach Bryan’s set, it was certainly an interesting turn of events. However, one of the most iconic performances of the weekend would have to be the…
It’s always fun to realize that even celebrities have their own favorite famous people — and if I were Morgan Wallen right now, I’d be totally fangirling Turns out, Wallen has picked up a pretty legendary fan of his own, NASCAR icon Richard Petty. In Wallen’s new track “I Ain’t Comin’ Back,” he gives a shoutout to “The King” himself. The duet with Post Malone includes the clever line: “But the night I said, ‘I’m leavin’,’ I turned into Richard Petty, Broke my heart, so I got even in my ’97 Chevy.” Petty is the perfect symbol for a high-speed…
If you haven’t been keeping up with the 23rd season of American Idol, you’ve missed some pretty exciting changes. This year, the show welcomed back Idol alum Carrie Underwood as the third judge and brought on Jelly Roll as a new mentor for the contestants. Along with these additions, the show introduced some unique new weekly themes, with this past Sunday, April 21, marking the debut of “Songs of Faith.” In honor of Easter Sunday, the night featured a lineup of heartfelt gospel and worship performances from both contestants and judges. One of the most powerful moments came when Jelly…