# Zach Top Says Country Music Became Too Perfect: ‘Some of the Soul Got Left Behind’

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/zach-top-says-country-music-became-too-perfect-some-of-the-soul-got-left-behind/
- Published: 2026-07-24T18:49:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-07-24T19:13:53+00:00
- Original publisher: Rolling Stone
- Original article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/zach-top-good-girls-and-cowgirls-interview-1235598583/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Zach Top says country production became too polished.
- He sees demand growing for raw, authentic music.
- New single arrives on 21 August.

## Summary

Country singer Zach Top says modern country music became overly polished, with perfection in tuning and production leaving some of its emotional “soul” behind. He believes audiences are increasingly drawn to rawer, more authentic performers and styles, helping explain both bluegrass’s renewed popularity and his own rapid rise.

Top made the comments at Montana’s Under the Big Sky festival, where he premiered “Good Girls & Cowgirls”, due for release on 21 August as a 7-inch single alongside “Other Side of Hurtin’”. He plans to include the song on a new album expected next spring, possibly in April; he also cited artists such as Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan as examples of successful, more unvarnished country music.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.