Zach Top had quite a memorable time finding out about his first-ever CMA Awards nomination — a milestone that came as a complete surprise.

“I was oblivious,” Zach tells ABC Audio. “I’m not on socials or anything, so I hadn’t seen nothing. I got a text from somebody that just said ‘congrats’ with no context. And I was like, ‘Thank you … for what?’ And they’re like, ‘Oh, you got nominated,’ and they sent me a screenshot.”

“It was a surprise for sure,” the singer says. “I did not see that coming.”

Zach’s looking forward to attending the CMA Awards for the first time ever, after being a longtime fan and viewer from home.

“I’m excited. [It’s] my first time at the show. I’ve never done it before,” he shares. “[I’ve] always been sitting on the couch watching on TV. So it’ll be fun.”

“Hopefully [I’ll] bump into some folks that I haven’t met yet and and see some that I’m already friends with,” Zach says. “I’m just going to try and have a good time.” 

The 2024 CMAs, hosted by Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.

While you wait, be sure to catch the Vegas Lights & Country Nights: Countdown to the CMA Awards one-hour special on Tuesday at 10:01 p.m. ET on ABC.

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