The newly-crowned ACM New Male Artist of the Year, Zach Top, took the stage at the ACM Awards show on Thursday night (May 8) for a performance of “Use Me.”

Top captivated the audience with an in-the-round-style show as he belted out his ballad in his ACM Awards debut.

It was just Top and his guitar as he showed the world why he was given the New Male Artist trophy. It’s a risk to play something so stripped down, for any artist, but especially one who has never performed at an awards show.

“Tell me you love me and tell me you need me / I know we both know it ain’t true / And I’ll whisper you’re everything l’ve ever wanted / I’ll pretend if you’ll pretend too / Oh, tell me you love me / And use me like l’m usin’ you,” he pines in the chorus.

In 2024, Top became one of the most-buzzed-about new artists in country music. He has delighted country fans with his old-school sound and fashion sense making him feel like the boy next door — or down the dirt on the next farm over.

His breakthrough debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, came out in April of that year, and he quickly started amassing fans of his neo-traditional style, earning comparisons to artists including Alan Jackson and George Strait.

READ MORE: Best Dressed on the ACM Awards Red Carpet

Singles like “Sounds Like the Radio” and “I Never Lie” quickly established Top as a major new presence in country music, and helped earn him his first-ever ACM trophy in 2025. This performance marks his first main stage awards show performance.

The 2025 ACM Awards is streaming live on Amazon Prime Video from Frisco, Texas’ Ford Center. Reba McEntire is hosting the show.

Remember: The best way to watch the ACM Awards is on TV, with ToC on your phone.