Like many aspiring talents drawn to Nashville’s music epicenter, when Zach John King moved to Music City in 2021, he joined a time-honored tradition, pursuing songwriting by day and waiting tables by night. He worked at Broadway-adjacent, upscale bar/restaurant The Twelve Thirty Club off Broadway, where he’d sometimes cross paths with country artists such as Jelly Roll, Dustin Lynch and Nate Smith.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
“Nate Smith came in after his Opry debut, and I just walked up to him and asked him for advice,” King recalls to Billboard. “He told me his story about all the times he could have given up, but he didn’t and he kept going. He was just like, “Keep going, I promise, keep going.” Then two years later, I played some shows with him and brought that up. So it’s just crazy full-circle for me. It’s hard not to get discouraged about where you’re at, because you see it firsthand in Nashville. So you just have to be patient. Everyone’s at a different level.”
Now signed with Sony Music Nashville, King released the EP Slow Down last year, but in 2026, his schedule is only continuing to ramp up. His new song “Get to Drinkin,’” which he wrote with ACM songwriter of the decade winner Rhett Akins, Kyle Sturrock, Thomas Archer and Kyle Fishman, has been sent to radio. He’ll open more shows on Wallen’s Still the Problem Tour in April, and has opening slots on tours with Luke Bryan, Riley Green and Jon Pardi. He’ll also perform at Stagecoach this year.
“I’m so thankful that as things get bigger, there’s more work to do,” King says, adding that he’s learned lessons on work ethic and focus from watching how artists such as Wallen and their teams handle the operations propelling a massive music career.
“The artist on stage is having a blast, always. I think your perception is like, ‘This is just a blast. It’s just an hour and a half of fun,’ and that’s true. But what I really was taught this year is this business is more like a football game than a party. You have to be ready, you have to be focused, because at this point, we’re out with people that are the top of the top of the top. There’s no margin for anything other than the best we got. There are so many incredible people in this business that if you take your foot off the gas for a second, the tide will turn.”
Billboard spoke with King about his new single, his journey to Nashville, and more lessons he’s learned along the way.
What is the story behind “Get to Drinkin’”?
There’s a few songs that I just cut that literally aren’t even three months old, and that’s one of them. We had a [writing] retreat in December, the week before Christmas, right outside of Nashville. We were doing two writes per day for three days and the only people that were in every writing room were me and Rhett Akins. It was the last day and the last write on that retreat and we were trying to make a melancholy topic fun.
I’m not a big believer in enemies in songs. I think relationships and love and breakups are never black and white. There’s always a middle ground, where it’s not like one person’s the good guy and one’s the bad guy. The song is really tackling the moment where you’re sitting there thinking that this person still thinks about you, that this person misses you — the reality is that’s probably not the case at all.
Did you always want to be an artist?
I moved to Nashville just to write. There was no thought of artistry until about seven months in, when I started writing songs and started putting vocals on demos. Then it snowballed. Around that time, I started missing performing and the creative control of artistry. The thing about songwriters, and one of the most admirable things about Nashville songwriters, is the songwriter’s ability to navigate what the artist wants without shooting ideas down or without constricting the artist’s opinions. That’s a skill.
What were you doing before pursuing music?
I was a behavioral therapist in Athens. It was a great gig. I was working with children with autism and we were doing a therapy called ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis)Therapy, which is incredibly groundbreaking. It got a degree in counseling and ministerial leadership, and got the job through a buddy of mine. I tell people all the time, that was the most fulfilling job I’ve probably ever had. And I say that specifically to say: Music is amazing and it’s what I’m supposed to be doing, but there’s something about the selflessness of helping other people. The people that are on the front lines specifically with autism, the parents of children with autism, the kids themselves, the leaders in the clinic, I have nothing but praise to give everybody.
This past year has seen you elevate to a different level, career-wise. How did you end up opening shows for Morgan Wallen in stadiums, while still playing your own club shows?
I had hired my team basically two weeks prior to that. Morgan found me on TikTok and I remember it was that July 4th that my manager Matt [Reed, of Hyphen Media Group] had lunch with Morgan’s manager [Austin Neal]. Austin also runs the Neal Agency, which is my booking agency. Austin was like, “I like Zach’s music,” and my manager asked who had showed it to him and it was Morgan. That was so motivating that the biggest country artist in the world enjoys what I do.
Then later, my team called me and asked if I wanted to do some shows on Morgan’s tour. He had added a performance slot. Of course, I wanted to do the show and asked when they needed me and they were like, “Can you be ready in three days?” And we did. I have an incredible team and a great band. And Morgan’s whole camp, including him, all top down, just some of the best in the business.
You are working on a full-fledged project. What has it been like creating the body of music for that?
The Nashville “machine” is sort of an interesting one because in a perfect world, I would be able to take four months off, go to a studio every day and work on a record. What really ends up happening with the schedule and the touring is you cut incrementally, you cut each little bit of time you have. So we get the best songs we can when writing and that’s mainly come from writing retreats. I used to write five days a week on 16th Avenue. Now, I’ll come off the road and we’ll do a retreat for three days and get some songs and then we’ll look at the songs we have. I have a good chunk of the album done.
What is the last song you listened to?
“Ceilings,” by Lizzy McAlpine.
What is the first concert you remember ever going to?
Switchfoot at the Georgia Theatre in Athens. I was in eighth grade and it’s what made me want to play music for a living.
What are your on-the-road must-haves?
A Bluetooth speaker, plenty of water, we do have some Miller Lite, and a little Jack and diet Coke. I have to have running shoes. It motivates me to exercise more when I’m on the road.
What’s your favorite podcast right now?
I like Theo [Von]’s podcast. I’ve also enjoyed Modern Wisdom lately.
When you’re not on tour, what do you do to chill?
I go to the woods. It’s my favorite place to be, even if it’s just sitting in a deer stand or getting on a quail hunt. I love to fish and I love to cook, just turn on some music and cook. I’ll do homemade pasta or smoke a pork shoulder. I’m trying to get better at healthier options.
Leave a comment