The 59th annual Academy of Country Music Awards took place last night. Let’s walk through who some of the big winners were, shall we?
ACM Award Winners
The ACM Awards were hosted by Reba McEntire for the 17th time. The show took place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, and it streamed live on Amazon Prime, where it can still be watched back now.
The big winner of the night was Lainey Wilson, who earned the top honor of entertainer of the year. She beat out her competition Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen.
In an emotional acceptance speech, Wilson thanked both her fans and her fellow nominees.
“Everybody in this category has loved me… took me on the road, sang songs with me, wrote with me, encouraged me every step of the way,” she said. “And I love y’all for that.”
Wilson also won female artist of the year. Her competition in that category was Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney, and Kacey Musgraves.
Check out that acceptance speech below.
Related: Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll Lead Nominees For 2024 Academy Of Country Music Awards
Stapleton Wins Male Artist Of The Year
Stapleton won male artist of the year. He came out victorious over Combs, Jelly Roll, Johnson, and Wallen. This was the fourth time that Stapleton won this honor, putting him one away from the record of five wins that is shared by Merle Haggard, Brad Paisley and George Strait, according to Billboard.
“There’s so many great guys in that category and I’m happy just to be included in this company,” Stapleton said in his speech.
Stapleton also won album of the year for his album Higher. The artists nominated in this category were Combs, Johnson, Wallen, and Ballerini.
Check out his acceptance speech below.
Related: Reba McEntire To Host Academy Of Country Music Awards Tonight As She Prepares To Star In New Sitcom
Duo And Group Winners
Dan + Shay won the ACM Award for duo of the year. They managed to beat out Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osbourne, Maddie & Tae, and The War and Treaty. This was the fourth time that they won this award.
“The love and support of country music community have stayed constant over the past ten years, even though we have had many highs and lows on this crazy trip,” Dan Smyers said onstage. “You all are family.”
“Man, you all belong to my family,” Shay Mooney added. “We are grateful that you all brought us this far and that you let us perform country music.”
As for group of the year, that trophy went to Old Dominion. The other nominees were Flatland Cavalry, Lady A, Little Big Town, and the Zac Brown Band. This was the seventh time in a row that Old Dominion won this award, according to People Magazine.
In his acceptance speech, Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey recalled the band’s humble origins. He revealed that he even had his water turned off in the band’s early days because he “couldn’t pay the bill.”
“We could not have dreamed that we wouldn’t be standing here having won this thing seven years in a row,” he said. “This is absolutely insane.”
“Thank you guys so much for allowing us to continue to do this,” he concluded. “Thank you so much.”
The best new female and male artists of the year were Megan Moroney and Nate Smith, respectively. Tigirlily Gold took home the trophy for best new duo of the year.
Check out the full list of winners here.
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