ABC/Eric McCandless
American Idol alum Gabby Barrett is celebrating a huge milestone in her career. After competing on season 17 of American Idol and finishing in third place, Barrett has officially been named the Academy of Country Music New Female Artist of the Year.
The first awards for the Academy of Country Music (ACM) in 2021 were announced on Thursday, April 8, 2021, and the American Idol alum took home one of the top awards for the season.
Barrett earned the award for the ACM New Female Artist of the Year, beating out artists Ingrid Andress, Tenille Arts, Mickey Guyton and Caylee Hammack. According to Taste of Country, Andress, Barrett and Hammack were all nominated for this category in 2020 as well.
In her video accepting the award, Barrett thanks her camera person for telling her to put on her makeup and get dressed.
“I don’t really know what to say – this is unbelievable,” she asid. “Thank you so much; this is such an honor. Ever since I came into the country music community, everybody’s been absolutely wonderful to me.”
She added, “It’s more than I deserve. This made the whole year for me!”
Barrett Will Perform at the ACM Awards
Barrett will be performing at the ACM Awards, which are set to air on Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 9 p.m. Eastern on CBS.
“We are thrilled to present Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett with their first ACM Award wins,” Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside said in a statement, according to People. “Jimmie and Gabby have experienced tremendous success at both country radio and streaming already, and we are proud to recognize them for such an extraordinary start to their careers.”
The ACMs will be airing live from three locations, much like last year’s celebration. This year, the venues are all in Nashville: The Ryman Auditorium, the Grand Ole Opry House and the Bluebird Cafe.
Barrett will be joining performers Eric Church, Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Lee Brice, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Ryan Hurd, Alan Jackson, Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, the War and Treaty, Keith Urban, and Chris Young. There will be more than 30 songs performed in the two-hour celebration.
Keith Urban will be hosting the celebration alongside Mickey Guyton.
Barrett May Take Home One More Award
Barrett was nominated for more than one award, meaning she may be surprised once again at the award ceremony. Her song “I Hope” was nominated for Single of the Year alongside Miranda Lambert’s “Bluebird,” Carly Pearce & Lee Brice’s “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Ingrid Andress’s “More Hearts Than Mine” and Maren Morris’s “The Bones.”
Every Single of the Year nominee is a woman for the first time in ACM History; however, according to Billboard, no women are nominated for entertainer of the year for the third time in four years.
Lambert is the most nominated artist of the year, scoring nominations in five total categories including Song of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year and Video of the Year.
The Academy of Country Music Awards air at 9 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, April 18 on CBS.
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‘American Idol’ Alum Wins Academy of Country Music Award