Entertainment
May 12, 2023 | 5:23 a.m
Lainey Wilson was seemingly omnipresent at the Academy of Country Music Awards, collecting four trophies on a night where Chris Stapleton won the Entertainer of the Year award.
Wilson performed twice Thursday — back-to-back — and delivered heartfelt speeches following her wins that placed her alongside other winners and country music legends.
She was named Album of the Year for “Bell Bottom Country” and accepted the award slightly breathless after performing her song “Grease”.
Wilson called the album a “labor of love” and said she wrote 300 songs during the pandemic. She said people often told her how much the album meant to her life, and she said that writing it “saved my life.”
Lainey Wilson performs “Grease” at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP
When she was named Artist of the Year, co-host Dolly Parton presented her with the trophy. “I can’t believe I just met Dolly Parton,” Wilson said.
She paid tribute to the artists before her and the sacrifices she knew they had all made: “I’m up here because of all of you. Because of people like Dolly Parton paving the way.”
“It’s hard work for the little girls that see this,” Wilson said, referring to her trophy. “If you want to be a dreamer, you better be a doer.”
Chris Stapleton accepts the Entertainer of the Year award on stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards at the Ford Center at The Star on May 11, 2023 in Frisco, Texas. AFP via Getty Images
At the end of the night, Stapleton dominated the stage and won the ACM’s top honor.
“I’m really shocked,” Stapleton said. “By any measure I can think of, I don’t deserve this. … I never thought I would win this award.”
He dedicated the award to his children at home, saying they sacrificed a lot of time with him and his wife because of his career.
Presenters Garth Brooks (left) and Dolly Parton speak at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP Dolly Parton performs “World On Fire” at the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards Ceremony on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP
Breathless moments were not uncommon during the performance-heavy show.
Cole Swindell won the first award of the night, Song of the Year, for “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”. He had just performed the song with Jo Dee Messina.
Swindell later won Single of the Year for the same song. “Thank you country fans, that’s all I’ve ever been,” he said. “I don’t know what I’ve ever done to be so lucky.”
Lainey Wilson accepts the award for Album of the Year at the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards in Frisco, Texas on May 11, 2023. Portal
Singer-songwriter HARDY entered the show as the main nominee and received four awards. “Wait in the Truck,” his duet with Wilson, who was the second-best nominee, won the Music Event Award.
“Thanks Lainey, you absolutely nailed it,” HARDY said. He credited her with making people believe in the song, which is about domestic violence and revenge.
“It was a song about real life,” Wilson said. “I didn’t want people to identify with this song, but a lot of them do.”
Carly Pearce performs at the 58th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP
Old Dominion frontman Matthew Ramsey used the band’s Group of the Year win to address recent division and gun violence. He referenced the show’s party atmosphere, but also said he’s aware that “there’s obviously people in the world right now who are down and trying to figure out how to handle the splits, the shootings and stuff like that can understand things.”
Ramsey continued, “We’re very proud to be able to make music for people who are going through a difficult time. Thank you for including us in the party and allowing us to make music for anyone who needs it.”
Garth Brooks and Parton hosted the two-hour awards ceremony, which was streamed live on Amazon Prime from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco.
Cole Swindell performs “She Had Me At Heads Carolina – Remix” at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP
The light-hearted banter between Brooks and Parton on his first appearance as host defined the show’s opening moments. Parton ended the show by performing a song from her upcoming rock album.
At a later date, the couple video-conferenced Willie Nelson to wish him a happy birthday. The country legend recently turned 90 and the ACMs honored him with a performance of Nelson’s hit with Waylon Jennings, Cody Johnson’s “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys.”
The show began with Keith Urban performing his song “Texas Time,” appropriate to the location of the show.
Ed Sheeran performs “Life Goes On” at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP Trevor Rosen (left to right), Matthew Ramsey, Brad Tursi and Geoff Sprung of Old Dominion accept the award for Group of the Year at the annual Academy of Country Music Awards on May 11, 2023 at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas. AP
References to Texan references and celebrities were featured throughout the show. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith presented the first award.
HARDY was also nominated to write Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots.” The country superstar did not perform as planned due to a vocal cord injury that cut short his tour and was absent when he was awarded Best Male Artist. Brooks took off his hat in honor of Wallen, saying that “it must kill him” to miss the show.
Hailey Whitters and Zach Bryan have won the award for Best New Artist.
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