The Academy of Country Music revealed two “early” winners from the upcoming 55th ACM Awards: Tenille Townes has been named New Female Artist of the Year and Riley Green has been named New Male Artist of the Year.
The 55th ACM Awards will air live from Nashville on Sept. 16 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The show will take place at three iconic Nashville institutions: the Grand Ole Opry House, The Bluebird Cafe and Ryman Auditorium. Keith Urban will host the show for the first time.
Keith surprised both Tenille and Riley with the news in separate videos, which you can watch below.
“I’ll always remember this feeling, standing here as a new artist,” says Tenille. “I feel so honored and incredibly grateful just to be a part of this country music community that inspires me. Receiving this ACM Award feels like belief from that community, and that means so much to me.”
“When we had to come off the road back in March, I wasn’t sure what the rest of 2020 would look like,” says Riley. “So much has happened in the world since then and I’m really excited to have a moment to play music again. My grandfathers’ love for country music is what led me to this moment and I have to dedicate this award to them. Thank you to everyone who believes in my music enough to let this boy from Alabama get to share his songs like this.”
New Female Artist of the Year
- Ingrid Andress
- Gabby Barrett
- Lindsay Ell
- Caylee Hammack
- Tenille Townes WINNER
New Male Artist of the Year
- Jordan Davis
- Russell Dickerson
- Riley Green WINNER
- Cody Johnson
- Morgan Wallen
