The countdown is on.
We are less than an hour away from
the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards.
The ACMs are back in Texas for the first time
since 2015, and here to give us
a warm Texas welcome are the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.
Now we've all heard the saying "Everything is bigger in Texas,"
and that goes for this show, especially tonight.
The biggest stars in country music come out to
play with hosts Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks.
And it all starts right now.
Kane Brown: Let's get it.
I can't believe you're real!
Dolly: Well, I'm not real. Are you real? Ha!
Brown: ♪ Girl, you gone and done it to me ♪
We're just excited to be here.
Brown: ♪ Hotter than a hoochie coochie ♪
♪ Got me like the first time ♪
♪ I heard Alan Jackson ♪
No bigger stage than this one right now.
Brown: ♪ You get me high as Willie, girl ♪
There will be a lot of dancing.
Brown: ♪ You turn me on as much as I turn on ♪
Number one right here.
Brown: ♪ I love country music ♪
Yeah.
That's right.
1, 2, 1, 2, 3!
Kelly: Welcome to the "Academy of Country Music Awards
2023 Red Carpet," the official countdown show
to the ACM Awards.
-I'm Kelly Sutton. -And I'm Amber Anderson.
You may know us as the hosts of the Amazon Music
"Country Heat" weekly podcast, but today,
we are so excited to be streaming globally
across Prime Video, Twitch, Amazon Live, and more.
Tonight, we're coming to you from the iconic
Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas,
and you won't want to miss a beat
from this action-packed show.
Kelly: This is the world headquarters
of the legendary Dallas Cowboys, and it's seen
its share of legends, so it's only fitting
that tonight's main event will be hosted by two
of the biggest legends in the history of country music
Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks!
And remember, Garth's music streams exclusively
on Amazon Music.
Amber: And that's not all.
We've got Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown, Ed Sheeran,
and so many more of your favorite country stars.
They'll all be rocking the Star tonight.
Kelly: Yes. Amber: And for the first ever,
this year's ACM Awards show is free to stream globally
during the live show on Prime Video and on Twitch.
It's a big moment for us, y'all, so tell your friends!
Now during the show tonight, you're gonna be
seeing a QR code pop up right here, which will take
you to the destination of all things ACMs on Amazon,
including looks inspired by some of the fashion you're
gonna see right here on the red carpet tonight,
exclusive playlists to stream, and much more.
Now if you're on your mobile, check out amazon.com/acmawards.
Now on our podcast, we get to speak with all
of the biggest names in country, but this event is
so massive, we've asked some of our friends
to help us out farther down the black carpet.
Now you know her from her show "Nights with Elaina."
She also just won the 2023 ACM Award
for National Weekly On-Air Personality of the Year,
and you know him from being an unstoppable force
in the country music scene, as well as being
our 2022 Amazon Music Breakthrough Artist.
Let's throw it on down to Elaina Smith
and our bestie recording artist Breland!
Thank you so much, Kelly and Amber.
Breland and I are all systems go down here.
We are sure are. To put it in cowboy terms,
we are champing at the bit to get our interviews on.
Mmm. And Breland is pulling double duty.
You're back on the stage tonight and presenting
an award with Gabby Barrett.
Are you excited for the show?
Breland: You know I am.
I can't wait to see my buddy Keith Urban
and Lainey Wilson tonight, and of course, I'm looking
forward to all the pre-show performances
that are coming our way.
Elaina: Oh, guys. We have got Tiger Lily Gold, Matt Stell,
and a 2023 Amazon Breakthrough Artist
To Watch Dalton Dover hitting the pre-show stage.
You of course, Breland, were an Amazon Breakthrough Artist
last year, and look at you now.
Yeah, indeed. Well, yes, we can't wait to get it
kicked off down here, but we just heard there's
action at the top of the carpet, so back to you,
Kelly and Amber.
Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks,
ladies and gentlemen!
How about it?
We're gonna get to you in a minute, but ladies first.
Garth: Don't worry about. I'm fine.
You are performing with Carly tonight.
-I am. -Oh, tell us about this.
She and I have become friends.
You know, she asked me to induct her into
the Grand Ole Opry, and so we've just been buddies,
and so when tonight came up, she asked if I would do this
with her, and so I'm excited to be here.
Kelly: She calls you her celebrity crush.
-You know that, right? -Yeah. Ha! She is the sweetest.
-Yes. -And she's got great pipes.
I love her singing, so I'm excited.
Amber: I know. OK, Garth. Kelly: Your turn!
We need to know how are the nerves about hosting
the show tonight?
Oh, it's fine. You knew right away.
When we talked, promise you, she's not gonna read
one word off that Teleprompter...
and she's already warned me, too.
"I'm just gonna go sometimes." I'm like, "OK."
Amber: You got to stay ready. Garth: It's great. Yeah.
So I don't know if there can be,
like, a 99% host and then a 1% host for a co-host.
That's what it's gonna be. She is hilarious.
Kelly: Best part of the night for you tonight will be when?
Garth: Oh, my gosh. I think--uh, I don't know.
She is--when she makes her appearance--
I'm gonna try not to be out on the floor
when she makes her appearance.
-We love you guys. -We love you guys.
-Thank you so much. -Thank you.
Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, thank you.
Trisha: Have a great night.
We've got with us Bailey Zimmerman on the carpet!
Bailey, how you feeling, man?
You have been on a rocket, and you've got a new album
coming out this week.
How are you feeling about everything, man?
Uh, it's crazy.
I--I never thought I'd get to have an album, man,
so to get to put 16 songs out and call it something
and have a whole brand around it is really cool,
so I'm excited. I hope people love it.
Elaina: I mean, we're literally hours away at this point
from it dropping, so how are you actually
feeling about that?
Um...me and my manager cried last night
because it's a deal for us because we've had
"Religiously" the song since we met.
The day we met, he gave me that song, and I recorded it
as the second song I'd ever recorded,
so for it to be out now and the album dropping tonight,
it was just a big deal, and it's 50th birthday.
It was a really big deal for us...
Elaina: Aw.
Bailey: so a little bit of crying, a lot of golf,
a lot of drinks, having fun.
We're celebrating for sure, but I'm excited, though.
Breland: Dude, I've known you now for a while.
We were talking about how far back we go.
I've just watched your whole journey unfold
and the ups and the downs of it all, but here you are
at the ACMs, Amazon's Breakthrough Artist.
Elaina: Yeah! Breland: I've been in your shoes
as far as that goes.
How does it feel to be nominated this year, too?
Bailey: Like I said, man, I never thought I'd have an album,
so to get to be here and be around all our friends
and you and all these cool people, it's--it's just
an honor to be here really.
I mean, like I said, I didn't think I'd ever
make it this far, so the fact that we're here
with all our friends in Austin--or Dallas,
and it's crazy, man.
I have no idea what's going on.
Elaina: Well, now it's just a celebration,
so you need to go on getting in there, have some fun.
Bailey Zimmerman, thank you so much.
Proud of you, brother.
Yeah. I love you boys. Thanks.
Bailey Zimmerman's one of our favorites.
Oh, my gosh. I love that guy.
We love him. OK. Last year after receiving her
first gold album for "Just About Over You,"
Priscilla Block made such a splash as a co-host
on the red carpet the ACMs had to have her back.
And this year, she's down at the performance stage,
so let's throw it on down to Priscilla Block.
Thank you. We have got an incredible talent
kicking off our pre-show performances.
Recently named as an Artist To Watch by Amazon,
you know him from Team Blake on "The Voice."
Here he is with his phenomenal new single
"Giving Up On That."
Let's year it for Dalton Dover.
♪ I hate you met the sinner ♪
♪ Lord knows I ain't no saint ♪
♪ But I'm trying to lean a little more ♪
♪ That way these days ♪
♪ Put up with more than I ever would've ♪
♪ You left just like you should've ♪
♪ But since you've been gone ♪
♪ Ain't nothing 'round here the same ♪
♪ Girl, I've given up on ♪
♪ Drinking as much as I used to ♪
♪ When I had you ♪
♪ Given up on ♪
♪ Just sayin' I'm gonna change ♪
♪ I've given up on passing the blame ♪
♪ Everything made you walk out ♪
♪ On what we had ♪
♪ But when it comes to wanting you back ♪
♪ Girl, I ain't never giving up on that ♪
♪ I pray it ain't too late ♪
♪ For you to see what I've turned into ♪
♪ I just wish my working on me ♪
♪ Was working on you ♪
♪ But since you said good-bye ♪
♪ And hit me with them taillights ♪
♪ I swear I've changed everything but your mind ♪
♪ 'Cause, girl, I've given up on ♪
♪ Drinking as much as I used to ♪
♪ When I had you ♪
♪ Given up on ♪
♪ Just sayin' I'm gonna change ♪
♪ I've given up on passing the blame ♪
♪ Everything made you walk out ♪
♪ On what we had ♪
♪ But when it comes to wanting you back ♪
♪ Girl, I ain't never giving up on that ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ I ain't ever giving up on ♪
♪ Fightin' for what we could've been ♪
♪ Hangin' on to what we should've been ♪
♪ I wish I would've been ♪
♪ A better man back then ♪
♪ 'Cause, girl, I've given up on ♪
♪ Drinking as much as I used to ♪
♪ When I had you ♪
♪ Given up on ♪
♪ Just sayin' I'm gonna change ♪
♪ I've given up on passing the blame ♪
♪ Everything made you walk out ♪
♪ On what we had ♪
♪ But when it comes to wanting you back ♪
♪ Girl, I ain't never giving up on that ♪
♪ And I ain't ever giving up on that ♪
Priscilla: Dalton Dover, y'all!
Dalton: Thank you, thank y'all.
I mean, how about that voice?
Dalton: Thank you, guys. Thank you.
Priscilla: I feel like you have one of the best new voices
in country music.
I'm such a fan.
We've been out on the road together.
Dalton: Priscilla, thank you so much.
Priscilla: How does it feel being at your first ever ACMs?
Dalton: Like I was saying earlier, like, I just remember
sitting on my mama's couch watching the ACMs,
just wishing I was there when I was just a kid,
so for me to be here with you guys, Priscilla,
oh, man, it just means absolutely the world, man.
Priscilla: Well, you're here, and everyone loves you so much.
Back to you.
-Dalton Dover. -He sounded so great!
-That voice! -The voice of an angel.
We absolutely love him. OK, everybody.
Let's take a look at some of our favorite
fashion looks of the night so far.
We love seeing what's happening on the red carpet.
Amber: Ooh! Both: Kimberly Perry!
Kelly: Oh, and she's got her bump on full display.
Amber: That's gorgeous. Kelly: Kimberly Perry you
remember from The Band Perry,
but she's doing her own thing now.
Just released her first solo single,
and we are so happy for her.
Amber: The queen, the gasp.
Kelly: The queen! Dolly! Amber: The queen!
Look at that fringe.
-The silver. It is gorgeous. -The rhinestones.
She always said her favorite color is rhinestone,
and she is wearing it in full display.
Tenille Townes.
Amber: One, she has fantastic hair, and I hear that
she does it all herself.
Kelly: Oh, my gosh! That blue. Amber: That looks fierce.
Kelly: It is gorgeous. Amber: That's beautiful.
Absolutely love seeing her.
Well, y'all, if you are watching on Amazon Live,
you can actually shop the latest fashion trends
in the live stream carousel, and please make sure
to tell us in the comments which looks you're loving,
and, Twitch, we have not forgotten about you.
We love seeing what you're saying in the comments.
We love our Twitch family.
Hey! Check out that QR code to explore more playlists
and everything that's all associated with the ACMs.
All right. Let's head on down the carpet
to Elaina and Breland.
We are here--ha--with the men of the hour
Mitchell Tenpenny and Chris Young.
How are y'all feeling tonight?
I'm good. Are you good, dude?
Man, I'm good, baby.
It's hot back here, but it's awesome, man.
Breland: It certainly is.
Mitchell: Let's talk about y'all.
Elaina: There it is.
I mean, everybody on the carpet looking great.
Everybody kind of going with the Texas vibe.
-Was that intentional with the-- -I had to do it.
I literally went down today and grabbed one.
-I had to do it. -You did it today?
-Yeah. -Incredible!
Chris, I had a chance to check out your set
last week out on the West Coast, and you've just got
this thing down to a science.
What advice would you give to an up-and-coming
artist like me?
I mean, I don't have to give you any advice.
I saw your set, too, man.
You crushed it out there, so, yeah, I got nothing.
I enjoyed--I don't know if you saw me,
but I sat there entire time.
I watched your entire set.
It was the first time I've seen you, I guess, since
we were in the room writing together,
so it was really fun to get to see you out there
in front of that big, old crowd of people.
-It was great. -Thank you, man.
We're definitely gonna need to hear more about
that writing, that's for sure, but, Mitchell, you--
this is your second nomination at the ACMs.
Does it feel different this time around?
Heh. Well, it's awesome to have it with one
of my best friends, man, and that's the only difference.
First time, I was scared, all alone, didn't know
what to do, and speaking of advice,
he's been giving me some good--some good advice
on how to do it, so it's awesome to do it
with your friends.
Well, you get to spend the night with your buddy
and I'm sure your beautiful wife Meghan over there,
as well, but, you guys, have so much fun tonight.
Chris Young, Mitchell Tenpenny, thanks a lot, guys.
-Congratulations, guys. -Congrats.
Thanks, y'all.
And now we have with us the beautiful Keith Urban
-and Nicole Kidman. -How are you guys?
You look amazing. Look at you two.
-Likewise. -Thank you.
Now y'all know you two are a part of the reason why
I moved to Nashville in the first place.
Keith, you've done such a great job of reaching out
to up-and-coming artists.
Why is that important to you?
Because we're all an up-and-coming artist
at one point, and I think we need help when we get to town.
Most of us do, and we just want someone
to believe in us.
You know, it makes all the difference,
so you were easy to believe in, Breland.
Breland: Thank you, man.
Well, you guys really do have, like, one
of the favorite country music bromances at this point.
It's so fun to watch.
What was it about Breland that made you want to
reach out to him?
Keith: His spirit, soul, passion, curiosity,
all the things that I think you have to have as an artist
and hopefully you never lose, especially
the curiosity and the passion is key, yeah.
Well, it's so good to see you guys here.
Hopefully you have a great night.
I'm looking forward to your performance
of "Texas Time," man.
Thank you, thank you very much. Thank you.
And I see we've got Jason Aldean over here.
Yeah. You got to get in there. You got to get in.
-Jason, come on in, come on in. -Come on up, man.
Keith: We're tag-teaming Jason.
Ha ha ha!
Elaina: You can-- Breland: Ha ha ha!
Elaina: The hi's and byes.
Keith: It's Good to see you, man.
Elaina: Hey, man. Breland: What's up, man?
Elaina: Come on in, come on in.
Hi. I'm good. How are you?
Jason: Good.
Jason, Brittany, welcome up.
You guys look incredible.
How are you doing?
Nice to see you, as well.
See, this is what happens on the red carpet.
You just never know who's gonna come in and out
from Keith Urban to the Aldeans.
You guys, how has this night been
so far for y'all?
Uh, great. I mean, it's been kind of a long day
getting ready for it.
Well, more for her than me,
but we actually just got here.
Looking forward to, you know, having it
in Texas this year and changing it up a little bit
and looking forward to the show.
So it's gonna be a good night, I hope.
Elaina: Mm-hmm.
Breland: You've been nominated now many years in a row.
You've won a bunch of these awards.
My question is, man, how do you keep it fresh
this many years in?
I don't know.
I just--you know, to me, I love what I do,
I love getting in the studio, working on new music,
and, you know, just trying to push the envelope
every time out and try new things,
and so far, it's--you know, fans have supported it
and allowed me to stick around for a while,
so I don't really have a right answer for that.
You know, you know how it is, man.
You just go in and mess around and hope people like it.
Elaina: Well, speaking of new music, you are going to be
performing some new music tonight, right?
Yeah. We got a new song we just dropped,
kind of a surprise song last week called "Tough Crowd,"
and we're gonna play for that the first time live
ever tonight, so I'm looking forward
to that, as well.
Brittany, I'm sure you've seen it.
-It's pretty awesome, yeah? -It's really great.
Well, you guys, have a great time tonight.
Congratulations, and we'll see you in there.
Absolutely. See you guys.
-Bye. -Good to see y'all.
Already walking in here a winner it's Hardy.
Oh, my goodness!
7-time nominee.
Last night, you find out that you are
Artist-Songwriter, and then what happens?
Uh, ha!
We played our thing for Lifting Lives,
and then we did a media--
we had to do media for 10 minutes,
and so Lainey and I are doing an interview together
in front of a step and repeat, and then I just hear
"Whoa, hold on, hold on," and Storme Warren comes out
from behind and...
Kelly: Oh, my gosh.
and he has our Visual Media award,
and so we got two of them last night.
I was really excited.
What was your thought in that moment?
Did it--has it hit you yet?
Yeah. I mean, kind of. I just...
Amber and Kelly: Ha ha ha!
-I'm so weird about all this. -No, it's good!
And I feel like--I still feel like I'm just, like--
I still feel like I'm, like, the new guy, and I still--
in a way, I have, but I, like, I feel like
I haven't--still haven't been doing this that long,
and so it's not as much, like, imposter syndrome as, like,
I'm like, "This is too early for all this stuff
to be happening," so it's just--it's all like
good shock, you know what I mean?
Kelly: Think about how much you've already done in town
for other people, and you laid all
of that groundwork, man.
This is all--it's due, and I am so happy for you.
Hardy: If you say so.
Kelly: It is, so 5 more nominations
that you might win tonight.
You're gonna have to get one of those little wagons
to take all those trophies home.
We're so happy.
I'm gonna have to check another bag, man.
Check another bag.
I wonder how much they weigh.
And you're performing "Truck Bed" tonight.
-I am, yes. -We're looking forward to it.
-Ready for that. -Good to see you.
-We love you, Hardy. -Good to see you, Hardy.
-Thank y'all. -Back to Elaina and Breland.
We are here with the very talented Ashley McBryde,
3-time nominee.
How you feeling, Ash?
Good! Good!
It's warm, but I don't mind it.
-Yeah. -It's definitely warm,
but we are getting into a really hot night
here because inside you are going to be
not only nominated but performing.
-Yes. -I'm obsessed that
you chose Bren--or that you chose, uh--
-"Tina." -"Tina." "Tina."
-Yes. "Tina," the bonfire. -All the girls are coming over.
So you have all of your buddies joining you
onstage, as well.
Yeah. Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack, Pillbox Patti,
John Osborne.
-We got my band up there. -Whoo!
Who made the decision to do this one?
Um, I mean, I would love to take all of the credit
for that, but it was my team and I were like,
"I think it's time for 'Tina' to have a moment."
Breland: Definitely. I mean, look.
Your project is incredible.
It kind of reads like a musical or like a--
you know, like a soap opera in some ways.
Thank you. Thank you.
What gave you the idea to do a project like this?
It's a bold choice. I love it.
I think it was--well, Pillbox Patti
and Aaron Raitiere and I were writing, and we'd written
a song called "Blackout Betty,"
and then we realized that we have all these characters
from over the years-- "Living Next to Leroy,"
"Shut Up Sheila"-- so we just gave them neighbors
and a place to live.
Might the "Lindeville" crew ever turn into, like,
a Broadway musical?
-I wouldn't say no to that. -Hmm.
I would not say no.
What can we expect from you next?
I feel like you could do anything.
Well, we put "Lindeville," and then hot on the heels
of that, it's time for a new me record, right,
a new us record, and it's ready.
It's ready to go. Breland: I love it.
Well, we can't wait to hear everything you have
coming this year.
Ashley McBryde, congratulations. Have so much fun tonight.
No one has more fun than me.
-Oh, don't we know it. -That is a fact.
Ha ha ha!
Amber: Country fans are the best fans in the world,
and we have got an audience to prove that tonight.
Let's take a look over at the Kendra Scott Fan Pit
named of course for the Texas-based jewelry brand,
what Kelly and I are wearing tonight.
These fans are going wild.
Kelly: On the red carpet...
Jelly Roll and Miss Bunnie.
-Hi, guys! -Come on!
-Fan favorites. -Yeah, baby, yeah!
Yeah, baby, yeah!
I am so happy to see y'all.
You look fantastic.
She looks absolutely incredible!
Amber: Stunning! Kelly: You look great!
Golly. Man, listen.
I could have showed up in a t-shirt and jeans, man.
I got the belle of the ball, baby!
Kelly: Ha ha ha! Oh, you sure do!
You're performing tonight, and I am so pumped.
We've talked about this.
Oh, yeah. Special night, special guest.
Share it.
Special moment, uh, Lifting Lives moment.
It's gonna be incredible.
Amber: Ooh! We are so, so ready.
So on a night like tonight, you're walking in.
It's just this big party.
It's a reunion of everybody in Nashville.
What does this ACM week mean to you, being involved
and being at the center of everything.
I was thinking you're talking about tonight.
We've been partying since Monday, baby.
We've been out there--listen.
The ACMs have took over the city of Frisco, baby.
Jerry Jones is no longer the biggest thing
in Frisco, Texas, right now
because country music is here, baby!
Ha ha ha!
We love you by the way, Jerry. We're just saying, baby.
Kelly: OK. Tonight, the song is called "Save Me."
You released this when?
Jelly Roll: Oh, I released this song in 2020 right in the middle
of the spray boxes with Lysol moment.
Kelly: Yes, yes.
Jelly Roll: You know, we were all out there
-with our Lysol and scared... -Right.
and I wrote this song, and we released it right then
on YouTube, and the rest was history.
Kelly: And tonight, can you tell us who you're
singing it with?
Oh, I got a very special guest.
Listen. I ain't told nobody yet.
-You ready? -Do it, do it!
I can't, but you got to tune in and watch it.
-Jelly! -It's gonna be incredible!
It is worth the wait, I promise. It is good.
Jelly Roll "Whitsitt Chapel," June 2?
I will say my special guest is a way better singer than me.
-OK. -Oh, my gosh.
New "Whitsitt Chapel," June 2, is that right?
Yes, ma'am. "Whitsitt Chapel," June 2, my album,
and I'm not new bashful for to ask for you to presave it.
You can go presave it right now. Please help me out.
Jelly Roll, Bunnie, we love you guys.
Thanks for stopping by, you guys.
Bye, guys.
We are here with Ernest, who is a nominee tonight.
-Congratulations. -Yeah. Thank you.
How does it feel to be here on the carpet
at the show as a nominee?
Incredible. I think it's the best way to do it,
coolest way to do it.
I haven't done this yet, and so to be nominated
and to be here with everybody and seeing
all my friends is great.
Breland: Now, Ern, you are one of the illest writers,
freestylers, and now artists as recognized
-by the ACMs. -Thank you.
What don't you do?
Uh, I don't do really well at putting my dishes up.
I know that. I know I don't do that well.
Breland: Delaney probably has something to say about that one.
I hear about that for sure. Ha ha ha!
Well, you know, we actually just saw
-your buddy Jelly Roll. -Oh, yeah.
And I love the fact that you guys are gonna be
in the same room tonight.
-Same. -What are y'all getting into?
Who knows, but, I mean, if we're getting into
something, y'all will probably know it.
Elaina: Ha ha ha! We'll hear it from a mile away?
-Or smell it. -Yeah!
Now, Ern, what you do if you're in a position now
as an artist who's also an accomplished writer
if there's a song that you write that somebody else
wants but you feel like you'd sound good
on it, too?
It's definitely gotten to a point where it's easier
for me to make that decision.
Earlier, it was kind of, you know, the best way to
get my career along the road was to let
these people cut the songs, but just recently, I wrote
one maybe normally I would immediately give away,
but I'm like, "Tch. That's a heater.
I got to keep it." Breland: Let's go.
And I got a fanbase now that wants, you know,
more new music from me, so the demand is up.
We are all wanting that new music,
and I'm sure you're gonna be giving it to us,
but, Ernest, thank you so much for dropping by.
-Have fun tonight. -Thank y'all.
-Thank you very much. -Congratulations, bro.
Thank you. It's good seeing you, Breland.
Likewise.
ACM's Lifting Lives is the charitable partner
of the Academy of Country Music.
They do some great work in the country music community,
helping those that may experience
a financial hardship or an emergency.
During the pandemic, they helped over
2,000 people who lost their work overnight, giving out
$4 million to help them out with their bills.
They also fund music therapy organizations
across the country that use music as a form of healing
for health-related issues.
Here are some familiar faces to tell us more
about ACM Lifting Lives.
What is ACM Lifting Lives?
-Music. -Healing.
Hope.
ACM Lifting Lives is the philanthropic partner...
Of the Academy of Country Music...
Dedicated to improving lives through
the power of music.
We harness the strength of the country music community...
To provide aid in times of need...
With a focus on health-related initiatives.
Since 2006, ACM Lifting Lives has given over...
$10 million to worthy causes.
Music is scientifically proven...
To heal the mind, body, and soul...
Which is why we prioritize music and therapy.
Tyler: We are ACM Lifting Lives.
We are ACM Lifting Lives.
ACM Lifting Lives does so much for our community.
So much. We're so grateful for them.
We are the hosts of the "Country Heat" weekly podcast.
That's where you guys might know us,
and I have to ask who's been your favorite that we've had
on our podcast so far?
Oh, gosh. There are so many.
I mean, I love Luke Combs.
Like, I just--we got to see him around today already,
and, oh, my gosh, he is just--he tells some
really good stories, y'all.
OK. My favorite--Dolly Parton,
and she is standing by right now with Priscilla Block!
Priscilla: Hi. Good to see you again!
-We're like twins. -We are like twins.
Well, listen. I had to step away from the performances,
and I had to put on my best Dolly outfit.
-Do you like it? -I love it! I love it!
-You love it? -Yeah.
I actually loaned it to her.
We are so excited to have you hosting.
You're closing out the show with your new single, right?
Yes, I am, and I'm excited about it.
And you're a rockstar now.
Oh, that's what I hear.
How does it feel to be a rockstar?
Oh, I don't know yet.
If I ever get there, but I'm excited
about the new rock album.
Aw. Well, we are so excited.
You're already a rockstar in everyone's eyes,
and you look absolutely beautiful tonight.
Well, thank you.
Well, y'all get ready for the show.
Yeah! Let's do it!
-The queen looks beautiful. -Oh, my gosh!
Let's look at some other favorites that we've seen
on the red carpet.
Gabby Barrett came in and made a statement, y'all.
-She had a beautiful gown on. -Yes, she did.
Kelly: I thought that was the gown.
-Those are the sleeves. -Those are the sleeves.
Kelly: Look at that!
Amber: I mean, we were like, "Can we give
a moment for the dress?"
Kelly: A little commotion for this dress, please.
She looks fantastic, and she hosted
last year with Dolly.
Amber: And there's Kane and Katelyn Brown.
Love them so much.
Kane's suit, this color.
Kelly: I really love to see somebody branch out
and do a light color.
The guys look so sharp, and Katelyn is always beautiful.
Amber: Oh, look at that dress.
Kelly: Hailey Whitters! My goodness.
Amber: Ohh!
Kelly: Our new ACM female. Look at her!
She is so cute, and she said this was
a bridesmaid's dress.
Amber: Yeah, so we said, "Bridesmaid's?" You know...
Kelly: Hang onto it. You never know.
Amber: Hang onto it. Look how cute she is.
Oh, my gosh.
Just want to, like, put her in your pocket, right?
I just love her.
Well, if you guys are watching on Amazon Live,
you can shop the latest fashion trends
in the live stream carousel.
Make sure to tell us in the comments which
looks you love.
Twitch, we love seeing what you're saying.
Keep those comments coming.
All right. Check out the QR code to explore playlists
and even more.
Now over to Elaina and Breland.
Elaina: We are here with Ian and Caroline Munsick.
Guys, welcome. How you feeling? ACMs. It's all happening!
Ian: Feeling great.
Thank you guys for having us. It's an honor to be here.
Elaina: Absolutely.
Breland: We understand that y'all, you know, have
a special connection with our host tonight--
Dolly Parton. Is that so? Ian: Oh. Yeah, we do.
She saw me play "Hard Candy Christmas" one time
on YouTube, and I got to watch her react to it.
And, uh, man, let me just say, if I ever got to meet her,
I would not be OK.
Elaina: Wait a second. You're breathing the same air
as Dolly right now, so it could happen.
What have you prepared?
Ian: I would not--no. I am not prepared for this.
Her and Garth in the same room,
that's, like, maximum star power.
Breland: That's a lot of star power.
There's a lot of star power here in Texas in general.
I know you and Cody have a great relationship
and have put out some music together.
What does it feel like to be out here in Texas
for the ACMs, bro?
Ian: Man, it feels hot, dude. Breland: It's hot.
Ian: I'm from Wyoming where it's very dry.
It's very humid here.
But CoJo is the GOAT of Texas country music,
and, man, it's just awesome to be able to collaborate
with one of my country music heroes.
Breland: Dude.
Elaina: Well, Ian, Caroline, you guys look fantastic.
Ian: Thank you. Elaina: So get in there,
get to some air conditioning.
And it's so great to see you. Ian: Thank you, guys.
Breland: Have a great night, y'all.
Ian: Thank you, guys. You, too.
Kelly: Ian is so cool. Amber: He's so stylish.
Kelly: I love him. All right.
We are getting close to the big Show.
The ACM Awards will be free to stream.
Prime membership is not required to watch
the livestream.
Amber: Now, the word on the str--carpet
is that Priscilla has another amazing
pre-show performance for us.
Kelly: Let's head down that way right now. Priscilla?
Priscilla: Thank you.
I am so honored to introduce this next performer.
He's the voice behind the hit single "Pray for You."
And now he's back with a brand-new release.
Put your hands together and welcome to the stage
the one and only Matt Stell as he performs "One of Us."
Matt Stell: ♪ One of us got his number ♪
♪ Hung up, bet he probably coulda made the big leagues ♪
♪ One of us dropped out, tenth grade ♪
♪ And he's 'bout to be a daddy next week ♪
♪ One of us wound up on a Greyhound bus ♪
♪ Sent him out of this one-horse town ♪
♪ He was gone about a year ♪
♪ And now he's sittin' right here with a beer right now ♪
♪ We all talk a little small town ♪
♪ Buncha raised-right 'round-here kids ♪
♪ Keepin' it country ♪
♪ We all know a little dirt road ♪
♪ 80-hour workload week never hurt nobody ♪
♪ One of us got a chain if you get stuck ♪
♪ One of us got a cooler full of cold Busch ♪
♪ In the back of his truck ♪
♪ And if that sounds like you ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
♪ Well, you might be one of us ♪
♪ One of us got hitched to a girl ♪
♪ He first met way back in fifth grade ♪
♪ One of us ain't got no settle-down in him ♪
♪ Probably never gonna change ♪
♪ One of us been gone since he got called home ♪
♪ Drove right off the road in his Chevy ♪
♪ Any one of us coulda been shotgun ♪
♪ So we drink one in his memory ♪
♪ We all talk a little small town ♪
♪ Buncha raised-right 'round-here kids ♪
♪ Keepin' it country ♪
♪ We all know a little dirt road ♪
♪ 80-hour workload week never hurt nobody ♪
♪ One of us got a chain if you get stuck ♪
♪ One of us got a cooler full of cold Busch ♪
♪ In the back of his truck ♪
♪ And if that sounds like you ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
♪ Yeah, baby ♪
♪ Well, you might be one of us ♪
♪ So raise 'em up ♪
♪ Raise 'em up ♪
♪ If it sounds like you ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
♪ Raise 'em up ♪
♪ If it sounds like you ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
♪ We all talk a little small town ♪
♪ Buncha raised-right 'round-here kids ♪
♪ Keepin' it country ♪
♪ We all know a little dirt road ♪
♪ 80-hour workload week never hurt nobody ♪
♪ One of us got a chain if you get stuck ♪
♪ One of us got a cooler full of cold Busch ♪
♪ In the back of his truck ♪
♪ And if that sounds like you ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
♪ Yeah, baby ♪
♪ Well, you might be one of us ♪
♪ You might be one of us ♪
Priscilla: Matt Stell, everyone! That was awesome.
Oh, my gosh. Matt: Thank you.
Priscilla: So I am a huge Matt Stell fan.
I think we all are.
And he's played shows all over the place.
What is your favorite thing about performing live?
Matt: Oh, man. Definitely the energy from the crowd.
Man. Yeah, it's the best part.
Priscilla: And they brought it. Matt: Absolutely.
Priscilla: So we love that.
Everyone, give it up for Matt Stell!
Thank you. Back to you.
Amber: We've got The War and Treaty joining us.
Kelly: Yes! Tanya, Michael, how are you?
Tanya: We're doing great again. Kelly: Again!
We got to hang out with them last night on Twitch.
Amber: That's right.
Kelly: We were chatting it up with y'all.
Tanya: Yes.
Kelly: Walking in here. Nominated for duo of the year.
We've seen that video. It's gone viral, when y'all found out.
Tanya: Oh, my God...
Kelly: How are you feeling tonight?
Tanya: Speechless. Amber: Yes!
Tanya: Speechless.
Just riding up and coming out and walking up here
with my husband, it's absolutely amazing.
Amber: This is like the ultimate date night.
Tanya: Isn't it? Kelly: Yeah!
Amber: It's like this is an epic, epic date night.
Tanya: It really is. We had two separate trailers,
and I was like, "He can't see the bride yet.
He can't see the bride." Amber: Oh, he's got to look...
Kelly: I know. He's laughing about it. He's like, "I saw."
OK, performing tonight. Michael: Yes.
Kelly: Tell us what you're performing.
Michael: We're performing our song off our newest release
called "Blank Page."
We're extremely excited about it,
and I hope everybody likes it.
Kelly: What is it about music that you
have just been drawn to as a couple?
Because I know you were talking about this last night,
how you're using it to transform lives.
Michael: Yeah, I love the fact that music can heal
and music can build bridges.
Like The Judds' song says,
"Love Can build a bridge, so can music."
And I believe that that's what we're doing with our music,
and we're honored.
Amber: You do it so well. You do it so well.
All, everybody here loves you so much.
Michael: Aw.
Kelly: Yes. Amber: Us included.
Kelly: Big fans. OK, who are you most excited to see?
If there's somebody you can run into on this red carpet,
who is it gonna be? Tanya: Oh, my God.
Dolly Parton! Amber: Yes!
Tanya: I said it, I said it. Michael: Luke Combs.
Amber: Ooh! Kelly: Oh! OK. Hang out.
We're gonna see if you guys run into them.
It's so good to see you. Tanya: Thank you.
And y'all look beautiful. Kelly: Congratulations.
Amber: Have a wonderful night. Tanya: Thank you.
Kelly: The War and Treaty.
Breland: We are back on the carpet
with "Mr. Saturday Night" himself, Jon Pardi.
You always bring the energy. Jon Pardi: Let's go.
Breland: Two-time nominee tonight.
How are you feeling, man? Jon: I feel great.
You know, Just out here working, out here talking,
having some drinks.
Elaina: That's all you can do, right?
Jon: Oh, my God, man...
Elaina: And being super hot, I'm sure.
Jon: I'm not too hot. Elaina: That's good.
Jon: The bus AC worked really good on the way over here.
Elaina: Good! Well, one of the awards you are up for is
album of the year. Jon: Yeah.
Elaina: And that is such an insane category
to actually get into.
How does it feel for you? Jon: Oh, it feels great.
You know, we worked really hard on the record.
We work hard on every record.
We try to make the best records, cut the best songs.
And so to get a nomination is always wonderful.
Breland: You also are coming off the heels
of a very exciting announcement,
having just been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, man.
I got to see that moment happen in real time last week
at Stagecoach. How did that feel?
Jon: It was awesome. That was a big surprise.
I didn't-- I didn't see it coming.
I, like, literally wondered why Guy Fieri was--
he was onstage. I was like, What's Guy doing on here?
But Guy pulled it off,
and Alan Jackson had a great video.
Stagecoach was rocking. They went crazy,
and a wonderful night, a night I'll never forget.
Let's put it that way. And I love the Opry.
They've been great, so excited to be a member.
Elaina: Well, congratulations on everything happening
in your world right now. Jon: Thank you.
Elaina: Jon Pardi, you have a fun time celebrating tonight.
Jon: Hey, you have fun, too.
Kelly: Kane and Katelyn Brown with us on the carpet right now.
You guys look stunning.
First of all, tell us who you're wearing.
Katelyn: Alexander Wang. Kelly: Beautiful.
You look gorgeous. Amber: Gorgeous.
Katelyn: Thank you.
Kelly: And tell us who he's wearing, or do you know?
Kane: I think Givenchy. Uh...
Kelly: Uh-huh. See? That's what I was afraid of. Ha ha!
Kane: I think. Amber: Well, it looks great.
Kane: I just--I put it on. Amber: It looks great.
Kelly: That's right. You guys look fantastic.
Katelyn: Thank you.
Kane: I was right. I was right. Amber: You were right.
Kane: I was right... Amber: See? He knows.
Kelly: All right. Walking in here, nominated many times over.
Your first ACM nomination. Katelyn: Yes.
Kelly: How are you feeling about it, mama?
Katelyn: I'm super excited.
I think it's gonna be such a fun night.
And I'm like, I can't even believe that, you know,
this is our life right now, so it's cool!
Amber: Well, the song is incredible.
Kane, we got to see you at Stagecoach.
Kelly: Oh!
Amber: We were backstage hosting all weekend,
but we snuck out. Kelly: Yes.
Amber: We're like, We gotta be in the front for Kane.
Your new single, "Bury Me in Georgia," is
one of my absolute favorites, which is saying a lot,
'cause I'm from Florida. Kelly: Yeah.
Amber: So it feels kind of weird singing that song,
but I love it so much.
Why did you pick that as your new single?
Kane: I just felt like, coming from, like,
such a sweet, sensitive song-- "Thank God"--
we had to bring something with some energy afterwards,
and it was the most energetic of the last singles
off my album, so I love it.
Amber: It gets us going.
Kelly: Nominated for entertainer of the year.
What would it mean to you to win?
Kane: Oh, man, it'd mean the world to me.
I ain't getting my hopes up, but it'd mean the world to me.
Kelly: You're already a winner. You got her with you all night.
Kane: Right, right?
Kelly: We love you guys. Congratulations.
Amber: Thank you so much for stopping by. We appreciate it.
Kelly: Kate and Katelyn Brown.
Elaina: Hold onto your hats, and get ready
for an adrenaline-fueled ride with Prime Video's
newest docu-series show, featuring
the most dangerous 8 seconds in sports, bull riding.
Breland: "The Ride" follows
an ensemble cast of bull riders and coaches
throughout the PBR Team Series as they navigate
the league's inaugural 2022 season.
Take a look.
Man: This bull riding stuff is mostly mental.
Right before you're gonna get on,
your mind's gonna tell you you can't do it.
But no matter how scared you are,
you saddle up and get on anyways.
Man 2: Professional bull riding has always been
an individual sport.
Now in the Team Series, the accountability to others
is going to change the game.
Man 3: There's high expectations.
They want to be the best.
Man 4: All the guys that came before me,
I just wanna do it bigger and better than they did.
Announcer: Folks, here we go!
Woman: There's not another sport
that comes with this amount of danger.
Man 5: These guys have families, wives, and kids.
Man 6: There isn't one time I don't pray before he gets on.
Woman 2: These guys care for each other.
Man 7: When something happens in our sport,
we just pull together.
Man 8: It comes down to this.
Coach: Go take it right here. Go take it!
Man 9: Whoo!
Man 10: I look myself in the mirror, and I'll say,
"You can be a champion, and you-ing ride."
Breland: And with us now are Ezekiel Mitchell
and Eli Vastbinder from "The Ride."
How you guys feeling? Ezekiel: Good. How are you?
Breland: Ezekiel, what do you love most about this sport?
And how do you find the strength to ride
week in and week out, knowing that you're risking your lives
every time you step on that bull?
Ezekiel: You know, this is the most unpredictable sport
I've ever seen or experienced in my whole entire life.
So it's just a daily challenge
of just trying to push through adversity
and outdo these animals. Breland: Amazing.
Elaina: And, Eli, 2022 marked
the first year of the PBR Team Series.
How does this change the way you approach riding,
and what was the hardest part for you
to adjust to under the new team format?
Eli: Yeah, it's completely different than what we've
ever been used to, so it was a lot to get used to,
and, you know, just the fact that we're relying on teammates.
That was the biggest thing I had to get used to.
So, yeah, it's a big deal, and it's going to take over.
Elaina: Mm. Well, tune in.
Thank you for joining us, and enjoy the show.
You can catch all eight episodes of "The Ride,"
when it premieres May 30th exclusively on Prime Video.
Amber: This red carpet is heating up, and so are things
from the Kendra Scott Fan Pit.
Kelly: Hey, let's take a look at
some of our favorite looks of the night so far.
Everybody looks fantastic,
but especially our girl Mickey Guyton. OK!
Amber: Mickey came to play. Kelly: Yes, she did.
I am loving all of it. It's got the bling.
It's got the stripes. It elongates.
Amber: I like the top knot!
Kelly: Come on, Mickey! Ohh, she never disappoints.
Amber: She looked fantastic. Kelly: Oh...
Amber: OK. This is Kelly's fave. Kelly: This is my fave.
I love you, Keith Urban.
Nicole just looks always stunning.
She never misses. That color is so perfect on--
look at him giving her her moment.
Amber: I know. I know. Lainey. That green.
Kelly: Stunning.
Amber: And she's always got her signature bell bottoms on.
Don't worry, y'all. We saw this fit top to bottom.
Kelly: Those are bell bottoms. Amber: They are.
Kelly: She looks amazing.
"Bell Bottom country," looking good! And the hat!
Amber: And the embellishment on the sleeve.
We got that in common tonight. Kelly: Uh-huh.
She looks fantastic. Amber: Look at her!
And it's a cape. OK.
We talked about this man.
Amber: We got the man!
It's her first time walking the carpet with her man.
That's Duck Hodges. He played for the Steelers.
I'm a big Steelers fan, so, I'm very happy about that.
They look adorable. Kelly: We were very happy
that she got to bring him because she's
not done that yet. Amber: Yes!
Kelly: So that's really special.
Amber: You guys,
if you're watching on Amazon live, remember,
you can shop all the fashion trends
in the livestream Carousel.
Don't forget about that.
And talk to us and tell us which looks you love.
Same thing with Twitch.
Stay in those comments. We love seeing it all.
Kelly: And remember, QR codes.
You got them right there. Scan it.
Listen to the music before you shop for more styles.
It's all right there. All right.
Elaina and Breland, what you got?
Breland: We have with us here Cody Johnson,
Texas personified, here in Dallas.
Good to see you, buddy. Cody Johnson: Man. You guys too.
Thanks for having me.
Breland: How does it feel to have four nominations?
Is that correct? Cody: Three.
We already lost one. We found out last night.
But it's amazing, man.
In 2020--I said this wrong yesterday
in all my interviews.
I was like, it was my first ACMs.
I got nominated for new male vocalist two years in a row,
and then we haven't been back since, so I completely forgot.
So I said that wrong.
To everybody yesterday, I said that wrong. But, yeah.
Elaina: Well, we're here now and all ready to celebrate,
and you're going to be performing.
But a cover, not one of your own songs,
"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys."
Why that song?
Cody: Honestly, if we're just being real, if there's one guy
in country music that can sing
"Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," it's me.
I live every day... Elaina: Ain't that the truth?
Cody: I live every day as a cowboy on the ranch at home,
so I thought--you know, and that's why I kind of just
didn't even dress up tonight.
I was like, I'm gonna wear what I would wear to work.
Breland: I love it, dude. You look great.
Cody: Thank you.
Breland: Congratulations on all the success, man.
I'm a huge fan of your song "Human."
Is that, like, a super meaningful song to you?
Cody: It is, man. And when you put out
a song like "'Til You Can't" that did what it did,
it was such a blow-up,
such a viral blow-up all over the world, man.
I wanted to follow up with something
that really spoke the same language.
And, you know, if you come to one of my live shows, like,
we'll have 20,000 people, and I'll say,
"How many people are seeing me for the very first time?"
And 98% of the crowd raises their hand.
And I thought, you know what?
It's a good time to remind us we're all human.
If you're just now meeting me, no matter who you are,
no matter where you come from, we're all human.
So to have it in the top ten is huge.
Elaina: Well, we love to see it. Congratulations on everything.
Cody: Thank you.
Elaina: Cody Johnson, you have a great time tonight.
Cody: I'm going to.
Kelly: Our homecoming queen has arrived.
Well, Miranda Lambert, it's good to see you.
Miranda Lambert: Good to see you.
Kelly: How does it feel to be doing this in Texas?
Miranda: It's great. We're home. Kelly: You're home.
Miranda: Yeah.
Kelly: You actually popped in home at the Pink Pistol.
Miranda: I did. I was in Lindale for a couple days,
and now we're in the metropolis of Frisco, Texas.
Kelly: What do you think so far
of all the things that are happening at ACMs? Pretty cool?
Miranda: It's good. Yeah. Kelly: We like it here.
Amber: You're no stranger to this.
Miranda: No. Amber: No stranger.
You are performing "Carousel" tonight on the show.
What does this song mean to you? Miranda: I love this song.
It's one of my favorites,
maybe one of my favorites I've ever written.
It's definitely in the top five,
so I'm just glad it gets a moment, you know?
Kelly: The most nominated ACM person in history,
with over 50 nominations.
You knew that, though, right, that stat?
Miranda: Pretty crazy. Kelly: It's pretty crazy.
Miranda: It's pretty crazy. Kelly: But now we get to add
"New York Times" bestselling author
with the cookbook "Y'all Eat Yet?" Congratulations.
Miranda: Thank you very much.
Kelly: Where were you when you found out about it?
Miranda: I was at home in my PJs--ha ha!--
which is a great place to be.
Amber: Always the best story
if you find out when you're home in your PJs.
Kelly: OK. Which is more satisfying?
Number one song or "New York Times" Best Seller list?
Miranda: Um, man, that's a hard one.
I guess I will say number one song
because I'm a musician, but I'm really happy about the book.
It's amazing.
Kelly: Well, it's out of nowhere.
You know, you think about it
and you put this out and you're like,
That's not something I normally would have.
So congratulations. Miranda: Yeah. Thank you.
Kelly: And up for entertainer of the year.
That's going to be a big one?
Miranda: It's a big one always to just be in that category,
you know? And I missed it last year.
It's my first time to ever miss, and I won, so...ha ha!
Amber and Kelly: The reigning...
Kelly: ACM entertainer of the year, Miranda Lambert.
Elaina: Oh, we are here with Jo Dee Messina,
and I feel like I'm going to have to hold Breland up
because the coolest thing just happened.
What did you do when you walked up here?
Jo Dee Messina: ♪ Don't touch my truck ♪
♪ Whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo ♪
My kids. I'm like,
you don't know how many hours I spend rocking out in the car
to your music! It's so funny.
Breland: I'm freaking out
because I've been rocking out to your music for years.
I'm so happy to meet you. Jo Dee: I'm happy to meet you.
Breland: How are you feeling? You look amazing.
Jo Dee: I feel great. I feel great.
Breland: Yeah. Jo Dee: Yeah, it's all fun.
It's all for fun tonight. I love it.
Elaina: It really is going to be a fun night.
I mean, you're nominated, and you're also getting to sing
one of your biggest hits in a new way.
Jo Dee: Yes. Yes!
Elaina: I mean, what has it been like to watch the song
get a second life? Jo Dee: It's great.
I just saw the writer, Tim Nichols,
one of the original writers
of "Heads Carolina, Tails California" come through,
and he's so excited.
So I love to see the joy, like, in him.
And then, you know, Cole is just having such a blast.
And I told Cole, I'm like, "Don't get--like,
"you got to remember this moment.
Don't stress over it, you know? Just remember it..." because--
what a great night. He's going to have a hot night tonight.
Cole Swindell. Yeah! Breland: Oh, definitely.
Definitely. Here's my question to you,
because you've been out here for some time.
And my question is, What's your advice
for an up-and-coming artist like me?
Because you've been here before.
Jo Dee: You? Breland: Yeah.
Jo Dee: Keep doing what you're doing. Ha ha!
My kids love it. We love it. Breland: Thank you.
Jo Dee: Don't sell out who you are just to be famous.
Breland: Thank you. Jo Dee: You know what I mean?
Be who you are and don't sell out just because you
want that next number one record or whatever.
I mean, there's a lot of people telling us in this industry
what to do and how to be and how to act.
And just be you because you are so beautiful.
Isn't he so beautiful? Elaina: Amen.
Well, we are just so excited for you.
Jo Dee: Thank you.
Elaina: We'll get you a picture with Breland,
but go have fun in there tonight.
Thank you for stopping by. Breland: Have a great night.
Jo Dee: Thank you.
Luke Combs: Feel sweaty, you know.
Amber: Here with five-time ACM nominee Luke Combs.
Kelly: Whoa!
Luke: How are y'all? Kelly: This is so special.
I know that there are a ton of them that you're nominated for.
Which one would mean the most to take home tonight?
Luke: Oh, God. I mean, you know, album would be really cool.
Entertainer, obviously, is sweet, but anything, you know?
It's like, fun being here, having a good time.
Kelly: You also get to perform tonight.
Luke: I do? Yup, yup. Kelly: You gonna tell us
what you're performing? Is it a secret?
Luke: Yeah, I'm doing "Love You Anyway."
It's going to be good.
Kelly: That's the one you let the fans choose.
Luke: Yeah, I did. I did. Yeah. So excited about it.
It sounds great. Rehearsals were great.
Kelly: But "5 Leaf Clover" is still in there
because that was the other... Luke: Good one.
Kelly: option. Luke: That's a good one.
Kelly: I voted "5 Leaf Clover." I'm just saying.
OK, OK. I'll take it into consideration.
Kelly: If you want to throw that in as an encore.
Luke: I'll just do two performances.
I'll just keep going. Amber: Two.
Luke: Yeah. Kelly: Man, you just did
back-to-back sold-out shows... Amber: That's right.
Kelly: at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
Luke: Mm-hmm. Kelly: You were there.
Amber: And I was there. And I was singing so loud...
Luke: Good, good. Amber: So loud. So proud.
I do want to ask, should you win tonight,
do you prepare a speech or do you wing it?
Luke: I never have before. I haven't. So, no, I did not.
I was thinking about that earlier.
It kind of stressed me out.
I was like, Oh, my God. what if I win something?
What the hell am I supposed to say? What do I say?
Kelly: Thank Nicole, your wife...
Luke: For sure. For sure.
Kelly: who is six months' pregnant and looks fantastic.
Luke: Definitely do that... Kelly: Don't forget that.
Luke: She does look great. She's over here somewhere.
She looks wonderful. Kelly: Listen, we love you.
We love what you're doing. And we are so happy for you.
Luke: I appreciate it, guys. Thank y'all.
Kelly: Luke Combs, everybody.
Kelly: The most nominated artist walking in tonight.
Hello, Lainey Wilson. How are you?
Lainey Wilson: My hype girls, my hype girls every time.
Kelly: We love you. Amber: We added some people
to our hype squad. Lainey: I see that.
Kelly: OK. You have been all over the place tonight.
You get to perform not once but twice. Doing "Grease"?
Lainey: Whoo, girl! Now we cooking with grease.
Kelly: Now we cooking with grease.
And you're also doing something special.
Are you allowed to say who it's with?
Lainey: I can't. I can't. Amber: Secret.
Kelly: OK. It's a surprise. Lainey: It is a surprise.
I want to tell you because I am so excited about it.
But you're going to be like, "Wow!"
Kelly: I'm pumped about all of it.
Lainey: With a dear friend of mine.
Kelly: Oh, it's going to be good.
Amber: You've won ACMs in the past.
We're thinking you're going to take home some more tonight.
Lainey: I hope you're right, girl. Speak it.
You know, we all about that manifesting.
Amber: We are... Kelly: We do.
Lainey: We're manifesting it right now.
Kelly: Speak it into existence. Which one would mean the most?
And I know that it's really hard to choose
because you're nominated for so many.
Lainey: That's hard. But I will say--and I know I've
told you all this before, but album of the year for me
would feel like a win for, I mean, my producer, my team,
my songwriters, the musicians who played on my record.
You name it, that would feel like--a big win for everybody.
Kelly: "Bell Bottom Country." show us the "Grease" moves.
You got the pants on. Amber: There she goes.
There she goes. Kelly: OK, she's got it.
We love you, Lainey Wilson. Amber: We love you, girl.
Lainey: I love y'all so much. Amber: Have so much fun tonight.
Kelly: We love you.
Breland: We are here on the carpet
with the swaggiest woman in country music, Lily Rose...
Lily Rose: What's up, y'all? Hey, it's good to see you guys.
Elaina: It's good to see you. I hear you've already
been having a good ol' day here in Texas.
Lily: I mean, when the weather's nice--
it was supposed to rain today--
you got to have a couple beers, right?
Elaina: Yes. Lily: That was fun.
Elaina: Then it makes the carpet a lot more fun, doesn't it?
Lily: Absolutely.
You guys have had a long day, so you're killing it.
Breland: Now, Lily, you've had an incredible year.
Obviously, you've just recently gotten married.
Congratulations on that. Lily: Crazy. Yeah. Thank you.
Thank you. Breland: But you're also
dropping some of the hottest tunes of the summer.
You and Diplo have a tune that just came out.
How does that feel? Lily: It's pretty wild.
You know, so many red carpets over the years
asking dream collaborations.
He's always been on my list.
So for it to come to fruition, it's like we manifested it, so--
Breland: You got to speak it. Lily: Come on, dude.
It's a fun song, and we're having a good time with it.
Elaina: How did it come to fruition?
Lily: Yeah, when I signed my record deal
2 1/2 years ago, they sent me, like,
a whole list of outside songs,
and "Sad In the Summer" was on there.
It was just a little guitar, vocal,
and put my voice on it two years ago,
and it's finally out in the world.
Elaina: Two years?! Lily: A long, long time.
Elaina: Yeah! Then this is a celebration at this point.
Lily: So we're very happy it's out.
Elaina: Yeah.
Breland: What can people expect from you?
I know that you and I have this in common,
going out on the road with Shania Twain.
Lily: Come on, dude. Yeah.
I'm going to see you at the Nashville show. I can't wait.
Breland: Definitely. Lily: But, yeah,
going on the road with Sam Hunt and Shania Twain after that.
So it's going to be a wild year. It's going to be awesome.
Elaina: Well, Lily Rose, you are absolutely crushing it.
Have fun tonight, and thank you for stopping by.
Lily: Hey, y'all, too. Love you guys.
Breland: Have a good one.
Kelly: We love Lily Rose!
Amber: Oh, we love her so much. Kelly: Yes.
Amber: We have got time for one more performance.
So let's head on down to the stage with Priscilla Block.
Priscilla: They say that blondes have more fun,
and you've got to believe that's true
when you see these two sisters perform.
The song they're about to play is huge.
And the video has already been viewed 15 million times!
You're going to see why in a second.
Here is Tigirlily Gold
with their intoxicating hit "Shoot Tequila."
Kendra: ♪ You've always been a whole lot of trouble ♪
♪ But it's the kind I like getting in ♪
Both: ♪ So we might as well make it a double ♪
♪ Yeah, you know how the two of us get ♪
♪ We're dancing on the bar ♪
Kendra: ♪ Ain't a pretty sight ♪
Both: ♪ And I'mma blame you ♪
♪ When you get us in a fight ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ I didn't want to see you ♪
♪ But I love the taste of you on my lips ♪
♪ 'Cause after one or two, I feel you ♪
♪ You get me in the mood ♪
♪ To move my shake, shake Shakira hips ♪
♪ I know I shouldn't do it ♪
♪ But I don't remember why ♪
♪ Such a bad influence ♪
♪ But you're looking good tonight ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ You're good at what you do, tequila ♪
Kendra: ♪ And it goes like ♪
Both: ♪ 1 tequila, 2 tequila ♪
♪ 3 tequila, more ♪
♪ If I had a little sense, I would have stopped at four ♪
♪ Instead of cursing your name on the bathroom floor ♪
♪ Swear to God I won't drink tequila no more ♪
♪ But Mama didn't raise no quitter ♪
♪ Giddyap, light 'em up, knock 'em back ♪
Kendra: ♪ Throw back ♪
Both: ♪ Por favor, can you pour a little quicker? ♪
♪ 'Bout to cut a rug, call my ex ♪
♪ Talk some trash ♪ Krista: Whoops.
Both: ♪ We be getting' loco everywhere we go, go ♪
♪ Is the problem you or me? ♪
♪ I don't know ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ I didn't want to see you ♪
♪ But I love the taste of you on my lips ♪
♪ 'Cause after one or two, I feel you ♪
♪ You get me in the mood ♪
♪ To move my shake, shake Shakira hips ♪
♪ I know I shouldn't do it ♪
♪ But I don't remember why ♪
♪ Such a bad influence ♪
♪ But you're looking good tonight ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ You're good at what you do, tequila ♪
Krista: Come on!
Kendra: ♪ And it goes like ♪
Both: ♪ 1 tequila, 2 tequila ♪
♪ 3 tequila, more ♪
♪ If I had a little sense, I would have stopped at four ♪
♪ Instead of cursing your name on the bathroom floor ♪
♪ Swear to God I won't drink tequila no more ♪
Kendra: Come on!
ACM! Whoo!
Kendra: ♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
Krista: While we're in Texas...
Kendra: ♪ We might as well ♪
♪ Shoot tequila ♪
Both: ♪ Yeah-eah ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ I didn't want to see you ♪
♪ But I love the taste of you on my lips ♪
♪ 'Cause after one or two, I feel you ♪
♪ You get me in the mood ♪
♪ To move my shake, shake Shakira hips ♪
♪ I know I shouldn't do it ♪
♪ But I don't remember why ♪
♪ Such a bad influence ♪
♪ But you're looking good tonight ♪
♪ Ah, shoot, tequila ♪
♪ You're good at what you do, tequila ♪
♪ And it goes like ♪
♪ 1 tequila, 2 tequila ♪
♪ 3 tequila, more ♪
♪ If I had a little sense, I would have stopped at four ♪
♪ Instead of cursing your name on the bathroom floor ♪
♪ Swear to God, I won't drink tequila no more ♪
Priscilla: Tigirlily Gold! Wow. Texas loves y'all.
Krista: Well, we love Texas, OK?
Priscilla: All right. So, y'all, clearly you're sisters.
You've been singing together forever. Let's have some fun.
Who's the troublemaker here? Krista: Ooh.
We actually have a younger sister named Carly.
Shout out to Carly. But she's not in the band
because she is the troublemaker of the sisters.
Priscilla: She is?
She would definitely be getting y'all into trouble. I love it.
Y'all give it up for Tigirlily Gold.
Back to you.
Amber: Oh, I just love Tigirlily Gold.
Kelly: They sounded so good! Amber: Those girls are so great.
Kelly: And they looked amazing.
We're going to show you some of our favorite looks so far.
This has been an incredible carpet.
So much color on the carpet! Amber: Mm-hmm.
Kelly: Bright, vibrant jewel tones,
including Miranda Lambert.
She walked in with this blue number on,
and we all went, "Hello!" Amber: Stopped in our tracks.
Kelly: I said it, and I mean it,
The homecoming queen came back to Texas.
Amber: Yes, she did.
A "New York Times" Best Seller.
Kelly: That is so cool. Yes.
She's got this brand-new cookbook.
"Y'all Eat Yet?" is the name of it.
And it's already landed
on the "New York Times" Best Seller list.
Amber: I just feel like she's just, like, an ACMs queen.
Like, she is also reigning entertainer of the year.
Kelly: Reigning entertainer of the year
and also the most nominated artist in history,
over 50 ACM nominations.
Amber: That is great. Kelly: Look at that dress.
It's a moment. She is telling him, like,
she's like, "Come on over here, honey.
Amber: "Come over here." Kelly: "Give me a squeeze."
Amber: They look so good together.
Kelly: Another couple that we saw,
Jason Aldean and Brittany. They come in looking good.
Brittany always does the slicked back,
sleek look great. Amber: Uh-huh.
We've seen a lot of party ponies tonight.
Kelly: A lot of party ponies. Yes.
Amber: A lot of party ponies, but hers is sleek.
Again, another bright color.
Kelly: I love the feathers. Amber: Me, too.
Kelly: The feather detail.
Amber: And then Jason's jacket.
Kelly: I mean, that's a little different take on the collar.
Amber: Yeah. Kelly: And I really dig it.
He is more rock and roll than he is fashion.
We know him well.
Oh, there she is.
Kelly: Oh, she is stunning as always, Carly Pearce.
What did we call ourselves? We look like a...
Amber: gradient. Kelly: gradient color.
When we were standing next to each other.
You had on red, I have on hot pink,
She has on, like, a tangerine.
It was gorgeous. Amber: Beautiful.
Kelly: We've had such a great time.
And the show is about to start, y'all.
You don't want to miss a minute.
So if you're watching us on Prime Video or Twitch,
stay right here.
If you're watching anywhere else,
head on over, Amazon.com/ACM to watch the livestream for free.
Amber: Next up, Dolly and Garth
and the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards.
But before we head inside, we want to thank
Elaina Smith, Breland, and Priscilla Block.
Also, a very special thanks to Dalton Dover,
Matt Stell, and Tigerlily Gold
for bringing their music to our pre-party.
Kelly: And thank you to everybody
who came by to hang out with us.
Remember, the ACM Awards will be free to stream.
Tell everybody! Prime membership is not required
for this livestream.
Amber: The ACM Red Carpet, it's officially in the books.
Kelly: Yes! Amber: Yes!
And the ACM Awards start right now.
See you inside. Kelly: Bye!