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Ashley Cooke wished she could share a message with her younger self after the Academy of Country Music revealed 60th ACM Award nominees on Thursday morning (March 27).
Cooke, who is currently on tour in Australia, is up for the New Female Artist of the Year honor during the milestone 60th show. The “your place” artist shared a video of the moment she learned she’s an ACM nominee on her social media accounts. Cooke noted that it was 11 p.m. in her time zone in Australia as she joined her band in their hotel room to hear the news together. She included her family via FaceTime, and the group cheered and celebrated when Cooke appeared among the New Female Artist of the Year nominees.
“Someone tell 11 year old Ash with her eyes glued to the living room TV screen dreaming alongside the award show broadcasts.. that she’s been nominated for ACM new female 2 years in a row,” the former iHeartCountry On The Verge Artist wrote in her caption on TikTok. “This is genuinely such an honor and it’s never lost on me that my peers and champions in this industry are the reason my name is on this list. thank you x12000.”
Some of the top nominees include Ella Langley (a first-time nominee and the most-nominated artist with eight nods), Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson and Chris Stapleton, among others. Sixteen-time ACM winner Reba McEntire is returning to host Country Music’s Party of the Year for her 18th time, more than any other artist. Blake Shelton, Eric Church, and reigning Entertainer of the Year Wilson will perform during the star-studded show, which will return to the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Other performers and presenters will be announced at a later date. See the full list of nominees here.
The 60th ACM Awards will kick off at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Thursday, May 8.