Megan Moroney, Nate Smith, Tigirlily Gold receive 'Best New Artist' ACM Awards

Even before hitting the red carpet at 2024's Academy of Country Music Awards show, a trio of performers with both instantaneous and long-standing Nashville impact have reached the pinnacle of breakthrough artistic acclaim.

On Tuesday evening, all bearing the same level of pure shock and deep appreciation, Megan Moroney, Nate Smith and Tigirlily Gold were awarded their ACM Awards for, respectively, being the Best New Female, Male and Duo or Group artists of the year.

For Moroney, it could be the first of six times she will receive an award in Frisco, Texas. On Tuesday, before being honored, she performed before a packed crowd outside of The Star, the Dallas Cowboys' practice facility that has been transformed into the venue hosting the 59th ACM Awards.

As she previously noted to The Tennessean, regarding her six overall nominationss, "the honesty and vulnerability" that has grown in her songwriting and storytelling in the past two years, as evidenced by her multiplatinum chart-topper "Tennessee Orange" and 2024's "No Caller ID," is now yielding results.

Tigirlily Gold's bubbling success with singles like "Shoot Tequila" has seen their decade-long grind from northern North Dakota's Winnipeg, Manitoba, border to playing at Dierks Bentley's Whiskey Row on Lower Broadway finally yield award-winning success.

And finally, the country music community is in "full recognition" that Tigirlily Gold is doing a great job and are worthy of much more," the duo's Kendra Slaubaugh said.

As for Nate Smith, his victory as the ACM's Best New Male Artist comes after the most mind-blowingly arduous circumstances.

Over the past decade, he's attempted (and failed) to have success in Nashville and witnessed his hometown of Paradise, California, nearly burn to the ground in a wildfire. Upon returning to Music City, with few other options available, he doubled down on the power of his praise and worship leader-empowered voice and improved his songwriting chops.

Between 2023 and 2024, his singles "Whiskey on You and "World on Fire" spent three months at the top of Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

"Touching lives and souls is amazing. I'm glad that people are accepting what I'm attempting to accomplish," Smith said to The Tennessean.

"I'm just trying to make the kinds of songs that I want to listen to with melodies that grab you, explosive choruses you want to sing — all of these things matter to me."

The 59th Academy of Country Music Awards show is scheduled for Thursday at 7 p.m. CT, streaming live from Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas, on Amazon's Prime Video.

Luke Combs leads with eight nominations, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, and Music Event of the Year alongside Riley Green for their song "Different 'Round Here."

Morgan Wallen, 2023's ACM Male Artist of the Year, has received six nominations and tied Combs for receiving nods in the most categories, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year for Billboard's all-genre Hot 100 chart-topper "Last Night."

Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Wilson received five nominations each, followed by Jelly Roll and Jordan Davis with four nominations. Jelly Roll is a 2024 Entertainer of the Year nominee among others.

Post Malone and 2022 New Male Artist of the Year Parker McCollum have been announced as joining Jason Aldean, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson as solo performers. The event's host, Reba McEntire, will also take the stage as a vocalist.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACM Awards: Megan Moroney, Tigirlily Gold, more win AMC awards