Michael and Tanya Trotter Reveal the Emotional Moment They Learned About Their ACM Nomination

The ACM Awards are here, and for husband-and-wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, better known as The War and Treaty, the night is bound to come with lots of emotions. The couple is taking the stage to perform, and they received their first nomination for Duo of the Year.

The War and Treaty has a high-energy, revival-style stage presence filled with passion and incredible talent. For their ACM performance, Michael promises fans can expect "beauty, power, and something of the great duos of the past, especially Conway Twitty and Miss Loretta Lynn or Mr. George Jones and Tammy [Wynette], or Johnny Cash and June Carter. And we hope to fall in line with some of the great duos ever, especially male and female duos."

Keep an eye on the red carpet and the stage to see what the couple will be wearing. Tanya promised that their stylist is pulling her out of her comfort zone with "some sparkly stuff, shiny dresses," and Michael said he's wearing something reminiscent of an outfit Dolly Parton once wore.

The War and Treaty is nominated alongside Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, and Maddie & Tae. The couple, who are the first Black duo to receive a nomination in this category, shared with Country Living the emotional moment they heard about the nominations. Michael explained that the news came as a complete surprise: "We weren't expecting it at all. We were watching as fans of the show and as fans of country music and fans of the artists that take up the country music mantle." He continued, "We were crying, we were jumping, we were high-fiving." Then they shared the news with their 11-year-old son Legend, who told them, "You're ready for this."

As music fans, Michael and Tanya, who have been married for 12 years, are eager to see other performers take the stage. Michael said he's looking forward to seeing Lainey Wilson, Jordan Davis, and Bailey Zimmerman. About Bailey, he said, "I got to see him rehearse, and holy crap. I love his song." Tanya strayed from the country music genre to say that she's looking forward to seeing Ed Sheeran's performance.

After the awards show, the couple is wrapping up their "Lovers Game" headlining tour this week, but they're not slowing down any time soon. Up next, they will join Chris Stapleton for stops on his "All American Road Show."

Chris's wife and bandmate Morgane approached The War and Treaty after their memorable CMA Awards performance in November, when they took the stage with the Brothers Osborne to perform "It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It)." Michael said, "When we were performing, if anyone was amped up, it was Morgane. When we came out into the audience, she said, 'We gotta tour together!' and Chris was like, 'Yeah, let's do it.'" Michael reports that country music legend Patty Loveless was nearby and said, "Now you hold them to it because I'm a witness."

Luckily, it didn't come to that! We can't wait to see what's next for The War and Treaty.

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