Jimmie Allen And Gabby Barrett Announced As ACM’s 2021 New Male & Female Artist of The Year

The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards are quickly approaching and the Australian Heartthrob, Keith Urban is surprising nominees a few days early with life-changing news. On Thursday, April 8 Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett received a personalized video card from Urban announcing that they earned the title of “Male and Female Artist of The Year.”

“We are thrilled to present Jimmie Allen and Gabby Barrett with their first ACM Award wins. Jimmie and Gabby have experienced tremendous success at both Country Radio and streaming already, and we are proud to recognize them for such an extraordinary start to their careers,” says Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. “A huge congratulations to each of them for this well-deserved win, and to all of our nominees for being recognized for their incredible contributions to Country Music,” he adds.

The competition for “Male and Female Artist of The Year” was stiff, as Allen was up against Travis Denning, Hardy, Cody Johnson, and Parker McCollum. Now, the “I Hope” singer was face-to-face with talented women like Ingrid Andress, Tenille Arts, Mickey Guyton, and Caylee Hammack.

When Allen received the virtual message from Keith Urban, he screamed “Stop playin!” and tossed the card on his studio soundboard. In fact, he couldn’t believe his eyes and had to go back and watch the video again.

Congratulations to @JimmieAllen on being named ACM New Male Artist of the Year! 👏

Watch to see how Jimmie reacted when he got the news from #ACMawards host @KeithUrban!

📆 Jimmie will be performing at the #ACMawards on Sunday, April 18th on @CBS—don't miss it! pic.twitter.com/8Zb9gK4436

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) April 8, 2021

While Barrett’s emotions took over, she soon realized why her husband, Cade Foehner encouraged her to do hair and makeup for the special day. Her reaction was genuine, real, and dare we say adorable!

Congratulations to @GabbyBarrett_ on being named ACM New Female Artist of the Year!✨#ACMawards host @KeithUrban surprised her with the news—watch to see her adorable reaction!

📆 Don't miss Gabby's performance at the #ACMawards on Sunday, April 18th on @CBS! pic.twitter.com/Jk49priFD1

— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) April 8, 2021

The two winners are among the 25 musicians who will perform at The 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on April 18 from iconic venues – the Grand Ole Opry, the Bluebird Café, and the Ryman Auditorium.