The ACM Awards are still weeks away, but several awards have already been handed out. This year, the winners for the New Artist categories have been awarded weeks ahead of the April 2 ceremony.
Maren Morris is taking home the award for Best New Female Artist of the Year, while Brothers Osborne won Best New Duo or Group of the Year. Jon Pardi also scored the Best New Male Artist of the Year award.
The early winners were caught off guard by the surprising news.
In Amsterdam playing a gig tonight & caught news that I won my first ever ACM for New Female Vocalist! Thank you so much @ACMawards ! ???
— MAREN MORRIS (@MarenMorris) March 14, 2017
They took to Twitter to share their excitement and congratulate one another.
WOW! This is freaking awesome!!! Thanks @ACMawards!!! https://t.co/RQroqgTfJx
— Jon Pardi (@JonPardi) March 14, 2017
And congrats to @JonPardi and @MarenMorris! They're some of our best friends on the planet and we love them dearly. Nobody deserves it more!
— Brothers Osborne (@brothersosborne) March 14, 2017
The New Artist winners will perform at the live televised show in April. The ACM Awards will also feature performances from Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line with the Backstreet Boys, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town.
Keith Urban led the 2017 nominations, after releasing his highly acclaimed Ripcord album last May. He garnered nominations in seven categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year for Ripcord, and Single and Song of the Year for "Blue Ain't Your Color."
READ MORE: Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and More to Perform at 2017 ACM Awards
Co-hosted by Entertainer of the Year nominee Luke Bryan and Dierks Bentley, the 52nd Academy of Country Music Awards will air live on CBS from Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena at 7 p.m. on April 2.
