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Parker McCollum could hardly believe it when Miranda Lambert surprised him with the news that he won this year’s Academy of Country Music New Male Artist of the Year award. McCollum got the news on a video call with Lambert, calling in from his mom’s house in Fort Worth. McCollum thought he was conducting a “last-minute” interview ahead of the ACM Awards, but he got some unexpected news instead.
“Are you serious?” McCollum said in disbelief. “I’m like, getting blurry vision right now. are you joking? You’re dead serious? I won?”
Lambert, who is nominated in several categories, assured the “To Be Loved By You” singer that he was the winner, and pledged to celebrate in person soon: “When I see you next, let’s toast and share a cold one because I’m real proud of you and so happy for you. …You’re killing it! You’re representing our state good for us.”
“This one’s for Texas, no doubt,” McCollum, a fellow Texan, agreed. “That is wild.”
McCollum previously introduced his first country single, “Pretty Heart,” in 2020 as a newcomer to the Nashville music scene. Since then, this year’s ACM New Male Artist of the Year has played at the iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One went down in Austin, Texas, including performing a star-studded guitar pull with Maddie & Tae and George Strait.
The 57th ACM Awards is set for Monday, March 7. Country legend Dolly Parton will host the show, along with last year’s New Female and New Male Artists of the Year, Gabby Barrett and Jimmie Allen. The two-hour “concert event of the year” will livestream commercial-free on Prime Video beginning at 8 p.m. EST. Watch McCollum’s reaction to winning New Male Artist of the Year here: