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Lainey Wilson has taken home the 2023 CMA Album of the Year, with her widely acclaimed project, Bell Bottom Country, earning the Louisiana native her first win in this category.
The ‘Watermelon Moonshine’ hitmaker began by underlining how grateful she is to her team, sharing, “Thank you to Jesus, thank you to my family, thank you to the fans, thank you to my record label...”
Lainey went on to stress her deep-seated devotion to country music, and shed some light on where her passion for the genre first arose, “My love for storytelling truly came from being from Baskin, a town of 200 people, where there's not a whole lot to do...” before recalling how friends would sit around the table and tell the same old tales over and over again, “[You'd] hear stories that make you laugh, make you cry, make you want to drink a beer - and that's what we wanted to do with this record”.
Luke Combs took the gong in this category last year, with the ‘Love You Anyway’ crooner earning the 2022 accolade for his celebrated, chart-topping project, Growin‘ Up.
The CMA Awards are always full the brim with surprises and exhilarating moments, but the 2023 instalment felt even more spectacular than usual, with a slew of country music heavyweights storming onto the stage, including Morgan Wallen, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Luke Combs and more.
In addition, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson and Mac McAnally teamed up for a spellbinding tribute to the late Gulf and Western pioneer, Jimmy Buffett, who died in September.
For Holler's full CMA Awards coverage, head here.
For more on the 2023 CMA Awards, see below:
