Thomas Rhett truly was a star of the show at Sept. 16's ACM Awards.
Not only did the 30-year-old singer take home the Video of the Year trophy for his hit "Remember You Young," but he also won the top prize of Entertainer of the Year along with Carrie Underwood. In fact, this was the first tie ever for the honor. During a press room interview after the show, Rhett called the major moment "just mind-blowing."
"With our band and our crew and our management and everybody, we just put so many countless hours in, rehearsing and, you know, making our show as entertaining as it can possibly be," he said. "And so tonight, to get to share that with Carrie is absolutely a dream come true."
He also said being named Entertainer of the Year had been a top goal of his since day one. As he put it, "It made me feel like I'm not the new guy anymore if that makes any sense."
In the press room, he also raved about the upside to life in quarantine with his wife Lauren Akins and their three daughters Willa Gray, 4; Ada James, 3; and Lennon Love, 7 months.
"Honestly it's been such a blessing in disguise this whole year," the artist said. "I would say the first 30, 40 days into quarantine, I was kind of losing my mind going, 'I need to play a show. I need to write a song. I need to do something.' And then one day my wife looked at me and she said, 'Honey, you're not going to play a show this year. You just need to let it be, and relax and be with our family."
Rhett said "it's been really amazing to get to spend this much quality time."
"This is the most nights in a row I've ever gotten to put them to bed and wake up with them," he said. "We've actually been on a road trip the last few weeks together, and it's been absolutely amazing just to get to watch them grow up, you know? So as crazy and as weird as this year has been, that is definitely a silver lining, just getting to watch my kids grow and getting to be intentional with my wife. And then tonight is just such a crazy cherry on top."
To see the rest of the ACM Awards winners, check out the list here.
- Reporting by Alli Rosenbloom