Keith Urban Surprises Riley Green And Tenille Towns With ACM Artist Of The Year Wins

LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) — The Academy of Country Music revealed that Riley Green and Tenille Towns have been named the new male and female artists of the year for the 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

Green and Townes were each surprised with news of their wins during a video conference call that was crashed by country music legend Keith Urban, who filled them in on the details.

“I’ll always remember this feeling, standing here as a new artist,” said Townes. “I feel so honored and incredibly grateful just to be a part of this Country Music community that inspires me. Receiving this ACM Award feels like belief from that community, and that means so much to me.”

“When we had to come off the road back in March, I wasn’t sure what the rest of 2020 would look like,” said Green. “So much has happened in the world since then and I’m really excited to have a moment to play music again. My grandfathers’ love for Country Music is what led me to this moment and I have to dedicate this award to them. Thank you to everyone who believes in my music enough to let this boy from Alabama get to share his songs like this.”

This year’s ACM Awards are headed to Nashville for the first time in its history, and will be broadcast live on CBS on Sept. 16th from the Grand Ole Opry House, Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe.

The awards, which will take place sans audience, will feature performances, including both Towns and Green, with Keith Urban serving as the host of the festivities.