Lauren Alaina on ACM Awards New Female Vocalist Win: 'I Still Can't Form Words'

Lauren Alaina is still in shock over her recent ACM Award win for New Female Vocalist of the Year. [...]

By Gayle Thompson

Lauren Alaina is still in shock over her recent ACM Award win for New Female Vocalist of the Year. The 23-year-old found out when Reba McEntire called her, while Alaina was on her bus, to share the good news.

"While I'm sitting there getting ready on the bus, [my manager] Trisha [McClanahan's] phone rings," Alaina recalls. "I'm just getting ready, not paying any attention. She's talking on the phone and she says, 'OK, here she is. Lauren, there's a call for you.' She puts it on speaker, and I'm like, 'Hello.' And it sounds like Reba! She says, 'Tell me where you are,' and I'm like, 'I'm in Kentucky. Who is this?' She said, 'It's Reba McEntire calling to tell you you've won the ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year.'"

Alaina, who can be seen in the video bursting into tears upon receiving the good news, is still emotional over the career accolade.

"I can't still even form words," Alaina adds. "Honest-to-God, it's the most speechless I've ever been. I was on the phone with Reba McEntire and could not formulate words. I was really feeling dumb, but I sobbed. I've cried ever since. It's the biggest deal ever, and it's just an accomplishment because my peers voted for it and the people that I respect in this industry voted for it. It's like a different level of confirmation or something."

The Georgia native is currently serving as the opening act on Cole Swindell's Reason to Drink Tour, and will then join Jason Aldean on Aldean's High Noon Neon Tour, where Alaina looks forward to showing her former tour boss how she has evolved as an artist.

"I want to show him how much I've grown," says Alaina, who first joined Aldean and Luke Bryan on their co-headlining My Kinda Party Tour in 2012. "I don't know that he's seen me onstage since then. I want to be able to thank him for that growth because he set that up for me, teed that up for me to be able to grow and learn how to be on the road and how to be on stage. I'm excited. It's going to be a really big summer and I'm just really proud. I hope he brings that cute baby to every show."

Alaina was nominated in the category along with Danielle Bradbery, Carly Pearce and RaeLynn. Other early winners include Brett Young, who won New Male Vocalist of the Year, and Midland, who won for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.

The 2018 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 15, at 8:00 PM ET on CBS.

Photo Credit: Instagram/LaurenAlaina

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