Blanco Brown ‘Felt Magical’ Returning to ACM Awards After Motorcycle Crash

Blanco Brown served as a presenter at the ACM Awards on Sunday night, making his first public appearance since he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident last fall. The 36-year-old hit the stage early in the show, presenting the award for Vocal Group of the Year to Old Dominion.

“I felt magical,” Brown told PopCulture.com and other outlets in a virtual press room backstage of his return. “I can’t wait to get back on stage and perform for the first time, and just to be on stage with the lights and having something to do. Purpose over everything is what I express myself all the time and to others. So it’s just a blessing.” On Aug. 31, Brown was involved in a motorcycle accident near his home in Atlanta and suffered “significant injuries” that required him to undergo a 12-hour surgery.

After spending nearly an entire month in the hospital, Brown has been in rehabilitation and shared that he is “coming along.” “I’ve been blessed,” he expressed. “I’m still rehabbing four to five times a week, and just building my strength so I can keep it going.” Through it all, the “The Git Up” singer has had the support of the country music community, something he’s feeling grateful for.

“I had so many people reach out personally, and people reach out to my label and check on me all the way through the process,” he shared. “Personally Jimmie Allen, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban. I mean, it’s just been a blessing. Tyler [Hubbard] from Florida Georgia Line, and the list goes on, man. It’s just, I mean, I’m speechless. I’m grateful.”

Amid his recovery, Brown celebrated a major professional achievement when his collaboration with Parmalee, “Just the Way,” went to No. 1. “To go through what I went through at the time I went through it, I want to say there’s no better time than to be down,” he reflected, explaining that due to the pandemic, he wasn’t missing as much amid his recovery as he might have been during a previous year. “There was not a lot going on in the world, so thankfully it happened around the time it happened, and not later or earlier. I’m blessed, I just take every day with stride and to have a number one in the midst of rehabilitating, just the biggest blessing ever. And just to have people cheer you on. I love it.”