Gabby Barrett Celebrated Her ACM New Female Artist Win by Changing ‘a Dirty Diaper’

Gabby Barrett and her husband, fellow artist Cade Foehner, teamed up at the 2021 ACM Awards to perform Barrett's latest No. 1 single, "The Good Ones," from Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. But it wasn't just her first time performing the song on the awards show's stage: Barrett explained during a virtual backstage press room that it was also one of the very first nights she's spend away from her infant daughter, Baylah May, who was born in January.

"Two days ago was [our very first time spending the evening away from her], but technically, yes. This is another evening that's very hard for me to be away from her," Barrett admits.

But the new mom has been quickly learning how to juggle mom life with life as a successful country artist, even more so that she's been named the ACM New Female Artist of the Year. Barrett got the news of her award ahead of Sunday night's show (April 18), and she celebrated the exciting news in a decidedly lowkey way.

"How I celebrated my win? I went back and changed a dirty diaper, that's what I did," Barrett says, laughing. "My life is just flipped upside down with my sweet little girl."

The "I Hope" star will have to learn how to take her mom act on the road soon enough, as she announced earlier in April that she's heading on tour this August in support of Thomas Rhett's Center Point Road Tour. In preparation, Barrett says that she's leaned on advice from her fellow touring moms, beginning with a female country superstar who's also served as a mentor for Barrett in terms of finding early success on American Idol.

"Carrie Underwood has been somebody who's been extremely nice to me — even when I was pregnant," she points out. "She's just awesome. She said, 'If you ever need any advice or whatnot, just let me know.' Of course I took her up on that, because I need all the advice I can have with babies. Anybody else that hears this, I would love some more advice and help on anything mommy-related."

Barrett says that she'll still lean on her touring essentials next time she goes out on the road, albeit with a little bit of a new mom twist.

"Three things I need to have on the road [are] chapstick, water and my [breast] pump," she says with a chuckle.

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