Jason Aldean Named 2016 ACM Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean took home the trophy for Entertainer of the Year at the 2016 ACM Awards Sunday night (April 3). The award was presented to him by Tom Hiddleston, who plays Hank Williams in the upcoming biopic I Saw the Light.
Hiddleston took the mic to read the nominees and thanked the country crowd for letting him be a part of the event, at which the Brit said he felt like a guest. “You guys know how to have fun, thank you,” he said graciously before listing off the contenders, including Miranda Lambert, Luke Bryan, Eric Church and Garth Brooks.
Aldean was genuinely honored to receive the biggest award of the night, calling the ceremony “one of the best nights of my professional career." He thanked his family, label and several others before signing off with a sincere moment of gratitude toward the country community.
“I may be rough around the edges a little bit, but I love this business, I love the people in it, and I love the fans that support it,” Aldean declared. “Thank you very much. I appreciate it."
Aldean performed his latest single “Lights Come On” earlier in the evening, the lead-off track to his forthcoming seventh studio album, set to release this summer. The artist spoke about the tune recently as a tribute to the thrill of a live show.
“This song is all about that rush you can only get from stepping on stage and listening to fans sing along to every word. It’s about throwing the biggest party from the floor to the top of the rafters for all those people who spent their paycheck to come see us,” he said.
The singer has a few dates left on his We Were Here Tour with Thomas Rhett and A Thousand Horses, which wraps in May, and he has been announced as one of the headliners at CMA Fest this summer.
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