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Gabby Barrett is a 2021 Billboard Music Award winner!
The country star took home her first-ever Billboard Awards on Sunday, winning Top Country Female Artist, Top Collaboration and Top Country Song, and she gave an emotional acceptance speech celebrating her massive year.
“I’m gonna try to keep together, as best I can,” Barrett laughed as she held back tears. “I wasn’t supposed to mess up my makeup, so I gotta play it cool now.”
“This means so much to me,” she continued. “I’ve been performing for 10 years, really hard…we’ve worked so hard to get here.”
Barrett also thanked her family, husband Cade Foehner, their daughters, her team, and, of course, her fans.
“Thank you, guys, so much. You make dreams come true, this has changed my life forever. I’ve never done this before…thank you, thank you, thank you!”
Barrett talked to ET about her whirlwind year of success ahead of the BBMAs, saying the ride has been “overwhelming, but in the best way.”
“This is one of those things where it’s hard to put into words because it doesn’t really feel real. When you work for so long towards something and it actually happens, it’s hard for me to switch gears because I’ve just been in the mode of trying to get to these places, getting on the award, and getting number one songs. Now that you’re actually at the pit stop, ‘We’re here, we’re making a stop.’ It’s like ‘Whoa!’ It’s really cool.”
Barrett hit the ground running after finishing third on “American Idol”‘s season 16 in 2018. In October 2019, she and Foehner, who also competed on “Idol”, got married. They welcomed their daughter, Baylah, on Jan. 18, of this year.
“I had no idea this was going to happen. Ever since getting off ‘American Idol’ and hitting back at the ground, moving to Nashville and diving into everything and working hard to get a record deal, writing songs, and really getting into the community, the music industry has been absolutely wonderful towards me,” she shared. “Which is extremely humbling. I’m very blessed for that.”
“It has been a crazy roller coaster the past three years,” she added, noting that she’ll be “flying on cloud nine for a bit.”
See more in the video below!
MORE FROM ET:
Gabby Barrett on Breakout Year, Motherhood & Taking Baby on the Road
Billboard Music Awards 2021: The Complete Winners List
Gabby Barrett and Jimmie Allen Crowned ACM New Artists of the Year