Luke Combs, LANCO and Ashley McBryde Win Early ACMs

The Academy of Country Music revealed the winners of the new artist categories for the 54TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™, Country Music’s Party of the Year. Luke Combs, LANCO and Ashley McBryde have been named New Male Artist of the Year, New Group of the Year and New Female Artist of the Year, respectively. The winners each received a surprise phone call from 14-time ACM Award® winner, two-time ACM Entertainer of the Year and current ACM Award nominee Carrie Underwood, who won the 2005 New Female Vocalist category at the 2006 ACM Awards. (Watch above)

These awards mark the first-ever ACM Award wins for Combs, LANCO and McBryde. All three artists are also nominated in the Male Artist of the Year, Group of the Year and Female Artist of the Year categories, respectively.

Carrie Underwood and each of the new artist winners Luke Combs, LANCO and Ashley McBryde will all perform on the show, joining previously announced ACM Awards performers including Dierks Bentley, Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Kelly Clarkson, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Reba McEntire, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and George Strait along with ACM Dick Clark Artist of the Decade Award honoree Jason Aldean.

Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming week. The awards telecast, hosted by Reba McEntire, will air LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET / delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.