Hardy and Lainey Wilson Earn Music Event of the Year at the 2023 ACM Awards
Hardy and Lainey Wilson have been named the winners in the Music Event of the Year category for their hit duet "Wait in the Truck" at the 2023 ACM Awards. The two stars came together onstage to claim their trophy during the live broadcast of the show.
After making their way to stage with their collaborators, Hardy and Wilson gave their remarks about their win. Hardy began his speech by saying that he mistakenly "forgot to spit my dip out," and he then thanked Wilson for being a feature on the song.
"You absolutely killed it. There was never a doubt that you were the one to make people believe this song," he said. "I've said this in every interview that she sings this song with conviction, and it makes people believe it, and therefore, they resonate with it."
Wilson also thanked Hardy for inviting her to become part of something "so special."
"I didn't want people to relate to this song, but it's true, a lot of people do, so this one is for y'all," she concluded.
Competition was fierce in this category, with a number of powerhouse duets in the running Chris Young and Mitchell Tenpenny's "At the End of a Bar," Cole Swindell and Jo Dee Messina's "She Had Me at Heads Carolina [Remix]," Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown's "Thank God," Dustin Lynch and MacKenzie Porter's "Thinking 'Bout You" all scored nominations.
The Music Event of the Year trophy was awarded to the recording artists behind the songs, as well as the producers and record company involved.
"Wait in the Truck" is the chart-topping lead single off of Hardy's sophomore album, The Mockingbird & the Crow. A dark and sinister murder ballad that Hardy co-wrote with Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt and Renee Blair, the song tells the story of a man who finds a strange woman walking along a road in a small town one night. After learning that she has been abused by a partner, he goes to her abuser's house and kills him, and is then imprisoned for life for his crime.
The song has received significant awards show love since its release, and contributed to Hardy and Wilson being two of the most-nominated performers walking into Thursday night's ACM Awards ceremony. Before winning its latest trophy, the song had already been named Collaborative Music Video of the Year at the 2023 CMT Music Awards.
The 2023 ACM Awards took place at Frisco, Texas' Ford Center, and streamed on Amazon Prime Video, marking the second consecutive year since the show moved to a streaming-only format. Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton served as co-hosts; Parton has filled that role on several occasions, including in 2022, while Brooks' hosting gig marks his first time co-hosting any major awards show.