Shaboozey picked up his first Grammy win on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 1), during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, when he won for best country duo/group performance alongside Jelly Roll (also picking up his first Grammy win) for their song “Amen.”
Taking the Grammys stage and holding back tears, Shaboozey presented a speech he had written, saying, “Dear God, I just want to say thank you. Nothing is possible without you, Your love and will preserves me through it all. I also want to thank my mother, who as of today, has retired from her job after 30 years working in the medical field as a registered nurse in the psych ward. She worked three to four jobs just to provide for me and my four siblings as an immigrant in this country. Thank you, mom.”
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He went on to thank many on his team, and then honored and recognized immigrants’ journeys, sacrifices and hopes, saying, “Immigrants built this country, literally. So this is for them. For all children of immigrants, this is also for those who came to this country in search of better opportunities, to be part of a nation that promised freedom for all and equal opportunity to everyone willing to work for it. Thank you for bringing your culture, your music, your stories and your traditions. You give America color, I love y’all so much. Thank you.”
Shaboozey also earned nominations in the best country song and best country solo performance categories, for “Good News.” Shaboozey has earned eight total Grammy nominations to date. His song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spent 19 nonconsecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, while both “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and “Good News” topped the Billboard Country Airplay chart.
The evening’s early country categories also saw Zach Top win his first golden grammophone, in the best traditional country album category, for his album Ain’t In It for My Health. Best country solo performance went to Chris Stapleton’s “Bad As I Used to Be,” from the F1 The Album soundtrack, while Tyler Childers’ “Bitin’ List” was named best country song.
See the full list of Grammys winners, updated live, here.
Watch Shaboozey’s full acceptance speech below: