HARDY Thanks Fans ‘From The Bottom of My Heart’ Following Favorite Breakthrough Artist Win

It’s no secret that HARDY has had an incredible year and fans certainly recognized that as they voted him Favorite…

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Lauren Jo Black

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December 8, 2021

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7:53 pm

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It’s no secret that HARDY has had an incredible year and fans certainly recognized that as they voted him Favorite Breakthrough Artist at the inaugural Country Now Awards.

HARDY was crowned the winner of the Breakthrough artist category on Wednesday evening during the Country Now Awards livestream.

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Appearing from his tour bus, HARDY graciously accepted the award with a heartfelt speech.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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“Wow, you guys. Thank you so much. I think this is my first big award that I have ever won and I am so, so thankful and so surprised and truly from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you so much to the Country Now Awards and for everybody that voted for me for Favorite Breakthrough Artist,” the Mississippi native shared.

“Seriously, you guys are amazing and I’m incredibly thankful just to be accepted within the community of Nashville,” he continued. “I know I’ve been in Nashville for quite some time now, but I still feel like sometimes I’m still one of the new guys and so to be appreciated and recognized and even recognized enough to be voted for and then to win is such a huge honor, so seriously I’m so thankful.”

HARDY then shared an acoustic performance of his current single, “GIVE HEAVEN SOME HELL,” from his 2020 debut album, A ROCK.

 

 
 
 
 
 
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In 2021, HARDY’s career climbed to new heights, as he joined Jason Aldean on the Back In The Saddle Tour.

He’s gearing up to join Morgan Wallen on The Dangerous Tour in 2022.

On Friday, HARDY will release HIXTAPE: Vol. 2, a star-studded collaboration album featuring Ashland Craft, Ben Burgess, Brantley Gilbert, Brothers Osborne, Chase Rice, Chris Lane, Chris Shiflett, Colt Ford, David Lee Murphy, Dierks Bentley, ERNEST, Granger Smith, Jake Owen, Jake Worthington, Jimmie Allen, Jon Pardi, Josh Thompson, Justin Moore, Lainey Wilson, Larry Fleet, Lee Brice, Marty Stuart, Matt Stell, Midland, Morgan Wallen, Randy Houser, Rhett Akins, Ronnie Dunn, Scotty McCreery, Sean Stemaly, The Cadillac Three and Travis Denning.

Callista Clark, Drew Parker , Elvie Shane, Jameson Rodgers, Lainey Wilson, Matt Stell, Mickey Guyton, Parker McCollum, Priscilla Block, Restless Road, Tenille Arts, Travis Denning and Walker Hayes were also nominated in the category.

The Inaugural Country Now Awards streamed on Wednesday, December 8. The winners in the 14 categories were determined by fan votes placed between November 15 and November 30 on CountryNow.com. Over 1.1 million total votes were cast.

Hosted by Country Now’s Lauren Black, the Country Now Awards featured special appearances by Brantley Gilbert, Carly Pearce, Chayce Beckham, Chelcie Lynn (a.k.a. Trailer Trash Tammy), Elle King, ERNEST, Jameson Rodgers, Jimmie Allen, Kaleb Austin, Katie Austin, Kierra Lewis, Lindsay Ell, Morgan Wallen, and Walker Hayes.

George Birge, HARDY, Jameson Rodgers, Jimmie Allen, Lainey Wilson, Restless Road and Lily Rose also performed.

The Country Now Awards live stream was in support of the Love Music. Stop Cancer. Campaign to raise awareness and support for kids with cancer and other catastrophic diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. Visit musicgives.org to learn more about Love Music. Stop Cancer.

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Lauren Jo Black

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Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.