Jason Aldeanis the man of the night!
The country star, 42, received the Dick Clark artist of the decade honor at the2019 Academy of Country Music Awardson Sunday, during which he performed a medley of some of his biggest hits through the years — including a duet withKelly Clarksonof their song “Don’t You Wanna Stay.”
In a brief but earnest acceptance speech, Aldean acknowledged the A-list talent watching him in the audience (“I look out and I see a lot of artists out here that have had a hell of a decade,” includingLuke BryanandCarrie Underwood) and he thanked the loved ones who have supported him.
“My wife, I love you, my family, my mom and dad [who] are here,” he said.
He also shouted out his fans and country music radio for helping give him “one of the proudest nights of my life.”
“You guys have changed my life forever,” he said.
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’sfull ACM Awards coverageto get the latest news on music’s biggest night.
Kevin Winter/Getty
Catching up with PEOPLE on the red carpet earlier in the night, Aldean admitted that it felt “a little weird” to be receiving the honor.
“I don’t feel like I’ve been around long enough to get something like that,” he said. “And on the other hand, I look back and I’ve been coming to these for about 15 years now. It’s exciting, it’s a really big night for me — not only me but my crew and everyone who’s been with me for 14, 15 years. It’s exciting.”
Only five artists have ever received the artist of the decade award, which was renamed for Clark, a longtime ACM Awards producer and occasional host,after he died in 2012.
In addition to Strait, the previous honorees have been Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988 and Garth Brooks in 1998.
Jason Aldean and wife Brittany.Ethan Miller/Getty
When he learned he would be receiving the honor last month, the “You Make It Easy” singer said in a news release: “This is probably one of the coolest awards I’ve ever been given. My heroes are on this list, something I can’t really even wrap my head around being a part of. But man, I’m proud to be getting it — it’s for everyone who stuck with us and supported us through the years.”
Navy makes six at Aldean and Brittany’s household alongside 16-month-old sonMemphisand Aldean’s daughtersKendyl, 11, andKeeley, 16, from a previous marriage.
Jason and Brittany Aldean.
The four-time Grammy nominee recently spoke to PEOPLE about his decade-plus in country music.
“It is a business but a fun business,” he said. In addition, the star shared some sage advice to aspiring singers.
“It can be great,” he said. “It can also rip you apart at times. So my biggest thing would be stay focused and keep your eye on what is important and stick to that, and hopefully you have a long career.”
The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards are broadcasting live from Las Vegas on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.
source: people.com
