Grateful and excited are common feelings when one receives an award nomination. However, another feeling that CMA New Artist nominee Bailey Zimmerman felt was "weird."
"It's something that I've never felt before," Bailey recounts to ABC Audio of the moment he found out about his nod. "It was super weird. It didn't feel like real life."
"We woke up and saw the news and people were calling me and I called my mom and it was sick," he recalls. "It's like, you just remember and flash back to all the work that's been put into it and all the people that have really cared about what we're doing and put so much love and effort into it."
Needless to say, it's been quite the journey for Bailey, which is why he's thankful for the recognition.
"It's just a big win for us, you know? Whether we win or lose, being nominated and acknowledged is all you can ask for," says Bailey, who already has four #1 hits under his belt.
"So, yeah! Let's freaking go!" he adds. "Like, we did it! Let's go!"
Will Bailey beat out fellow nominees Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Nate Smith, Zach Top and Mitchell Tenpenny for the CMA New Artist of the Year trophy? Find out when the 2024 CMAs air live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and stream the next day on Hulu.