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The War and Treaty made history with their first-ever Academy of Country Music Awards nomination in the Duo of the Year category. The Academy revealed 58th annual ACM Awards nominations on Thursday morning (April 13), and noted, among other highlights, that The War and Treaty’s nod makes them “the first Black duo to receive a nomination in the category.”
The husband and wife duo — Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — shared a video of their ecstatic reaction to the news on Instagram. They included a heartfelt caption that honored legendary artists and the team that helped them propel their career so far:
“Our first thoughts immediately went to Charley Pride, Deford Bailey and Ray Charles. Like are they dancing in heaven for us? Then we thought of the late Peter Cooper from the [Country Music Hall of Fame] who personally told us that he was looking forward to the day we’d be nominated for a ACM. Standing proud and humbled and honored this morning. Thank You to the ACMs, thank you Team War and Treaty, thank you all! To our fellow nominees without your inspiration and dedication to the art that is country music you don’t get The War And Treaty! Thank y’all”
“We burst into tears, we screamed, we yelled, we high-fived, we hugged our manager, Christina,” Michael reiterated, per the duo's record label. “In our minds then traveled back in time and forward. We traveled to Charly Pride, DeFord Bailey and Ray Charles, and we were like, ‘I hope they’re seeing this wherever they are,’ and I hope they’re dancing and high-fiving as well. Thank you, ACMs.”
The Duo of the Year category also includes Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay and Maddie & Tae. Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks are set to co-host the star-studded event, hailed as Country Music’s Party of the Year. See the full list of nominees here.
The War and Treaty, founded in 2014, released their latest album in March. Lover’s Game is a 10-track project that Michael explained will make the listener “feel the conviction of our voices and lyrical content behind these songs. For me that’s what matters most. …We are so amped up to release this body of work to the world. We’ve worked so hard on both the music and ourselves, and we are so pleased with the outcome.”
“It takes a lot of work,” Tanya added. “I don’t think people realize the work it takes to become the person you want to become. … We’ve had our fiery moments and we have our joy, but we always keep it focused. Love is the center of it all, and you’re going to have all these different elements in your relationship. That’s just how you grow and become stronger.”
The 58th ACM Awards will take place at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. It’s set for Thursday, May 11 at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT.