Thomas Rhett reminisced on a milestone moment that he sweetly shared with his wife, Lauren Akins, nearly a decade ago.

Rhett took a stroll down memory lane as he rewatched the moment he won the Academy of Country Music Single of the Year award for “Die A Happy Man.” That moment took place at the 51st ACM Awards in April 2016 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Academy of Country Music introduced a new series called ACM Firsts as they count down to the milestone 60th ACM Awards this spring. The series features artists watching and reflecting on some of their earliest moments at the ACM Awards.

Fellow country artist Jake Owen revealed Rhett as the winner of the Single of the Year category in 2016. Rhett beamed as he leaned on his wife’s shoulder, kissed her and made his way to the stage. He said as he made his acceptance speech, “my heart is beating a million miles a minute, and I have lipstick on my lips from kissing my beautiful wife.”

Rewatching that moment today, Rhett smiled and revealed, “I still have that photo of me putting my head on my wife’s shoulder. It’s hanging up in our bathroom. I remember that moment because me and Lauren were walking into the ACMs that night, and I was looking at her, and I was like, ‘do you think we’re going to win?’ And she was like, ‘it doesn’t matter.’ That’s kind of always been her mentality. It doesn’t matter. Like, you were nominated. That’s a huge win in the first place. And like, when Jake said my name that night, that was a very pivotal moment in my career because ‘Die A Happy Man’ sort of was that song that, you know, I’d had hits before that, but I think that moment in time, it was where people got to know me and they got to know my wife, and they got to know kind of our story. And, yeah, that moment right there is, will forever be — if you were to ask me, ‘when did you know that things were starting to work?’ It would be in that moment right there.”

Rhett’s latest album to release is About A Woman, a 14-track record that serves as a tribute to his life with Akins. Rhett and Akins met in elementary school. They dated briefly in high school, and remained friends after they broke up. They rekindled their romance when they reunited at Akins’ sister’s graduation party, and Rhett popped the question after six months of dating. The couple got married in October 2012. now, they’re parents to four young daughters: Willa Gray, 9, Ada James, 7, Lennon Love, 5, and Lillie Carolina, 3. Rhett is gearing up to take his music on the road on his “Better In Boots Tour,” which includes Tucker Wetmore, The Castellows and Dasha on select dates. See the dates below.

The 60th ACM Awards will take place on May 8, 2025. Reba McEntire is returning to host Country Music’s Party of the Year for her 18th time, more than any other artist. McEntire previously confirmed that the 2025 show will take place again at the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

“Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show!” Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside previously said in a statement. “Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we’re thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas next May for an unforgettable week!”

Rhett is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Brooks & Dunn, Cole Swindell, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

Chris Marino