Devin Dawson got the surprise of a lifetime when he saw his name listed as a nominee for ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year. As first reported by Taste of Country, Dawson was just coming down from his performance high on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon when he saw his name listed on an email from the Academy of Country Music.

"I woke up early because I knew [the nominations] were coming out," Dawson tells Taste of Country Nights' Sam Alex. "I just wanted to see which one of my friends were nominated."

Dawson explains that he wasn't expecting to be in the mix because his career is still in its early stages: "For me, my first album just came out, the single's in the Top 5 but hasn't run the bill yet, so it's really early on for me to expect a nomination — there wasn't any expectation at all," he goes on to say. "So I was just going to see what my friends got, and I see my name in New Male Vocalist of the Year, and I was just like, 'What?! Are you serious?'

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"It was one of those caught-me-off-guard, almost speechless moments ... I was scrolling down, and I was like, 'Wait. Does that say Devin Dawson?'" the "All on Me" singer elaborates.

Dawnson is nominated alongside Luke Combs, Russell Dickerson, Brett Young and Kane Brown. The 2018 ACM Awards are set to take place in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 15, and air live on CBS beginning at 8PM ET. The ceremony will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2018 ACM Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest ACMs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.

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