Jimmie Allen may have struggled to find the words to express his gratitude for his latest award nomination, but the “Freedom Was A Highway” artist succeeded in a heartfelt message he wrote on his social media channels. Allen is nominated in the Outstanding New Artist category for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards. He’s in good company with Cynthia Erivo, Saweetie, Tems and Zoe Wees. When he shared the news, Allen admitted he “can’t find the words to describe the amount of gratitude, feelings of being seen and appreciated that comes with this nomination” from the Image Awards. Then, he reflected on a moment with his dad and thanked others for their support:

“When I started my journey in country music, my father told me in the beginning this is bigger than me. All I have ever wanted to do is create music I love and show people of color that Country Music is space we can enjoy also. Thank you country radio and country music family for supporting me and my music. Thank you to my team for working so hard to create opportunities to make what we are doing visible. ✊🏽🖤”

Hosts Kyla Pratt, Tinashe, and Marcus Scribner announced the nominees via the NAACP Image Awards’ social media channels on Tuesday (January 18). The show, hosted by Anthony Anderson, will be held without an in-person audience because of COVID-19 precautions. It’s set for February 26 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET. See the full list of nominees here.

Amy James