Brothers Osbornes’ CMAs Win Means Even More This Year

As Brothers Osborne accepted their Vocal Duo of the Year trophy on the 2021 CMA Awards on Wednesday night time (Nov. 10), T.J. Osborne briefly mirrored on the journey the duo has been on over the previous 12 months, acknowledging that it has been a “loopy rollercoaster” in plenty of methods.

T.J. got here out as homosexual early in 2021, becoming a member of a very small group of overtly homosexual artists who’ve gained CMA Awards (Lil Nas X, Brandy Clark and songwriter Shane McAnally amongst them).

It wasn’t the primary time Brothers Osborne have gained CMA Vocal Duo of the Yr; they picked up the award in 2016, 2017 and 2018, too. However their 2021 win is especially particular to them as a result of this time round, they’re in a position to be fully open and free about who they’re. T.J. even brought his boyfriend to the present.

Backstage on the 2021 CMAs, the duo elaborated to Style of Nation and different retailers about how a lot it meant to them to win this award, with T.J. explaining that it felt like a message of assist and love from the nation music neighborhood this 12 months particularly.

“Once I got here out, I didn’t understand how that might be [received]. And naturally after that occurred, there have been plenty of constructive individuals giving me assist and loving me,” the singer recounts. “After which there was a component the place I used to be like — ‘Effectively, what does that imply? Is it a pat on the again, after which, like, goodbye?'”

However then, the 2021 Vocal Duo win was a powerful endorsement from the nation music neighborhood, he continues.

“To go up there tonight and see individuals actually and really meaningfully spend money on who we’re, supportive of what we’re doing and who we’re about, I believed, ‘Okay, this isn’t a pleasant, ‘I really like you’ textual content, that is individuals actually wanting to choose us up and carry us on.’ So that is what I really feel like tonight was,” he says.

“Out of all of the loopy s–t on this world that is occurring proper now that will get plenty of consideration, one thing very constructive occurred tonight,” provides T.J.