The Only Thing Better Than MGK’s Priceless Reaction to Winning a Country Award Was His Iconic Acceptance Speech After

mgk - Sun to Me (Zach Bryan Cover) [Live from Cheshire Cottage]

In 2023, Little Big Town hosted the inaugural People’s Choice Country Awards. One year later, the nominees and lineup look a little bit different. For instance, Beyoncé is this year’s second-most nominated artist after making a splash with her country debut, March’s Cowboy Carter. Additionally, rapper Post Malone snagged two of the eight nods for The Music Video of 2024. And Machine Gun Kelly, previously known for rap and pop-punk, made his pivot to country music official as he took the stage.

Machine Gun Kelly: “There’s Two Genres Of Music—Good Music and Bad Music”

Fittingly, Shania Twain hosted the second People’s Choice Country Awards ceremony Thursday (Sept. 26) from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. The pop-country queen knows a thing or two about successfully blurring genre lines. “I’ll be there as much to reunite with old friends as to thank Shaboozey for his vibe, which makes me smile daily,” the “Any Man of Mine” singer told The Tennessean.

Machine Gun Kelly will take the stage for a rendition of his John Denver-inspired collaboration “Lonely Road.” But before that, he accepted the Best Crossover Song trophy for the same track.

The “Bloody Valentine” singer seemed genuinely stunned to hear his name called. And he exuded genuine gratitude as he took the stage to accept the award.

“Country music, thank you for welcoming us into your house,” began MGK (real name: Colson Baker.) “I don’t view music in genres. To me, there’s two genres of music—good music and bad music.

“I think we’re in the good part,” he continued.

In his excitement, MGK nearly forgot to thank his co-collaborator, but quickly recovered. “We went from 10 years ago hating each other to elevating each other,” he said. “Comparison is the thief of joy. There is enough room on this couch for everybody. We found camaraderie in the chaos.”

The GRAMMY nominee, 34, wrapped up his passionate speech with a trip down memory lane. “Last year, I was right there, sitting in that seat,” he said, pointing, “watching my boy rocking that stage. And I was like, ‘Man, one day I hope we’re up there.”

“And we’re here!” he concluded, hoisting the trophy above his head.