Nicolle Galyon Honored as 2023 CMA Triple Play Award Winner

Award winning songwriter Nicolle Galyon was honored with her second CMA Triple Play Award at last night's Nashville ceremony at Saint Elle. The coveted recognition, given to songwriters for writing three No.1 songs in a 12-month period, was given to Galyon for writing hit songs "Gone" (Dierks Bentley) and "half of my hometown" (Kelsea Ballerini).

As the sole female honoree, the award marks Galyon's second Triple Play recognition after first receiving the award in 2019. The recognition comes just days after Galyon notched her 10th No.1 song with "Thought You Should Know," which is now sitting atop of Mediabase's Country chart and spending its second week at the top of Billboard's Country Airplay chart.

"It's just so cool that we have an industry that recognizes songwriting," Galyon shared exclusively to American Songwriter. "I think this is going to be the last year that I'm the only [female awarded]. There are so many good ones coming up that are honestly just keeping me inspired. ... I feel like this is the last year that we're going to have this conversation."

Over her two decade-long career, songs written by the "hit tunesmith" (Variety) have amassed over 2B+ streams with songs like "Tequila" (Dan + Shay), "Automatic" (Miranda Lambert), and "I Quit Drinking" (Kelsea Ballerini, LANY). The recent CMA Triple Play recognition adds to the trailblazers growing list of accolades, which includes being a two-time ACM winner, a 2019 BMI Songwriter of the Year win, and nods from The Recording Academy, ASCAP, NSAI and many more.

This past summer, Galyon put her life story into a collection of songs with her strikingly personal debut album as an artist with firstborn. The deeply personal collection of music reveals her humble beginnings that led her to a life of striving for excellence, the struggle of only knowing half of her family tree, balancing motherhood and her career, and everything in between.

Combining her life experiences with her songwriting talent, firstborn serves as a musical memoir and fully realized artistic statement from one of Nashville's most successful songwriters. Released in July 2022 to critical acclaim, Forbes tapped it as "candid and vulnerable," while People praised it was a "musical masterpiece," and The Tennessean noted it was "a star-making statement all her own." Galyon went on to be named SiriusXM's "Highway Find" before going on to make her NBC TODAY show debut with "self care."

Galyon will join longtime friend and collaborator Walker Hayes as a special guest on his Duck Buck Tour on May 4 in her home state of Kansas at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita and on May 5 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo. Tickets available at www.walkerhayes.com.

Photo credit: Claire Schaper