Lauren Alaina has so much to be happy about, so naturally, she was crying when she came backstage after the ACM Awards on Sunday (April 15).

The reigning new female vocalist talked about how good it felt to finally be a legit part of the show; not just her part on the stage when she performed “What Ifs” with Kane Brown, but even earlier in the day when she took that coveted walk down the red carpet.

“I have never felt so loved in all of my life,” Alaina said backstage. “I’ve been out for a long time, and three years ago I couldn’t even walk the carpet. I wasn’t eligible to walk the carpet.”

It’s hard to believe that now, with the success of her second album Road Less Traveled, the 2017 follow-up to her 2011 debut Wildflower.

“I got to walk that carpet with pride, and hug everyone along the way. The love I’ve felt since I’ve been in Vegas has been unbelievable. I’m just really proud of my team. And we got a win. I’m gonna cry, always gonna cry,” she said as she was choking up again.

She also shared that the ACM’s entertainer of the year winner, Jason Aldean, has always been very good to her and that she cannot wait to get out on tour with him in May. Both because of the chance to play for a massive crowd, and because of that one little 20 lb. job perk.

“I hope that baby is at every show, because that’s my priority: playing with that baby,” she said of Aldean’s baby Memphis.

An all-new CMT Hot 20 Countdown, airing Saturday and Sunday (April 21-22) at 9 a.m. ET, will have more on all the action from the ACMs in Las Vegas.