Gabby Barrett scored at Billboard Awards with three wins, but that gold dress stole the show

Gabby Barrett had a stunning global introduction at Sunday's Billboard Music Awards where the rising country star was nominated for nine awards, taking home three.

Barrett tearfully accepted the top country female artist award, beating out country mainstays such as Maren Morris and Carrie Underwood.

"I'm gonna try to keep it together as best as I can… This is a really big deal," Barrett said from stage, visibly emotional. "This means so much to me."

The "American Idol" alum then broke into tears, adding that she and her team have been "working hard for 10 years" to get to the Billboard Music Awards.

"I wasn’t supposed to mess up my makeup. Now I have to play it cool," Barrett added. 

But it was the "Goldmine" singer's show-stopping Nicolas Jebran gold dress, with a train so long it required husband Cade Foehner to get it into perfect place onstage, that stole the show. 

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Barrett's stylist Tiffany Gifford explained the outstanding choice of dress for the "Goldmine" performer.

"It was the first dress she tried on and we knew it was the one. We really wanted to bring it and, as Gabby put it, 'Go BIG or go home' with the look," Gifford said in an email to USA TODAY. "We wanted to make a statement and do something to commemorate such a huge accomplishment in her career."

Before Barrett – and her larger-than-life dress train – could leave the stage, presenter Renée Elise Goldsberry stopped her, informing the country star she was also the recipient for top country song for "I Hope." The song's remix featuring Charlie Puth won top collaboration, her third award of the night.

"It's overwhelming but in the best way," Barrett told ET before the show. "This is one of those things where it’s hard to put into words, because it doesn’t really feel real."

"It has been a crazy roller coaster the past three years," she noted, adding that she'll be "flying on cloud nine for a bit."

The 21-year-old took to Instagram after Sunday's show to share her excitement. 

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY," she captioned the post. "Unbelievable. 3 awards??????????! Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m blessed beyond measure. A moment I’ll never forget!" 

Barrett and Foehner, two former "American Idol" contestants, met while competing in Season 16. The two announced last August they were expecting their first child together. 

They became engaged in March 2019 and married that October. Barrett became a first-time mother to the couple's daughter Baylah May Foehner, who arrived on Jan. 18.

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