Eric Church’s ‘Mr. Misunderstood’ Takes Early ACM Prize

Mark one down for the misfits, because Eric Church’s “Mr. Misunderstood” has been named ACM’s Video of the Year.

The singer-songwriter and his manager John Peets, who made his directorial debut on the clip with Reid Long, were surprised with the news during events leading up to the ACM Awards on Sunday. “Mr. Misunderstood,” the title track from Church’s latest album, evocatively depicted an outcast teenager who finds his salvation in rock & roll.

“It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe it all,” says Peets in the video below. “It’s crazy. We did this record, we did it all kind of secret and decided to make our video really quick. . .”

“It’s the cheapest video ever that ever won Video of the Year, I’ll tell you,” Church adds. “It’s just us!”

The album Mr Misunderstood was released as a surprise on the same night as the CMA Awards in November, with the teen from the video reading an announcement to press assembled backstage. Church’s current single is the redemptive “Record Year.”

Church is also slated to perform on the ACM Awards, where he is nominated for numerous honors including Entertainer of the Year and Album of the Year. The show airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena Sunday, April 3rd at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.