The nominees for the 53rd Annual CMA Awards are out, with Maren Morris leading the pack with six nods including Album of the Year for “Girl” and Female Vocalist of the Year. This is the first time a woman has lead the pack of CMA nominees since 2014 when Miranda Lambert earned nine.
Coming in a close second to Maren is Brothers Osborne with four, followed by Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood, who all nabbed three.
As for this year’s Entertainer of the Year category, Eric Church, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Carrie Underwood and Garth Brooks all received nods. For Garth this is his 13th Entertainer of the Year nod, putting him second behind George Strait who’s been nominated 19 times, while Keith is now in a tie for third with Alan Jackson, with each nominated 12 times. Garth is the record-holder when it comes to winning though, with six wins under his belt. And with Carrie's nod, it's the first time in two years that a woman has been recognized in the category.
- ONE MORE THING! And while the country charts may have rejected Lil Nas X’s“Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, the song did receive a CMA nod, recognized in the Musical Event category.
The 53rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Carrie Underwood, with Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, airs November 13th on ABC. Check out the nominations below.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Garth Brooks
- Eric Church
- Chris Stapleton
- Carrie Underwood
- Keith Urban
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
- “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne
- “Girl” – Maren Morris
- “God’s Country” – Blake Shelton
- “Millionaire” – Chris Stapleton
- “Speechless” – Dan + Shay
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- "Center Point Road" – Thomas Rhett
- "Cry Pretty" – Carrie Underwood
- "Dan + Shay" – Dan + Shay
- "Desperate Man" – Eric Church
- "Girl" – Maren Morris
SONG OF THE YEAR
- “Beautiful Crazy” Songwriters: Luke Combs, Wyatt B. Durrette III, Robert Williford
- “Girl” Songwriters: Maren Morris, Sarah Aarons, Greg Kurstin
- “God’s Country” Songwriters: Devin Dawson, Jordan Schmidt, Michael Hardy
- “Rainbow” Songwriters: Natalie Hemby, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
- “Tequila” Songwriters: Dan Smyers, Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Maren Morris
- Kacey Musgraves
- Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Dierks Bentley
- Luke Combs
- Thomas Rhett
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Lady Antebellum
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
- Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Florida Georgia Line
- Maddie & Tae
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Cody Johnson
- Ashley McBryde
- Midland
- Carly Pearce
- Morgan Wallen
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
- “All My Favorite People” – Maren Morris (feat. Brothers Osborne)
- “Brand New Man” – Brooks & Dunn (with Luke Combs)
- “Dive Bar” – Garth Brooks & Blake Shelton
- “Old Town Road (Remix)” – Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
- “What Happens In A Small Town” – Brantley Gilbert & Lindsay Ell
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne
- “Girl” – Maren Morris
- “God’s Country” – Blake Shelton
- “Rainbow” – Kacey Musgraves
- “Some Of It” – Eric Church
Source: CMA