he 52nd CMA Awards will take place in Nashville on November 14th at Bridgestone Arena. For the 11th year in a row, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley will be hosting the show.
This morning from his new bar in downtown Nashville, Luke Bryan was joined by Sugarland, and Dan + Shay to reveal the nominees for country music's biggest night.
Chris Stapleton tops the list of finalists with five nominations. Producer and musician Dann Huff receives four nominations, the second most nominations this year, while nine artists garner three each—Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Dan + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Janson, Miranda Lambert, Midland, Thomas Rhett and Keith Urban.
A complete list of nominees are below.
2018 CMA Awards Nominees
Entertainer of the Year
- Jason Aldean
- Luke Bryan
- Kenny Chesney
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
Album of the Year (Awarded to Artist and Producers)
- From A Room: Volume 2 - Chris Stapleton
- Golden Hour - Kacey Musgraves
- Graffiti U - Keith Urban
- Life Changes - Thomas Rhett
- The Mountain - Dierks Bentley
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
- LANCO
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
Song of the Year (Awarded to Songwriters)
- “Body Like A Back Road” - Songwriter(s): Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
- “Broken Halos” - Songwriter(s): Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton
- “Drowns the Whiskey” - Songwriter(s): Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton, Josh Thompson
- “Drunk Girl” - Songwriter(s): Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas, Chris Janson
- “Tequila” - Songwriter(s): Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers
Vocal Duo of the Year
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Flordia Georgia Line
- Maddie and Tae
- Sugarland
New Artist of the Year
- Lauren Alaina
- Luke Combs
- Chris Janson
- Midland
- Brett Young
Single of the Year (Awarded to Artist and Producer)
- "Broken Halos" – Chris Stapleton Producer(s): Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton Mix Engineer(s): Vance Powell
- "Drinkin’ Problem" – Midland Producer(s): Dann Huff, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne Mix Engineer(s): Justin Niebank
- "Drowns the Whiskey" – Jason Aldean (Feat. Miranda Lambert) Producer(s): Michael Knox Mix Engineer(s): Jeff Braun
- "Meant to Be" – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line Producer(s): Willshire Mix Engineer(s): Serban Ghenea
- "Tequila" – Dan + Shay Producer(s): Scott Hendricks, Dan Smyers Mix Engineer(s): Jeff Juliano
Musical Event of the Year
- “Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne
- “Dear Hate” – Maren Morris (Feat. Vince Gill)
- “Drowns the Whiskey” – Jason Aldean (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
- “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – David Lee Murphy (with Kenny Chesney)
- “Meant to Be” – Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line
Music Video of the Year (Awarded to Artist and Director)
- “Babe” – Sugarland (featuring Taylor Swift) Director(s): Anthony Mandler
- “Cry Pretty” – Carrie Underwood Director(s): Randee St. Nicholas
- “Drunk Girl”– Chris Janson Director(s): Jeff Venable
- “Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett Director(s): TK McKamy
- “Tequila” – Dan + Shay Director(s): Patrick Tracy
Musician of the Year
- Jerry Douglas - Dobro
- Paul Franklin - Steel Guitar
- Dann Huff - Guitar
- Mac McAnally - Guitar
- Derek Wells - Guitar
The 2018 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 14, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
CMA AWARDS: The Breakdown
The nominations for the 52nd CMA Awards are in, and Chris Stapleton leads the way with five nods -- Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year for “Broken Halos,” Album of the Year for From A Room: Volume 2, Song of the Year for “Broken Halos” and Male Vocalist of the Year. This is the third consecutive time he's been in the running for Entertainer of the Year.
Jason Aldean is a contender in three categories. He's up for Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year with Miranda Lambert for "Drowns the Whiskey. Jason returns to the Entertainer of the Year category for the first time since 2015.
Dierks Bentley also has a shot at three awards. He's up for Album of the Year for The Mountain, Male Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year withBrothers Osborne for "Burning Man."
Dan and Shay have three nods -- Single and Video of the Year for "Tequila" and Vocal Duo of the Year.
Florida Georgia Line nabbed three nominations. They're up for Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year with Bebe Rexha for "Meant to Be" and Vocal Duo of the Year.
Chris Janson grabs his first CMA nominations. He'll be vying for New Artist of the Year and Song and Video of the Year for "Drunk Girl."
Miranda Lambert, who holds the distinction as the most awarded female in CMA history with 13 total wins, is up for Single and Musical Event of the Year for "Drowns the Whiskey" with Jason Aldean and Female Vocalist of the Year.
First-time CMA nominees Midland are up for three awards. They're in contention for New Artist of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year and Single of the Year for "Drinking Problem."
Thomas Rhett is also up for three awards -- Male Vocalist of the Year, Video of the Year for "Marry Me" and Album of the Year for Life Changes.
Keith Urban rounds out the top contenders with nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Graffiti U and Male Vocalist of the Year.
The 52nd annual CMA Awards ,hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, will air live from Nashville on ABC on November 14th.
Scott's Thoughts:
- Luke Bryan misses out on the Male Vocalist category once again. This is an award he really wants to take home someday.
- Also missing from the Male Vocalist category is Chris Young, who has been on a roll with hit singles and a headlining tour.
- Kane Brown, who made great strides in his career, didn't get a single nod.
- Kacey Musgraves for Female Vocalist of the Year? She hasn't had a hit in years. That spot should have gone to Lauren Alaina, who has had a banner year.
- Dustin Lynch deserved a spot on the nominees list. He didn't make the cut for the ACMs either.
- Carly Pearce, Russell Dickerson and Morgan Evans will have to wait until next year to find their spot on the nominees list.