The nominations are in for the 55th annual CMA Awards.
This year, Eric Church and Chris Stapleton lead the pack with five nominations apiece, including Male Artist of the Year and the night’s highest honour, Entertainer of the Year.
The moment we've all been waiting for… congratulations to all of this year's #CMAawards nominees! β¨
Watch Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 8/7c on @ABCNetwork as winners are revealed LIVE on Country Music's Biggest Night! https://t.co/PymLma7xTd pic.twitter.com/jQIMdby2dF
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) September 9, 2021
Other top nominees include “American Idol” alum Gabby Barrett with four nominations, followed by Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, and Chris Young, each earning three nods.
Lambert remains the most nominated female of all time with a total of 58 and is now tied for third in overall nominations ever.
RELATED: Kane Brown Sings βWhat Ifβ With 6-Year-Old Fan During North Dakota Tour
First-time nominees include “Almost Maybes” singer Jordan Davis, “Black Like Me” hitmaker Mickey Guyton and Maren Morris’s singer-songwriter husband Ryan Hurd, among many others.
Notably, Kane Brown also received his first-ever CMA nomination after being snubbed in years past.
Combs, Lambert, and Carrie Underwood join Church and Stapleton with nominations in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category, which was claimed by Church in 2020.
The #CMAawards ENTERTAINER of the Year nominees are…
β¨ @EricChurch
β¨ @LukeCombs
β¨ @MirandaLambert
β¨ @ChrisStapleton
β¨ @CarrieUnderwood pic.twitter.com/I5FvRyJQ9j— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) September 9, 2021
βThis year, we have the opportunity to honour the superstars, new artists and emerging creators who are paving the way for country music,β says CMA chief executive officer Sarah Trahern. βThese nominees exemplify the creativity, passion, and heart that make our country music community unlike any other genre. The breadth of voices is evident in this yearβs nominations, and we could not be more thrilled to celebrate our deserving nominees in November!β
The 55th annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
See the social media reaction from the nominees below.
See the full list of nominees below.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Famous Friends” β Chris Young with Kane Brown (Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young; Mix Engineer: Sean Moffitt)
“The Good Ones” β Gabby Barrett (Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale; Mix Engineers: Chris Galland, Manny Marroquin)
“Hell Of A View” β Eric Church (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
“One Night Standards” β Ashley McBryde (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
“Starting Over” β Chris Stapleton (Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“29” β Carly Pearce (Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Jimmy Robbins; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore)
“Dangerous: The Double Album” β Morgan Wallen (Producers: Dave Cohen, Matt Dragstrem, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome and Joey Moi; Mix Engineer: Joey Moi)
“Heart” β Eric Church (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
“Skeletons” β Brothers Osborne (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
“Starting Over” β Chris Stapleton (Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton; Mix Engineer: Vance Powell)
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Forever After All” β Songwriters: Luke Combs, Drew Parker, Robert Williford
“The Good Ones” β Songwriters: Gabby Barrett, Zach Kale, Emily Landis, Jim McCormick
“Hell Of A View” β Songwriters: Casey Beathard, Eric Church, Monty Criswell
“One Night Standards” β Songwriters: Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde
“Starting Over” β Songwriters: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Gabby Barrett
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Carly Pearce
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady A
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
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Buy Dirt” β Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan, Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
“Chasing After You” β Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris, Producers: Aaron Eshuis, Teddy Reimer
“Drunk (And I Donβt Wanna Go Home)” β Elle King & Miranda Lambert, Producer: Martin Johnson
“Famous Friends” β Chris Young with Kane Brown, Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
“Half of my hometown” β Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney), Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Ross Copperman, Jimmy Robbins
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jenee Fleenor, fiddle
Paul Franklin, steel guitar
Aaron Sterling, drums
Ilya Toshinskiy, banjo
Derek Wells, guitar
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Chasing After You” β Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris, Director: TK McKamy
“Famous Friends” β Chris Young with Kane Brown, Director: Peter Zavadil
“Gone” β Dierks Bentley, Directors: Wes Edwards, Travis Nicholson, Ed Pryor, Running Bear, Sam Siske
“Half of my hometown” β Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney), Director: Patrick Tracy
“Younger Me” β Brothers Osborne, Director: Reid Long
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jimmie Allen
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Mickey Guyton
HARDY