Morgan Wallen gets seven. Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton notch five apiece. But the real swing factor for the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards is brand-new country force and first-time nominee Post Malone, who pulls in four nominations—in Song, Single, Video and Musical Event—for “I Had Some Help,” his exuberant duet with Wallen.
At a time when country is facing an inflection point with new media, outlier artists having an impact and criticism for its lack of diversity, Malone—along with Shaboozey, who scores nods for Best New Artist and Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”—represents the hip-hop integration of Music Row. Intriguingly, both artists have spent time around Nashville and the country-music rooms, demonstrating a willingness to be part of the genre’s creative community.
It's hard to argue with the infectiousness and impact of both songs. Clearly roots-dependent, both “Help” and “(Tipsy)” brought hip-hop influences and country flair to a place where their commingling felt fresh, free and almost organic. All these factors explain why voters voted for the two artists and their songs.
Wallen, alongside collaborators Louis Bell, Charlie Midnight and Hoskins, who each score nods for Song, Single and Musical Event, really benefited from the Posty wave. The Teflon superstar, who’s spent his summer in stadiums, also scored an Entertainer, Male Vocalist and second Musical Event for “Man Made a Bar” featuring Eric Church, demonstrating the breadth of recognition the East Tennessean has achieved.
Johnson, the staunch Texas traditionalist, whose classic American-values ode “Until You Can’t” won 2022’s Single and Video of the Year, earns his third Male Vocalist nod, while also being nominated for Album for Leather, Single for “Dirt Cheap.” In addition, he and director Dustin Haney snagged Video nods for “Dirt Cheap” and “The Painter”; both songs are also nominated for Song of the Year, honors that would go to writers Josh Phillips and Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins and Ryan Larkins, respectively.
Stapleton’s presence remains ubiquitous. The 21-time CMA winner, whose previous kudos include seven Male Vocalist and three Album of the Year scores, appears in Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Album for Higher and Song and Single for “White Horse.” The fiercely soulful songwriter has forged a space based on creative standards that defy standard Nashville hit-brokering. Like Willie Nelson, his gift transcends conventional wisdom—and the voters continue to recognize his Southern-rock/bluegrass/songwriting-driven hybrid.
Lainey Wilson, who swept the 2023 CMAs, winning Entertainer, Album and Female Vocalist, plus Music Video and Event for “Wait in the Truck” with HARDY, receives nominations for Entertainer, Single (“Watermelon Moonshine”), Video (“Wildflowers and Wild Horses”) and Female Vocalist, which she’s won the last two years. A voice for hardscrabble working-class people, especially women, Wilson has always been more country than most, and voters have responded to her singular look and style.
Scoring three major nominations—Entertainer, Male and Album—for Whitsitt Chapel, last year’s Best New Artist Jelly Roll continues to be recognized for both his music and live performance. With “Need a Favor” earning 2023 Single and Video nods and “Save Me” with Wilson earning a 2023 Musical Event nom, Jelly Roll is establishing a far-reaching, Merle Haggard-esque impact.
Two-time Entertainer, Album and Male Vocalist winner Luke Combs returns in all those categories this year. A powerhouse vocalist who shares a populist’s worldview in his music and approach to fame, Combs represents the Everyman of the flyover with his strong sense of humor and embrace of how good life can be.
Intriguingly Golden, Texas’ free-spirited hippie cowgirl Kacey Musgraves, who won Female, Album, and New Artist earlier in her career, returns to country prominence with nominations for Female, Album (Deeper Well) and Vocal Event (“I Remember Everything” with outlier Zach Bryan). The singer/songwriter’s willingness to embrace progressive realities in her work previously earned her Song and Video awards for “Follow Your Arrow” and “ Rainbow.”
Megan Moroney, the most-nominated female at this spring’s Academy of Country Music Awards, also earns a trifecta. Another young woman who shatters molds with tongue-in-cheek/chic humor, Moroney lands spots in the Female, Best New and Music Video categories for her high-concept song “I’m Not Pretty.”
Female Vocalist has hit a watershed moment. Musgraves, Wilson, Moroney, Kelsea Ballerini—who’s also nominated for Vocal Event with Noah Kahan—and Ashley McBryde all represent a new wave of female artists who deliver highly personal, unvarnished truths that exist outside of radio expectations.
Best New Artist also ranges wide this year. Whether it’s the record-shattering, hard-emo Nate Smith, the songwriter royalty Mitchell Tenpenny, Every (Young) Dude embodiment Bailey Zimmerman, fast-emerging Zach Top, Moroney or Shaboozey, every nominee has delivered a sound and perspective immediately recognizable on the radio and the festival stage.
Beyond Shaboozey’s well-deserved double, which levels up country and the Hot 100 from the outside in, three singles need to be, yes, singled out. George Strait acolyte Parker McCollum’s Song nomination for “Burn It Down” continues to stress the Texas country artist’s commitment to growing as a writer; penned with The Love Junkies, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, it contained emotional complexity at its core.
The Red Clay Strays bring big outlier energy to their first Group nomination. Joining Old Dominion, Little Big Town (both six-time winners), Zach Brown Band and Lady A. The alt/Americana-leaning road dogs score a moment for red-dirt bands chasing the dream.
Fast-rising sensation Ella Langley brought in Riley Green for her plucky “you look like you love me,” which blew up through streamers and is now conquering radio, earning the newcomer her first CMA nomination, for Vocal Event. It’s a side-door entry, but one that seems like the harbinger of much bigger things to come.
For those wondering about “TEXAS HOLD ’EM,” the glorious track from Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER, its absence isn’t a denial but the result of a desire to recognize those artists who have been core to the format. Even perennial CMA favorites Jordan Davis, Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood failed to be nominated this year.
Tucker Wetmore will deliver his debut project, Waves on a Sunset, via Back Blocks/UMG Nashville on 10/4. To coincide with the announcement, the rising country star will drop the lead single, "Silverado Blue," on Friday (9/13).
“In a lot of ways, this feels like my introduction to the world, so I wanted to share some sides of me y'all haven't seen yet," he explained. "I'll be giving you eight songs with five brand new ones."
Wetmore makes his Grand Old Opry debut on Tuesday (9/10), while a tour in support of Waves on a Sunset kicks off in October. The nearly sold out run will hit 17 cities and feature direct support from Hannah McFarland, Eli Winders and Ashland Craft. Find a list of dates here.
The CMA Award nominations are in, and Chief Zaruk and Simon Tikhman's The Core Entertainment has plenty to celebrate with not one, but two spots in the New Artist of the Year category with Warner Nashville's Bailey Zimmerman and Sony Music Nashville's Nate Smith.
Zimmerman, fresh off his sold-out RELIGIOUSLY. THE TOUR and recent visual drop for “New to Country,” is not only riding high from his platinum debut album, Religiously. The Album, but is also a two-time nominee for the upcoming People’s Choice Country Awards.
Next up, he’s got stadium dates on the schedule with Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan and Kane Brown through the fall.
Meanwhile, Smith is making waves with his recent singles “Fix What You Didn’t Break” and Alesso collab “I Like It,” following his unprecedented feat of starting his career with three consecutive multi-week #1s at Country Radio, including “Bulletproof.”
Smith, also a triple nominee for the People’s Choice Country Awards, is gearing up for his new album, California Gold, out 10/4.
Now that’s a helluva Q4 head start for The Core.
Buzzing teenage country artist Waylon Wyatt has teamed with fellow rising star Bayker Blankenship on the new single "Jailbreak," which is out now through Music Soup/Darkroom Records.
Already the first country act signed to a Darkroom roster that also features Billie Eilish, d4vd and John Summit, 17-year-old Hackett, Arkansas native Wyatt is building on the success of his debut EP, Til the Sun Goes Down, which has racked up more than 55m global streams.
The artist, who first generated heat on TikTok with songs he wrote after days spent working construction jobs with his dad, recently concluded a tour opening for Dwight Yoakam and has solo headlining dates on tap throughout the rest of this year.
Meanwhile, look for Wyatt at Stagecoach in April 2025, where he will perform alongside modern country heroes such as Zach Bryan. Can we get a hell yeah?
It’s official -- Kane Brown is the people’s choice.
The multi-platinum singer-songwriter will accept the second annual Country Champion Award at the People’s Choice Country Awards, which air live 9/26 on NBC and Peacock from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
Brown, who takes the Country Champion crown from last year’s honoree, Wynonna Judd, will join previously announced 2024 honoree Miranda Lambert, who will be presented with the Country Icon Award.
The Shania Twain-hosted show is produced by Den of Thieves. Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski will executive produce, with RAC Clark serving as executive producer and showrunner.
The RCA Nashville artist has two North American dates remaining on his In the Air tour, including tonight in Denver. He’ll then pack up his cowboy boots and his crew for a run in the U.K.
Fresh off signing to Warner Records, 14-year-old country breakout Maddox Batson has dropped his new single “X's.”
Inspired by a concert experience where security marked his hand with an X, Batson says, “When I was in the studio, one of my co-writers noticed some of the Sharpie was still on my right hand - and we came up with the song name. We all loved it and the rest is history."
Having recently co-written Lana Del Rey and Quavo's “Tough,” Batson continues to make waves as a performer. He became the youngest artist to grace Whiskey Jam at CMA Fest and is set for his Maddox Batson & Friends headlining show at White House Pumpkin Patch on 9/28. Batson will also hit the road with Gabby Barrett this summer and fall.
Rising from Birmingham, Ala., and north of Nashville, Tenn., Batson’s blend of classic country, southern rock and pop has quickly garnered a global fanbase. With past singles like “Tears in the River” and “I Wanna Know” fueling his momentum, Batson's rapid ascent continues with his latest single.
Stream “X's” here and peep the music vid here.
Seen above wondering if X really does mark the spot are Warner’s COO/Co-chairman Tom Corson, Batson, WMG Board Memebr Val Blavatnik and Warner’s CEO/Co-chairman Aaron Bay-Schuck.
The Academy of Country Music recently welcomed Anne Wilson to the Academy’s headquarters in Nashville, where she met with ACM staff, treated them to a performance of her current single, “Songs About Whiskey,” and previewed forthcoming music from the ACM Red Barrel Lounge stage. A video of the performance was uploaded to YouTube and can be found below.
Pictured wishing they had a shot of whiskey to forget HITS is still in business are (l-r) ACM Director, Industry Relations & Awards Haley Montgomery, Capitol Christian Music Group Co-Presidents Hudson Plachy and Brad O’Donnell, Wilson, Universal Music Group CEO Cindy Mabe, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside and ACM Chief of Staff/VP Industry Relations & Awards Tommy Moore.
Sony Music Publishing has struck a worldwide co-publishing agreement with songwriter/producer Jeremy Stover that covers all future works. The company has also acquired several songs from Stover and RED Creative Group, including Tim McGraw’s “7500 OBO" and Justin Moore’s “With A Woman You Love,” “We Didn’t Have Much” and “You, Me, And Whiskey.” Current singles from Stover include Moore’s “This Is My Dirt” and Ashley McBryde’s “The Devil I Know" as well as recent releases from Luke Combs, Priscilla Block and Travis Denning.
“Jeremy Stover is a master at crafting rural storytelling with sonic sophistication," SMP Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston said. "His productions and songs overflow with heart and make you feel right at home as a listener."
The deal is part of SMP’s ongoing creative partnership with RED Creative Group, home to Cole Taylor and Matt Mulhare. Meanwhile, we're more of a pasty white hue. Pictured gagging at the sight of us are (l-r) Loeb & Loeb attorneys Tom Luteran, Josh Van Valkenburg, Megan Pekar, Aubrey Landon and Dale Bobo (back row) and Loeb & Loeb's Derek Crownover, Gaston, Stover and RED's Taylor Lamb (front row).
