The Academy of Country Music announced today the nominees for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, honoring country music’s superstars and hottest emerging talent. Iconic entertainer and sixteen-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire will return to host LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS.
This year will also mark the return of the ACM Artist of the Decade Honor which will be announced in the coming weeks. Only five other honorees have received this award, including Marty Robbins in 1969, Loretta Lynn in 1979, Alabama in 1988, Garth Brooks in 1998 and George Strait in 2009.
Reigning Male Artist of the Year, Chris Stapleton received six nominations in four categories, including his second nod for Entertainer of the Year. Stapleton is also nominated twice, as both artist and producer, for his album From A Room: Volume 2 in the Album of the Year category, which he won last year for From A Room: Volume 1. Additionally, he is nominated for Song of the Year twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Broken Halos.” Lastly, Stapleton is nominated for Male Artist of the Year.
Dan + Shay earned six nominations, including their sixth nod for Duo of the Year. They received nominations in the Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Video of the Year categories for “Tequila.” Dan + Shay are also nominated for Album of the Year for Dan + Shay, and Music Event of the Year for “Keeping Score” (featuring Kelly Clarkson). Additionally, Dan Smyers received 3 individual nominations as a producer in the Album of the Year, Single of the Year and Music Event of the Year categories. He also received an individual nomination as a writer in the Song of the Year category for “Tequila.”
Kacey Musgraves earned five nominations in three categories, including a nod for Female Artist of the Year. Additionally, she is nominated in the Album of the Year Category twice, as both artist and producer, for Golden Hour, as well as in the Song of the Year category twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Space Cowboy.” Musgraves most recently won in 2016 in the Video of the Year category for “Forever Country” and previously won in the Album of the Year category in 2013 for Same Trailer Different Park.
Dierks Bentley received four nominations, including his fourth nod for Album of the Year; nominated for the category this year for The Mountain. Additionally, Bentley is nominated for “Burning Man” (featuring Brothers Osborne) in both the Music Event of the Year category and Video of the Year category. He is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year. If he were to win for Video of the Year this year, it would mark his third win in this category.
Reigning Duo of the Year and Video of the Year winners, Brothers Osborne earned four nominations in three categories, including a nod for Duo of the Year. They are also nominated for Music Event of the Year for “Burning Man” with Dierks Bentley. Additionally, Brothers Osborne are nominated twice in the Video of the Year category for songs “Shoot Me Straight” and “Burning Man.”
Florida Georgia Line received four nominations, including a nod for Duo of the Year. They are also nominated with Bebe Rexha for “Meant To Be” for Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Song of the Year.
First-time Academy of Country Music Award nominee, Bebe Rexha earned four nominations for “Meant To Be” (featuring Florida Georgia Line). Rexha is nominated for Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and twice, as both artist and songwriter, for Song of the Year.
The following is the full list of nominees for all Awards categories.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Dierks Bentley
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
DUO OF THE YEAR
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
LOCASH
Maddie & Tae
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Danielle Bradbery
Lindsay Ell
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jimmie Allen
Luke Combs
Jordan Davis
Michael Ray
Mitchell Tenpenny
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
High Valley
LANCO
Runaway June
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Dan + Shay – Dan + Shay
Producers: Scott Hendricks / Dan Smyers / Matt Dragstrem
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville
Desperate Man – Eric Church
Producers: Jay Joyce / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: EMI Records Nashville
From A Room: Volume 2 – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb / Chris Stapleton
Record Label: Mercury Nashville
Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
Producers: Ian Fitchuk / Daniel Tashian / Kacey Musgraves
Record Label: MCA Nashville
The Mountain – Dierks Bentley
Producers: Ross Copperman / Jon Randall Stewart / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Down to the Honky Tonk – Jake Owen
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Big Loud Records
Heaven – Kane Brown
Producer: Dann Huff / Polow Da Don
Record Label: RCA Nashville
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Wilshire for Rock The Soul Ent
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Most People Are Good – Luke Bryan
Producers: Jeff Stevens / Jody Stevens
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Producers: Scott Hendricks / Dan Smyers
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Break Up In The End – Cole Swindell
Writers: Jessie Jo Dillon / Chase McGill / Jon Nite
Publishers: EMI April Music Inc. / Nite Writer Music (ASCAP) / Songs of Universal, Inc. / Plum Nelly (BMI) / Big Music Machine (BMI)/ Big Ass Pile Of Dimes Music (BMI)
Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
Writers: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: WB Music Corp./House of Sea Gayle Music, admin. by ClearBox Rights/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l. admin. by Spirit Two Nashville (ASCAP); Straight Six Music (BMI)
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Writers: David Garcia, Tyler Hubbard, Joshua Miller, Bebe Rexha
Publishers: BMG Platinum Songs/Kiss Me If You Can Music (BMI) (all rights administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC) Big Loud Mountain (BMI) and T Hubb Publishing (BMI). All Rights Administered by Round Hill Works. Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. on behalf of itself and Songs of the Corn and Jack 10 Publishing. Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)
Space Cowboy – Kacey Musgraves
Writers: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
Publishers: Smack Hits/Smack Songs, admin by Kobalt Music Group ltd. (GMR); Universal Music Works/We Are Creative NBaSmack Hits/Smack Songs, LLC, admin. by Kobalt Music Group Ltd. (GMR); Universal Music Works/We Are Creative Nation/Jake and Mack Music, admin. by Universal Music Works; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./351 Music (BMI)
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Writers: Nicolle Galyon / Jordan Reynolds / Dan Smyers
Publishers: Beats and Banjos (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), A Girl Named Charlie (BMI) / Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) / Buckeye26 (ASCAP) / Jreynmusic (ASCAP)
Yours – Russell Dickerson
Writers: Casey Brown / Russell Dickerson / Parker Welling
Publishers: BMG Platinum Songs/Kailey's Dream / So Essential Tunes / Not Just Another Song Publishing / Hillbilly Science and Research Publishing/Trailerlily Music
VIDEO OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
Babe – Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift
Producer: Roger Hunt
Director: Anthony Mandler
Burn Out – Midland
Producer: Ben Skipworth
Director: TK McKamy / Cameron Duddy
Burning Man – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
Producer: Nate Eggert
Director: Wes Edwards
Drunk Girl – Chris Janson
Producer: Ben Skipworth
Director: Jeff Venable
Shoot Me Straight – Brothers Osborne
Producer: April Kimbrell
Director: Wes Edwards / Ryan Silver
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Producer: Christen Pinkston
Director: Patrick Tracy
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR*(Off Camera Award)
Ross Copperman
Ashley Gorley
Shane McAnally
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Burning Man – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
Producers: Ross Copperman / Jon Randall Stewart / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Drowns the Whiskey – Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert
Producer: Michael Knox
Record Labels: Macon Music, LLC; Broken Bow Records; BBR Music Group; BMG
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright – David Lee Murphy featuring Kenny Chesney
Producers: Buddy Cannon / Kenny Chesney / David Lee Murphy
Record Label: Reviver Records
Keeping Score – Dan + Shay featuring Kelly Clarkson
Producers: Scott Hendricks / Dan Smyers
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha Featuring Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Wilshire for Rock The Soul Ent
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Photo: Getty Images