It’s awards show season once again, and it’s time to celebrate the Academy of Country Music Awards nominees! Country legend and 16-time ACM Awards show host Reba McEntire appeared on Facebook Live early Wednesday to reveal the nominees for the Songwriter of the Year and Song of the Year honors. She then made an appearance on CBS This Morning where she had the honors of announcing the nominees for the biggest categories at this year’s 54th annual awards celebration: Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Duo of the Year, and Group of the Year.
New Male Artist of the Year, New Female Artist of the Year, New Duo/Group of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Video of the Year and Music Event of the Year nominees were posted on ETOnline.com.
As expected, there are several surprises including first-time nominations for newcomers Ashley McBryde and Russell Dickerson. Power duo Dan + Shay tied with Chris Stapleton for the most nomination this year, although Dan Smyers received an additional 4 nods for producing and songwriting.
Reigning Male Artist of the Year, Chris Stapleton received six nominations in four categories, including his second nomination 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. He is also nominated for Song of the Year twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Broken Halos,” and for Male Artist of the Year.
Hot on the heels of their first ever Grammy win, 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,” as well as 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 tops all female artists in the genre this year by earning 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.”
The 54th ACM Awards will air on CBS on Sunday, April 7, 2019, at 8:00 PM EST and promises to feature “exciting performances, unprecedented collaborations, surprising moments and more.”
See the full list of 2019 Academy of Country Music Awards below:
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
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 Randal Stewart / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Song of the Year
“Break Up In The End” – Cole Swindell
“Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
“Meant To Be” – Bebe Rhexa feat. Florida Georgia Line
“Space Cowboy” – Kacey Musgraves
“Tequila” – Dan + Shay
“Yours” – Russell Dickerson
Single of the Year
“Down to the Honky Tonk” – Jake Owen
“Heaven” – Kane Brown
“Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
“Most People Are Good” – Luke Bryan
“Tequila” – Dan + Shay
Video of the Year
“Babe” – Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift
“Burn Out” – Midland
“Burning Man” – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
“Drunk Girl” – Chris Janson
“Shoot Me Straight” – Brothers Osborne
“Tequila” – Dan + Shay
Songwriter of the Year
Ross Copperman
Ashley Gorley
Shane McAnally
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
Music Event of the Year
“Burning Man”– Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
“Drowns the Whiskey” – Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert
“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” – David Lee Murphy featuring Kenny Chesney
“Keeping Score” – Dan + Shay featuring Kelly Clarkson
“Meant To Be” – Bebe Rexha Featuring Florida Georgia Line