The 58th annual CMAs are tonight! All the biggest stars will be descending on Nashville, Tennessee for country’s musics biggest night, with some gracing the stage for an unforgettable time.
While we wait for the epic event, let’s talk about some of the nominees, fan favorites, and most-anticipated performances of the night.
Grab your boots—we’re goin’ country.
And The Nominees Are…
The night’s biggest award is Entertainer of the Year which goes to an artist. Tonight’s winner will join the leagues of country legends like Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Garth Brooks, and Alan Jackson, who holds the record for most Entertainer of the Year awards with three wins.
Per the CMAs’s site, the selection criteria for the Entertainer of the Year is “for the act displaying the greatest competence in all aspects of the entertainment field.”
This year’s nominees are:
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll (who will be on tour with Post Malone in 2025)
- Chris Stapleton
- Lainey Wilson
- Morgan Wallen
Speaking of Morgan Wallen: Even if you’re not big into country, you’ve likely heard many of Wallen’s songs. They often trend on TikTok and soar on the Billboard charts. His song Last Night has a billion streams on Spotify and counting.
For Album Of The Year, we have heavy-hitting contenders like:
- Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves
- Fathers & Sons by Luke Combs
- Higher by Chris Stapleton
- Leather by Cody Johnson
- Whitsitt Chapel by Jelly Roll
There are many high-profile women in country music who are being honored with nominations as well, including Kelsey Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney, and more.
In the male vocalist category, we see a lot of familiar faces like Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, and Morgan Wallen.
Shaboozey has been nominated for the Best New Artist category. The country singer recently rose to fame after he was featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, then came out with his hit song A Bar Song (Tipsy), which is currently challenging Lil Nas X and Billie Ray Cyrus’s 2019 bop Old Town Road for longest-ever run at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mind you, the Billboard Hot 100 considers music from every genre—not country alone. Bar Song (Tipsy) is also nominated for Single Of The Year alongside I Had Some Help by Post Malone, featuring Morgan Wallen.
Post Malone has been inching closer to country stardom for a while now, with a CMA nomination and collaborations with Taylor Swift on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT and Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter (which surprisngly, didn’t receive a single nomination)—both moves that feel less like side projects and more like a full-on dive into the country music scene, a departure from his rap and hip hop origins.
Related: Country and Pop Music Are on A Collision Course
Ladies and Gentleman…the Performers
Post Malone and Chris Stapleton are set to kick off the CMAs with a performance that’s sure to have everyone talking, while Noah Kahan and Kelsea Ballerini team up for a highly anticipated duet. Tonight’s lineup also includes Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman, Chris Stapleton among others.
As if the already stacked lineup wasn’t enough, Simone Biles, Taylor Frankie Paul, Little Big Town, and more will take the stage as presenters, adding even more star power to the stage.
Overall, the CMAs are slated to be an incredible show—Don’t miss out.
The show starts at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
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