September 10, 2021
The Country Music Association (CMA) Awards have released their highly-anticipated list of 2021 nominees, and Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, and Gabby Barrett lead the pack.
Chris Stapleton and Eric Church are in the lead with five nominations each in the same categories: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album, Single, and Song of the Year for their songs “Staring Over” and “Hell Of A View” and albums “Starting Over and “Heart” respectably. Church currently holds the 2020 title of Entertainer of the Year, and his 2021 nomination marks the fifth time he has been eligible for the award.
Gabby Barrett closely trails Stapleton and Church with an impressive four nominations for New Artist, Female Vocalist, Single, and Song of the Year for her song, “The Good Ones.”
Additionally, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris, and Chris Young earned multiple nods, with three nominations apiece for their 2021 projects.
“This year, we have the opportunity to honor the superstars, new artists, and emerging creators who are paving the way for Country Music,” said CMA CEO Sarah Trahern in a press release on the 55th annual CMA Awards’ nominees. “These 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 year’s nominations, and we could not be more thrilled to celebrate our deserving nominees in November!”
The CMA Awards are set to air on November 10 from Nashville on ABC at 8 pm ET.
The full list of nominees can be found below:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Miranda Lambert
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
Mix Engineer: Sean Moffitt
“The Good Ones” – Gabby Barrett
Producers: Ross Copperman, Zach Kale
Mix Engineers: Chris Galland, Manny Marroquin
“Hell Of A View” – Eric Church
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
“One Night Standards” – Ashley McBryde
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
“Starting Over” – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
29 – Carly Pearce
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, and Jimmy Robbins
Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen
Producers: Dave Cohen, Matt Dragstrem, Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, and Joey Moi
Mix Engineer: Joey Moi
Heart – Eric Church
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
Skeletons – Brothers Osborne
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
Starting Over – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
Mix Engineer: Vance Powell
SONG OF THE YEAR (Award goes to Songwriter(s))
“Forever After All”
Songwriters: Luke Combs, Drew Parker, Robert Williford
“The Good Ones”
Songwriters: Gabby Barrett, Zach Kale, Emily Landis, Jim McCormick
“Hell Of A View”
Songwriters: Casey Beathard, Eric Church, Monty Criswell
“One Night Standards”
Songwriters: Nicolette Hayford, Shane McAnally, Ashley McBryde
“Starting Over”
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” – Jordan Davis and Luke Bryan
Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
“Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
Producers: Aaron Eshuis, Teddy Reimer
“Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” – Elle King & Miranda Lambert
Producer: Martin Johnson
“Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
Producers: Corey Crowder, Chris Young
“half of my hometown” – 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 (Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s))
“Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
Director: TK McKamy
“Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
Director: Peter Zavadil
“Gone” – Dierks Bentley
Directors: Wes Edwards, Travis Nicholson, Ed Pryor, Running Bear, Sam Siske
“half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney)
Director: Patrick Tracy
“Younger Me” – Brothers Osborne
Director: Reid Long
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jimmie Allen
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Mickey Guyton
HARDY