Chris Stapleton and Eric Church scored five nominations each, topping the list of The 55th Annual CMA Awards nominees. Stapleton and Church will be squaring off in the Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year categories.
Gabby Barrett, mix engineer Jason Hall, and producer Jay Joyce followed close behind with four nominations. Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Maren Morris and Chris Young each earned three nominations, with Lambert’s 2021 nominations moving her into a tie for third in overall nominations in CMA Awards history. Lambert remains the most nominated female in history with a total of 58 nominations.
“This year, we have the opportunity to honor the superstars, new artists and emerging creators who are paving the way for Country Music,” stated Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “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 55th Annual CMA Awards will air live on ABC from Nashville on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 8pm ET.
THE 55th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS FINAL NOMINEES:
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
• “The Good Ones” – Gabby Barrett
• “Hell Of A View” – Eric Church
• “One Night Standards” – Ashley McBryde
• “Starting Over” – Chris Stapleton
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
• 29 – Carly Pearce
• Dangerous: The Double Album – Morgan Wallen
• Heart – Eric Church
• Skeletons – Brothers Osborne
• Starting Over – Chris Stapleton
SONG OF THE YEAR
• “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
• “Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
• “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” – Elle King & Miranda Lambert
• “Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
• “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney)
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
• “Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris
• “Famous Friends” – Chris Young with Kane Brown
• “Gone” – Dierks Bentley
• “half of my hometown” – Kelsea Ballerini (featuring Kenny Chesney
• “Younger Me” – Brothers Osborne
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
• Jimmie Allen
• Ingrid Andress
• Gabby Barrett
• Mickey Guyton
• HARDY
