Dan + Shay, the power-country duo who won their first Grammy Award this year for their hit song Tequila, and perennial favorite Chris Stapleton were the top nominees when nominations for the 54th annual ACM Awards were announced Wednesday morning. Both Stapleton and Dan + Shay each received six nominations, including nods for Album of the Year, with Dan + Shays Dan Smyers receiving four additional nominations for his work as producer and songwriter.
Smyers and Shay Mooney are also up for Duo, Single, Song, Video and Music Event of the Year. Stapleton earned Album recognition for From A Room: Volume 2, along with Entertainer, Male Artist and Song of the Year (he scores his other two nominations as producer and songwriter).
Kacey Musgraves, whose Golden Hour was declared Album of the Year at the 61st Grammys, is up for five trophies: for Album (as artist and producer), Song (as artist and songwriter) and female vocalist, a category that, along with its male counterpart, have been rebranded for 2019 as Female Artist of the Year and Male Artist of the Year. (The categories were previously known as Top Male/Female Vocalist.)
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All male artists make up this years field for the top Entertainer prize: Stapleton is joined by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. Aldean, the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year, is vying for his fourth consecutive title.
The 54th ACM Awards air Sunday, April 7th, on CBS, live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Here are the nominees:
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
Desperate Man, Eric Church
From A Room: Volume 2, Chris Stapleton
Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves
The Mountain, Dierks Bentley
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
Song of the Year
Break Up in the End, Cole Swindell
Broken Halos, Chris Stapleton
Meant to Be, Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Space Cowboy, Kacey Musgraves
Tequila, Dan + Shay
Yours, Russell Dickerson
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
Everythings 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