ACM Awards: Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves rack up nominations
It’s heavy metal season for country duo Dan + Shay.
Fresh off their Grammy win for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their hit “Tequila," the rising duo – comprised of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney – is among the leading nominees at the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, reports The Tennessean, which is part of the USA TODAY Network.
With six nominations, Dan + Shay are tied with perennial favorite Chris Stapleton for the most nods. Stapleton has six nominations in categories including Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year and Album of the Year, while Dan + Shay received nods for Duo of the Year, Album of the Year, Single, Song and Video of the Year for ‘Tequila’ and Music Event. Smyers picked up an additional four nominations for production and songwriting, giving him the potential to take 10 trophies, more than any other nominee.
Reba McEntire helped announce the nominees for the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards Wednesday on CBS. McEntire will return as host of the show when it airs live from MGM Grand’s Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 7 on CBS.
Other top nominees include golden girl Kacey Musgraves with five nominations. Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, and Florida Georgia Line with Bebe Rexha have four nominations each.
Who is Kacey Musgraves? Grammy album winner hits country and mainstream listeners
A host of artists earned two nominations including Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Midland, Luke Combs and LANCO.
Kane Brown earned a Single of the Year nomination for his multi-platinum hit “Heaven” after being shutout of previous awards shows. Jake Owen’s “Down at the Honky Tonk” is nominated for Single of the Year. The nomination is Owen’s first at the awards show in 11 years. He won Top New Male Vocalist in 2008. Ashley McBryde, Lindsay Ell, Michael Ray, Jimmie Allen, Jordan Davis and Mitchell Tenpenny and among the year’s first-time nominees.
More: Kane Brown talks new music, new wife, new life on road to second album, 'Experiment'
Surprisingly, after two Grammy nods earlier this month, Kelsea Ballerini was left out of the nominations for the Academy of Country Music Awards. But it is a bit of a theme: women were entirely shutout of the Entertainer of the Year category.
54th ACM Awards nominations
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 (Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s))
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 Randall Stewart / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s))
Down to the Honky Tonk – Jake Owen
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Label: Big Loud Records
Heaven – Kane Brown
Producer: Dann Huff / Polow Da Don
Record Label: RCA Nashville
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Wilshire for Rock The Soul Ent
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
Most People Are Good – Luke Bryan
Producers: Jeff Stevens / Jody Stevens
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Producers: Scott Hendricks / Dan Smyers
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville
SONG OF THE YEAR (Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s))
Break Up In The End – Cole Swindell
Writers: Jessie Jo Dillon / Chase McGill / Jon Nite
Publishers: EMI April Music Inc. / Nite Writer Music (ASCAP) / Songs of Universal, Inc. / Plum Nelly (BMI) / Big Music Machine (BMI)/ Big Ass Pile Of Dimes Music (BMI)
Broken Halos – Chris Stapleton
Writers: Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton
Publishers: WB Music Corp./House of Sea Gayle Music, admin. by ClearBox Rights/Spirit Catalog Holdings, S.a.r.l. admin. by Spirit Two Nashville (ASCAP); Straight Six Music (BMI)
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha featuring Florida Georgia Line
Writers: David Garcia, Tyler Hubbard, Joshua Miller, Bebe Rexha
Publishers: BMG Platinum Songs/Kiss Me If You Can Music (BMI) (all rights administered by BMG Rights Management (US) LLC) Big Loud Mountain (BMI) and T Hubb Publishing (BMI). All Rights Administered by Round Hill Works. Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. on behalf of itself and Songs of the Corn and Jack 10 Publishing. Universal Music – Brentwood Benson Publishing (ASCAP) D Soul Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com)
Space Cowboy – Kacey Musgraves
Writers: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves
Publishers: Smack Hits/Smack Songs, admin by Kobalt Music Group ltd. (GMR); Universal Music Works/We Are Creative NBaSmack Hits/Smack Songs, LLC, admin. by Kobalt Music Group Ltd. (GMR); Universal Music Works/We Are Creative Nation/Jake and Mack Music, admin. by Universal Music Works; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp./351 Music (BMI).
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Writers: Nicolle Galyon / Jordan Reynolds / Dan Smyers
Publishers: Beats and Banjos (ASCAP), WB Music Corp. (ASCAP), A Girl Named Charlie (BMI) / Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. (BMI) / Buckeye26 (ASCAP) / Jreynmusic (ASCAP)
Yours – Russell Dickerson
Writers: Casey Brown / Russell Dickerson / Parker Welling
Publishers: BMG Platinum Songs/Kailey's Dream / So Essential Tunes / Not Just Another Song Publishing / Hillbilly Science and Research Publishing/Trailerlily Music
VIDEO OF THE YEAR (Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s))
Babe – Sugarland featuring Taylor Swift
Producer: Roger Hunt
Director: Anthony Mandler
Burn Out – Midland
Producer: Ben Skipworth
Director: TK McKamy / Cameron Duddy
Burning Man – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
Producer: Nate Eggert
Director: Wes Edwards
Drunk Girl – Chris Janson
Producer: Ben Skipworth
Director: Jeff Venable
Shoot Me Straight – Brothers Osborne
Producer: April Kimbrell
Director: Wes Edwards / Ryan Silver
Tequila – Dan + Shay
Producer: Christen Pinkston
Director: Patrick Tracy
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR (Off Camera Award)
Ross Copperman
Ashley Gorley
Shane McAnally
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR (Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s))
Burning Man – Dierks Bentley featuring Brothers Osborne
Producers: Ross Copperman / Jon Randall Stewart / Arturo Buenahora Jr.
Record Label: Capitol Records Nashville
Drowns the Whiskey – Jason Aldean featuring Miranda Lambert
Producer: Michael Knox
Record Labels: Macon Music, LLC; Broken Bow Records; BBR Music Group; BMG
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright – David Lee Murphy featuring Kenny Chesney
Producers: Buddy Cannon / Kenny Chesney / David Lee Murphy
Record Label: Reviver Records
Keeping Score – Dan + Shay featuring Kelly Clarkson
Producers: Scott Hendricks / Dan Smyers
Record Label: Warner Music Nashville
Meant To Be – Bebe Rexha Featuring Florida Georgia Line
Producer: Wilshire for Rock The Soul Ent
Record Label: Warner Bros. Records
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACM Awards: Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton and Kacey Musgraves rack up nominations
