Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs and Maren Morris Lead 2020 CMA Awards Nods
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; Rich Fury/ACMA2019/Getty; Taylor Hill/Getty Miranda Lambert; Luke Combs; Maren Morris
If the nominations are any indication, the 2020 CMA Awards are sure to be star-studded.
On Tuesday, the first batch of nominees this year were announced live by Luke Combs and Carly Pearce on Good Morning America. The second batch of nominees were announced by Ingrid Andress and Gabby Barrett during a YouTube and Facebook livestream.
Leading the pack this year is Miranda Lambert with seven nominations total, including in the coveted entertainer of the year category. Behind her is fellow entertainer of the year nominee Combs with six nominations.
Following Combs is Maren Morris with five nominations and duo Dan + Shay and Pearce with four. Justin Bieber notably earned his first CMA Awards nominations in the single of the year, musical event of the year and music video of the year categories for his Dan + Shay collaboration, "10,000 Hours."
For the first time in a decade, two women — Lambert and Carrie Underwood — have been nominated in the entertainer of the year category, which has long been dominated by male artists. The last time two women were nominated for CMA's highest honor in the same year was 2010, when Lambert and Lady A were both among the nominees.
RELATED: Garth Brooks Pulls His Name from Consideration for CMA Entertainer of the Year
In addition to Lambert, Underwood and Combs, Eric Church and Keith Urban are also up for entertainer of the year. Earlier this summer, reigning winner Garth Brooks announced he wanted his name to be taken permanently out of contention for the award after winning it a record seven times.
"It's time for somebody else to hold that award," Brooks said during a virtual press conference, adding that his last win was "not that fun."
Indeed, his victory created a firestorm on social media, particularly among Underwood's fans, who anticipated her name would cap what was an entire night dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of women in country music. Church's fans were in a similar uproar, also believing that the country superstar was long overdue for the honor.
John Shearer/Getty Images Garth Brooks
As he absorbed the backlash after the November awards show, Brooks said, he couldn't shake the sentiment expressed in one of the tweets he read. "It said, 'Hey man, this guy, why doesn't he step down and just [leave] the entertainer for the next generation?'" he recalled.
"I'm very grateful for the time that I've got to go [win]," he said, but now, "somebody else needs to hold that."
JUST IN: Luke Combs and Carly Pearce announce some of the #CMAawards nominees.https://t.co/ptW1pj8Ook pic.twitter.com/KNNi4a83rc
— Good Morning America (@GMA) September 1, 2020
See the full list of nominees below:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Miranda Lambert
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
“Beer Never Broke My Heart” — Luke Combs
“Bluebird” — Miranda Lambert
“The Bones” — Maren Morris
“I Hope” — Gabby Barrett
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Heartache Medication — Jon Pardi Producers: Bart Butler, Ryan Gore, Jon Pardi
Never Will — Ashley McBryde Producers: Jay Joyce, John Peets
Old Dominion — Old Dominion
What You See Is What You Get — Luke Combs
Wildcard — Miranda Lambert
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Bluebird” — Songwriters: Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, Miranda Lambert
“The Bones”— Songwriters: Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, Laura Veltz
“Even Though I'm Leaving” — Songwriters: Luke Combs, Wyatt B. Durrette III, Ray Fulcher
“I Hope You're Happy Now” — Songwriters: Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Carly Pearce, Jonathan Singleton
“More Hearts Than Mine” — Songwriters: Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Eric Church
Luke Combs
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
“Be A Light” — Thomas Rhett (feat. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban)
“The Bones” — Maren Morris (with Hozier)
“Fooled Around And Fell In Love” — Miranda Lambert (feat. Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes & Caylee Hammack)
“I Hope You're Happy Now” — Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay (with Justin Bieber)
“Bluebird” — Miranda Lambert
“Homemade” — Jake Owen
“I Hope You're Happy Now” — Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
“Second One To Know” — Chris Stapleton
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Jimmie Allen
Ingrid Andress
Gabby Barrett
Carly Pearce
Morgan Wallen
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jenee Fleenor, Fiddle
Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
Rob McNelley, Guitar
Ilya Toshinskiy, Guitar
Derek Wells, Guitar
The 54th Annual CMA Awards will air Wednesday, Nov. 11 (8:00 – 11:00 PM/EST) on ABC.