Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, and Gwen Stefani are All Performing at the ACMs This Week

From House Beautiful

• The ACM Awards were postponed from April to September 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• Keith Urban will host the show, which will feature a series of special performances from stars like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, and Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani.

• Here's everything you need to know about the awards ceremony, from who's nominated to how to watch.

It's finally time to break out those cowboy boots, y'all!

"Country music's party of the year" is happening a little later than usual, but it's finally almost here! The industry's top stars are gearing up for a night of socially-distanced live performances from some of the most iconic and significant locations in country music's history.

This year's show will be broadcasted live on CBS on Wednesday, September 16. The spectacle promises to feature plenty of "exciting performances, unprecedented collaborations, and surprising moments," so you won't want to miss a minute of the action.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2020 ACM Awards.

Are the ACM Awards still happening?

Yes! Amid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic, fans had been wondering whether the event—which hosts thousands of attendees—would be cancelled. After much consideration, the Academy of Country Music announced that the ACM Awards will be rescheduled to air on CBS on September 16 at 8 p.m. ET.

"The ACM Awards is a tentpole event for our Country Music industry, and the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions went to great lengths to find a safe solution for the show to go on so that we can honor our artist community," said Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music. "This decision involved many partners, stakeholders and the industry who we have been in constant conversations with over the past several days as the situation has developed. We look forward to identifying a future date that we can celebrate with our Country community safely."

Who's hosting?

The annual program is changing things up this year, and Keith Urban will host the ACM Awards for the first time ever. He will be hosting from the historic Grand Ole Opry House.

"We are thrilled to have our reigning Entertainer of the Year as the centerpiece of our 55th ACM Awards ceremony," Damon Whiteside, CEO of the Academy of Country Music, said in a statement. "Keith epitomizes greatness in our industry, is beloved by fans and fellow artists, and I can’t think of a better representative to be the face of our Awards show and to help usher in a new era at the Academy."

Who is performing?

Many of the performances will take place from the Grand Ole Opry House or the Ryman Auditorium, where social distancing policies can be monitored more closely, while other performances will be virtual. Host Keith Urban will perform at the ceremony, and Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani will be singing their new duet, "Happy Anywhere." Carrie Underwood will also be taking the stage with a medley of classic country hits.

Trisha Yearwood will perform songs by legendary women in country from the Grand Ole Opry house, and will also sing an in-memoriam tribute to the country singers we've lost this year (including John Prine, Joe Diffie, and Kenny Rogers).

Miranda Lambert will perform her number one hit song "Bluebird" from Nashville's iconic Bluebird Cafe with special guests Luke Dick and Natalie Hemby, who co-wrote the song with Miranda.

Other performers include Dan + Shay, Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Gabby Barrett, Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton, Old Dominion, Riley Green, Tenille Townes, Thomas Rhett and Jon Pardi, and Tim McGraw.

On Sunday, September 13, Taylor Swift also announced that she will be performing on the show for the first time in seven years.

How can I watch the ACM Awards?

The show kicks off at 8 p.m. EST on Wednesday, September 16 on CBS. Cable and satellite subscribers can tune into their local CBS station, or you can live-stream the event using CBS All Access (which is free for the first week).

Who are the biggest nominees?

The 2019 ACM Awards faced backlash after Reba McEntire revealed the Entertainer of the Year nominees and there were no women included in the category. "That doesn't make me very happy," the country star said at the time. "We've got some very talented women who are out there working their butts off."

This year, Carrie Underwood has been nominated to break up the historically all-male list of country music artists. She joins Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, and Thomas Rhett in the award show's most coveted category.

Here are the other big names in the running this year:

Entertainer of the Year

• Luke Bryan

• Eric Church

• Luke Combs

• Thomas Rhett

• Carrie Underwood

Female Artist of the Year

• Kelsea Ballerini

• Miranda Lambert

• 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

• Brooks & Dunn

• Brothers Osborne

• Dan + Shay

• Florida Georgia Line

• Maddie & Tae

Group of the Year

• Lady Antebellum

• Little Big Town

• Midland

• Old Dominion

• The Highwomen

New Female Artist of the Year

• Ingrid Andress

• Gabby Barrett

• Lindsay Ell

• Caylee Hammack

• Tenille Townes

New Male Artist of the Year

• Jordan Davis

• Russell Dickerson

• Riley Green

• Cody Johnson

• Morgan Wallen

Album of the Year

• Center Point Road, Thomas Rhett
  

• GIRL, Maren Morris

• Heartache Medication, Jon Pardi

• What You See Is What You Get, Luke Combs

• Wildcard, Miranda Lambert

Single of the Year

• "God’s Country," Blake Shelton

• "One Man Band," Old Dominion

• "Rainbow," Kacey Musgraves

• "Rumor," Lee Brice

• "What If I Never Get Over You," Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year

• "10,000 Hours," Dan + Shay ft. Justin Bieber

• "Girl Goin’ Nowhere," Ashley McBryde

• "God’s Country," Blake Shelton

• "One Man Band," Old Dominion

• "Some Of It," Eric Church

Video of the Year

• "10,000 Hours," Dan + Shay Featuring Justin Bieber

• "God’s Country," Blake Shelton

• "One Man Band," Old Dominion

• "Remember You Young," Thomas Rhett

• "Sugar Coat," Little Big Town

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