New York City was buzzing with excitement as the nominations for the 2024 Country Music Association Awards were announced. And leading the pack with an impressive seven nominations was none other than Morgan Wallen.
This marks the third year in a row that Wallen has been nominated for both the top prize of entertainer of the year and the male vocalist categories. His fellow nominees for entertainer of the year include Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, and Lainey Wilson.
But it was Wallen’s collaboration with Post Malone on the hit song “I Had Some Help” that truly catapulted him to the top of the nominations list. The song is up for single, song, musical event, and music video of the year. Wallen also received a second nomination in the musical event category for his collaboration with Eric Church on “Man Made a Bar.”
The single of the year award is given to the artist, producer, and mix engineers, while the song of the year is awarded to the songwriters. And while there was speculation that Beyoncé, with her groundbreaking country album “Cowboy Carter,” could receive a nomination, she unfortunately did not make the list.
Beyoncé’s album, which was five years in the making, made history by becoming the first album by a Black woman to top the Billboard country albums chart since its inception in 1964. The album was a direct response to Beyoncé’s experience of not feeling welcomed in the country music industry, most likely referencing the backlash she received after her 2016 CMAs performance.
The Country Music Association Awards are nominated and voted on by members of the Country Music Association, which includes music executives, artists, publicists, songwriters, and other industry professionals. And this year, it seems that Wallen has captured the hearts of his peers with his impressive seven nominations.
Following closely behind Wallen are Cody Johnson, who is also nominated for male vocalist for the third year in a row, and 7-time male vocalist of the year winner, Chris Stapleton. Both Johnson and Stapleton have five nominations each, but Stapleton has the potential to take home seven trophies if he sweeps his categories.
Stapleton is not only nominated as an artist but also as a producer for his work on “White Horse,” which is up for single of the year, and “Higher,” which is up for album of the year. At the CMAs, production credits are not counted as separate nominations, but they are factored into the final trophy count.
First-time nominee Post Malone and last year’s entertainer of the year winner, Lainey Wilson, are tied with four nominations each. All of Malone’s nominations are for his hit song “I Had Some Help.” And producers Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, and Hoskins are also tied with three nominations each for their work on the song.
Other notable nominees include Jelly Roll, Kacey Musgraves, and Megan Moroney, who all boast three nods each. Musgraves and Moroney have the potential to take home four trophies, as Musgraves is both the artist and producer on her album “Deeper Well,” and Moroney is both the artist and director of her nominated music video, “I’m Not Pretty.”
The 2024 CMA Awards will air on November 20 on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern and can also be streamed the next day on Hulu. With such a talented and diverse group of nominees, it’s sure to be a night filled with incredible performances and well-deserved recognition for the best in country music. So mark your calendars and get ready to celebrate the amazing talent that the country music industry has to offer.
