The upcoming 55th annual Academy of Country Music Awards is going to be hosted by one of the nominees Keith Urban at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
- Feb 28, 2020
AceShowbiz - Maren Morris and Thomas Rhett lead the nominees for the 2020 Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards with five nominations each, combining their appearances and production credits.
Maren earned her five nominations across four categories, including Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for "GIRL", Music Event of the Year for her involvement on Miranda Lambert's "Fooled Around and Fell In Love", and Group of the Year for her work with The Highwomen.
Meanwhile, Thomas was also nominated in four categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Male Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for "Center Point Road", and Video of the Year for "Remember You Young".
Maren will face off against Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, and Carrie Underwood for Female Artist of the Year, while Thomas has competition from Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban for Male Artist of the Year.
Elsewhere on the shortlist, pop star Justin Bieber also bagged an impressive four nominations for his Dan + Shay collaboration "10,000 Hours", tying country stars Old Dominion and Blake Shelton who were also successful on the shortlist.
Rapper Lil Nas X was also nominated for his crossover hit, "Old Town Road", featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, for Music Event of the Year.
Women are represented in every major category where they are eligible for the 2020 ACM Awards, including Entertainer of the Year (Carrie Underwood) and album of the year (Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert).
The awards have faced criticism in years past for their failure to include major female country artists in top categories, with last year's host Reba McEntire commenting of the past disparities, "It doesn't make me very happy because we've got some very talented women out there who are working their butts off."
There were also an impressive twenty-five artists and industry creators who received nominations for the first time, including country music singers Lauren Alaina and Ashley McBryde.
The nominations were announced on Thursday, February 27, 2020, with Keith Urban also named as the host of the ceremony, replacing Reba, who helmed last year's prizegiving for the 16th time.
The 55th ACM Awards take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 5.
2020 ACM Awards Nominations:
Entertainer of the Year
Female Artist of the Year
Male Artist of the Year
Duo of the Year
Group of the Year
New Female Artist of the Year
- Ingrid Andress
- Gabby Barrett
- Lindsay Ell
- Caylee Hammack
- Tenille Townes
New Male Artist of the Year
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 feat. 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 feat. Justin Bieber
- "God’s Country" - Blake Shelton
- "One Man Band" - Old Dominion
- "Remember You Young" - Thomas Rhett
- "Sugarcoat" - Little Big Town
Songwriter of the Year
- Ashley Gorley
- Michael Hardy
- Hillary Lindsey
- Shane McAnally
- Josh Osborne
Music Event of the Year
- "10,000 Hours" - Dan + Shay feat. Justin Bieber
- "Dive Bar" - Garth Brooks feat. Blake Shelton
- "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" - Miranda Lambert feat. Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, Caylee Hammack, and Elle King
- "Old Town Road" - Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
- "What Happens in a Small Town" - Brantley Gilbert feat. Lindsay Ell
