The Academy of Country Music®, dick clark productions, and CBS announced the nominations for the 56TH ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS™ the show will air on April 18, 7 pm on CBS.
Highlights from the announcement include a first for ACM. For the first time in ACM Awards history, four Black artists are nominated for awards in a single year including Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton, and John Legend.
- Reigning Female Artist of the Year Maren Morris receives six nominations, with “The Bones” nominated for both Song of the Year and Single of the Year. Maren Morris receives an additional nod for songwriter of “The Bones,” her first time receiving a nomination both as an artist and songwriter for Song of the Year.
- Chris Stapleton receives six nominations, including his third nomination for Entertainer of the Year. In addition, Chris Stapleton is a nominee for Male Artist of the Year, and Stapleton also receives a nod for Song of the Year as both songwriter and artist, for Album of the Year as artist and producer.
- Miranda Lambert continues her streak as the most nominated female artist in Academy history with 68-lifetime nominations. Lambert is a five-time nominee for the 56th ACM Awards, with four nominations for “Bluebird.” “Bluebird” is nominated for Single of the Year, Video of the Year, and Song of the Year. Lambert received an additional nomination as a songwriter. In addition, Lambert receives her 15th nomination for Female Artist of the Year, a category she’s won nine times.
- Every Single of the Year nomination features a female artist, and this was the first nomination in this category for three of the six nominees: Carly Pearce, Ingrid Andress, and Gabby Barrett.
- Kane Brown earns his first-ever nominations in the Album of the Year category for “Mixtape Vol. 1” and Video of the Year for “Worldwide Beautiful.”
- Jimmie Allen received his second nod for New Male Artist of the Year.
- On the heels of her history-making performance from the 55th ACM Awards in 2020, Mickey Guyton receives her second New Female Artist of the Year nomination.
- John Legend receives his first-ever ACM Awards nomination for Video of the Year for his duet with Carrie Underwood on “Hallelujah,” while Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton received a nomination for Music Event of the Year for their duet, “Nobody But You,” marking Gwen Stefani’s first ACM Award nomination.
- Overall, this year’s nominations include 14 artists and industry creators receiving their first-ever ACM Awards nominations: Tenille Arts, Spencer Cullum, Travis Denning, Kris Donegan, Alicia Enstrom, Jason Hall, Gena Johnson, John Legend, P!nk, Steve Mackey, Gwen Stefani, Benmont Tench, Chris Tomlin and Kristin Wilkinson.
