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.rankings: Hot Country Songs, Country
Airplay, Country Streaming Songs,
Country Digital Song Sales and Top
Country Albums. (On the latter, his
breakthrough album, This One’s for
Yo u, has since logged 48 weeks at
No. 1.) Following his win for new
artist of the year in 2018, he earned
his second consecutive male vocalist
nomination, as well as nods for song
(“Beautiful Crazy”) and musical event
of the year for “Brand New Man,” a
Brooks & Dunn collaboration.
DAN + SHAY
Dan + Shay
Three nominations including vocal
duo, single of the year
Despite 10 career nominations, Dan
Smyers and Shay Mooney have yet to
take home a CMA trophy. This year,
the pair received its first album of
the year nod for third effort Dan +
Shay, which entered Top Country
Albums at No. 1 in July 2018. The act
also received its sixth consecutive
nomination for vocal duo and its
second consecutive single of the year
nod (for “Speechless”), following
“Tequila” last year. The latter track
earned Dan + Shay their first Gram-
my Award in January, for country
duo/group performance.
KACEY MUSGRAVES
Golden Hour
Three nominations including female
vocalist, song of the year
Last November, Musgraves began her
Golden Hour award season blitz with a
Above: At the 2018 CMA Awards, Brothers Osborne’s T.J. Osborne (left) and John Osborne (right)
performed “Burning Man” alongside Bentley (center). Below: Church played “Desperate Man.”
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks
Eric Church
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
CENTER POINT ROAD
Thomas Rhett
CRY PRETTY
Carrie Underwood
DAN + SHAY
Dan + Shay
DESPERATE MAN
Eric Church
GIRL
Maren Morris
SONG OF THE YEAR
“BEAUTIFUL CRAZY”
Luke Combs
“GIRL”
Maren Morris
“GOD’S COUNTRY”
Blake Shelton
“RAINBOW”
Kacey Musgraves
“TEQUILA”
Dan + Shay
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“BURNING MAN”
Dierks Bentley Feat.
Brothers Osborne
“GIRL”
Maren Morris
“GOD’S COUNTRY”
Blake Shelton
“MILLIONAIRE”
Chris Stapleton
“SPEECHLESS”
Dan + Shay
as his third one for single of the year
for “Burning Man,” featuring Brothers
Osborne, which also was nominated
for music video of the year. He was
previously nominated for “Home”
(2012) and “Drunk on a Plane” (2014)
in the category.
ERIC CHURCH
Desperate Man
Three nominations including album,
entertainer of the year
The “Springsteen” singer’s sixth studio
release, Desperate Man, spent its first
two weeks at No. 1 on Top Country
Albums. In its first week of release
last October, the set earned 116,000
equivalent album units, with 103,000
of that sum in traditional album sales,
according to Nielsen Music. Church’s
nominations include album (for the
fourth time) and entertainer of the
year (for the third). He previously won
in the album category with 2011’s Chief
and 2015’s Mr. Misunderstood. He also
is nominated for music video of the
year (“Some of It”).
LUKE COMBS
This One’s for You Too
(Deluxe Edition)
Three nominations including male
vocalist, song of the year
In March, Combs made chart history
as the second act to simultaneously
lead all of Billboard’s main country
Musgraves won
album of the
year at the 2018
CMA Awards.
THE NOMINEES
72 BILLBOARD • SEPTEMBER 28, 2019