CMA Announces Nominees For 2020 Awards Ceremony

(Left) Miranda Lambert / Facebook/(Center) Luke Combs / Facebook/(Right) Maren Morris / Facebook

In the midst of this unpredictable year, the CMA Awards will go on.

“Country music’s biggest night” is set to occur on November 11 in Nashville, Tennessee. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on ABC.

This year’s awards ceremony will be led by a new host (or hosts) after longtime hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood both stepped down. Paisley did not host in 2019, and Underwood hosted the ceremony with Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire instead. After the 2019 ceremony, Underwood announced she would not return to host the CMA Awards again.

Other than that, not much is known about the CMA Awards this year. Though following a series of announcements made on Tuesday morning (September 1), we now know the nominees in all of the categories!

Luke Combs and Carly Pearce announced nominees in select categories during an appearance on Good Morning America at 8:30 AM EST. Ingrid Andress and Gabby Barrett announced more nominees during a live stream on the Country Music Association’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

See the complete list of nominees below.

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

• Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
• Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
• Rob McNelley – Guitar
• Ilya Toshinsky – Guitar
• Derek Wells – Guitar

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR

(Award given to artists and producers)

• “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (With Justin Bieber)
• “Be a Light” – Thomas Rhett featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, Keith Urban
• “The Bones” – Maren Morris with Hozier
• “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”  – Miranda Lambert (Feat. Maren Morris, Elle King, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, & Caylee Hammack)
• “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce & Lee Brice

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR

(Award given to artists and video directors)

• “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (With Justin Bieber)
• “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
• “Homemade” – Jake Owen
• “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce and Lee Brice
• “Second One to Know” – Chris Stapleton

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

(Award given to artists, producers, and mix engineers)

• “10,000 Hours” – Dan + Shay (With Justin Bieber)
• “Beer Never Broke My Heart” – Luke Combs
• “Bluebird” – Miranda Lambert
• “The Bones” – Maren Morris
• “I Hope” – Gabby Barrett

SONG OF THE YEAR

(Award given to songwriters)

• “Bluebird” – Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby, and Miranda Lambert (Recorded by Miranda Lambert)
• “The Bones” – Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins, and Laura Veltz (Recorded by Maren Morris)
• “Even Though I’m Leaving” – Luke Combs, Wyatt Durrette, and Ray Fulcher (Recorded by Luke Combs)
• “I Hope You’re Happy Now” – Carly Pearce, Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton (Recorded by Carly Pearce and Lee Brice)
• “More Hearts Than Mine” – Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis, Derrick Southerland (Recorded by Ingrid Andress)

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

(Award given to artists and producers)

• Heartache Medication by Jon Pardi
• Never Will by Ashley McBryde
• Old Dominion by Old Dominion
• What You See Is What You Get by Luke Combs
• Wildcard by Miranda Lambert

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Jimmie Allen
• Ingrid Andress
• Gabby Barrett
• Carly Pearce
• Morgan Wallen

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Lady A
• Little Big Town
• Midland
• Old Dominion
• Rascal Flatts

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Florida Georgia Line
• Maddie & Tae

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Eric Church
• Luke Combs
• Thomas Rhett
• Chris Stapleton
• Keith Urban

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Miranda Lambert
• Ashley McBryde
• Maren Morris
• Kacey Musgraves
• Carrie Underwood

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Eric Church
• Luke Combs
• Miranda Lambert
• Carrie Underwood
• Keith Urban

Congratulations to all of the nominees! Were you surprised by any of the artists, songs, or albums that earned a nod?

Tune in below to watch Combs react to hearing Pearce read his name as one of the nominees in the Entertainer of the Year category. He was thrilled to say the least!

Who else can’t wait for the CMA Awards this year?