The Country Music Association announced the nominations for their 51st Annual CMA Awards on Sept. 4 and Miranda Lambert leads with five bids, including both Single and Song of the Year for “Tin Man.” While Lambert picked up her 11th nomination for Female Vocalist (she won a record six years running beginning in 2010) and her fourth for Album of the Year (“The Weight of These Wings”), she was snubbed for the big prize: Entertainer of the Year. (See the full list of CMA Awards nominations.)
Indeed, no woman contends in that top category this year. But that is not so surprising when you consider only one woman has won this award in the last 15 years: Taylor Swift (2009, 2011). And in that same time frame there has only been one year when more than one female act was nominated: 2010, when Lambert and the gender-mixed group Lady Antebellum were both in the running.
One of Keith Urban‘s four CMA nominations is for Entertainer of the Year. It’s his 10th time in the top race, with one previous win (2005). He also earned his 13th bid for Male Vocalist (he won three in a row beginning in 2004) and vies for both Single and Music Video of the Year for “Blue Ain’t Your Color.”
Little Big Town also contends in four categories: Single of the Year for “Better Man,” which was co-written by Swift, Album of the Year for “The Breaker,” Vocal Group of the Year, and Music Video.
Rounding out the Entertainer of the Year category are defending champ Garth Brooks, who had won four times in his heyday (1991-1992, 1997-1998) and is nominated for the 12th time; Luke Bryan, who is on his fifth nomination and won in both 2014 and 2015 and a pair of second-time nominees: Eric Church and Chris Stapleton.
Winners will be presented at a live ceremony hosted for the 10th year in a row by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood on Wednesday, November 8, on ABC.
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