Awards
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At Wednesday’s (Nov. 20) CMA Awards, Ashley McBryde turned in one of the evening’s top moments with her tribute to the late Country Music Hall of Famer Kris Kristofferson, with a performance of one of the star’s most well-known songs, “Help Me Make It Through the Night.”
During rehearsals ahead of the CMA Awards, McBryde told Billboard of Kristofferson, “He’s one of my favorite songwriters. So Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, John Prine, this is how the list goes, and it’s my father’s favorite musician-songwriter. It’s his favorite voice to listen to.”
Kristofferson died at his home in Maui, Hawaii, on Sept. 28, and was known for writing classics including “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” “For the Good Times” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” Kristofferson was a singer/performer himself, though many of his songs were best known as performed by other artists. He was also a well-known actor who starred in films including A Star is Born, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and Blade.
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“Help Me Make It Through the Night” has special meaning in McBryde’s own musical journey. “My father taught me to play that song when I was like seven years old, before I even had a guitar of my own,” McBryde said. “And I had no concept [at that age] of who writes songs and who sings songs and all that. So if I can just keep it together, I think it’s going to be a good moment.”
Kristofferson wrote and recorded “Help Me Make It Through The Night” for his 1970 debut album Kristofferson. Sammi Smith’s recording of the song topped the Hot Country Songs chart for three weeks in 1971 and became a crossover pop hit. The song also earned Smith the 1971 Grammy for best country vocal performance, female, and the Country Music Association’s award for single of the year. Willie Nelson, Tammy Wynette, and Gladys Knight and the Pips are also among the many artists who have recorded the song.
McBryde’s favorite line in the song? “‘Let the Devil Take Tomorrow/ Tonight, I need a friend,’” McBryde said. “I mean, I was just a little girl singing that with my dad. I was raised in a really strict, religious household, too. So [it was] interesting to hear my father sing something like, ‘Let the devil take tomorrow. Tonight, I need a friend.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve never heard [something that says] I don’t care what it costs me. I’m not worried about it.” I’ve never heard it put that way, at that age. And Kris Kristofferson is responsible for me being a songwriter.”
Next month, McBryde will release her new song, “Ain’t Enough Cowboy Songs,” which she wrote with Chris Harris and Patrick Savage. After landing on the song title, they realized it connected to “missing the things that made me make the choices that made me who I am,” McBryde said.
“The more we talked about it, the more we noticed that it had a lot to do with the cowboys we looked up to when we were little, and the songs surrounding the lives they led,” she added. “It was they way they lived their lives, the way they presented. They do what they say they’re going to do, and they are where they say they’re going to be, and they stick up for people when they’re having weak moments. For us, [it was about] trying to stay tethered to that touchstone.”
Asked about her own favorite “cowboy songs,” she notes Chris LeDoux’s “This Cowboy’s Hat” as a contender.
“I love that moment where he sings, ‘But if you touch my hat/ You gotta fight us all,’” she said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s the life I want to lead.’ It’s having each other’s back and it’s knowing that the people standing around you have your back, and that’s largely what country music has been built on. So I think it’s time to get back to some cowboy songs.”
Numerous music documentaries are among 169 features that are vying for Oscar nominations for documentary feature film.
Music docs on the entry list include Elton John: Never Too Late; Eno (about Brian Eno); I Am: Celine Dion; Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All; Luther: Never Too Much (about Luther Vandross); Mad About the Boy – The Noel Coward Story; Music by John Williams; Piece by Piece (about Pharrell Williams); and The World According to Allee Willis.
John Williams is a five-time Oscar winner for his scores. Pharrell Williams has been nominated twice – best original song for “Happy from Despicable Me 2 and as a producer of best picture nominee Hidden Figures. Elton John is a two-time Oscar-winner for best original song.
The Greatest Night in Pop, the Netflix film about the 1985 recording session that produced “We Are the World,” is also on the eligible list. The much-decorated film was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special and is a current Grammy nominee for best music film.
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Also eligible: Following Harry, about Harry Belafonte’s social justice work; Studio One Forever (about the L.A. nightclub that is described as “America’s first gay disco”) and Flipside (about a comical attempt to save a New Jersey record store).
Non-music, but music-adjacent, docs that are eligible in the category include Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion, Jim Henson Idea Man and Remembering Gene Wilder.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences notes that “Some of the films have not yet had their required qualifying release and must fulfill that requirement and comply with all the category’s other qualifying rules to advance in the voting process.”
Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
The Academy also announced feature films eligible for consideration in the animated feature film and international feature film categories.
Thirty-one features are eligible for consideration in the animated feature film category. To determine the five nominees, members of the Animation Branch are automatically eligible to vote in the category. Academy members outside of the Animation Branch are invited to opt in to participate and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Eighty-five countries or regions have submitted films that are eligible for consideration in the international feature film category. An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes) produced outside the U.S. with a predominantly non-English dialogue track. Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
Preliminary voting for the 97th Academy Awards will begin on Monday, Dec. 9, and end on Friday, Dec. 13. Shortlists in select categories will be announced on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Nominations will be announced on Friday, Jan. 17.The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
Many of country music’s biggest names were all under one roof Wednesday night (Nov. 20) for the 2024 Country Music Association Awards, where stars such as Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and more took the stage for a number of memorable performances. In addition to sentimental tributes to George Strait — which was led by one of […]
Shaboozey is taking things in stride after Wednesday night’s (Nov. 20) CMA Awards — and following a curious comment from Cody Johnson’s producer Trent Willmon.
At the CMAs — which were held at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena — Shaboozey was nominated for new artist of the year and single of the year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” The smash hit has led the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 for 18 nonconsecutive weeks, and is one week away from setting a new record. Shaboozey also performed during the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Johnson was a big winner during the evening, picking up album of the year for his project Leather, which featured his recent hits “The Painter” and “Dirt Cheap.” It was a crowning moment for the Texas native known affectionately by fans as CoJo, who has been steadily building his reputation for recording stellar songs and putting on high-energy concerts.
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When Johnson and his producer Willmon took the stage to accept the honor, Willmon told the audience, “It takes an army of people to make a great record, but I gotta tell ya, this is for this cowboy who’s been kicking shaboozey for a lot of years, y’all.”
Many country music fans took to social media with anger and confusion over the comment, which seemingly threw shade at Shaboozey, though some were not certain if the comment was a deliberate dig at the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” hitmaker, or an unfortunate attempt at a joke that simply came off wrong.
Either way, Shaboozey doesn’t seem bothered by the comment. Shaboozey tweeted a photo of himself after the show, with the caption, “Ain’t nobody kicking me!”
Shaboozey may not have taken home a CMA trophy, but he has more shots at awards accolades ahead of him, as he’s up for five Grammy Awards in 2025, including multiple nominations for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” in the categories of best country song, best country solo performance and song of the year. Shaboozey is also up for the Grammy for best new artist, while the song “Spaghettii,” his collaboration with Beyoncé and Linda Martell on the pop superstar’s Cowboy Carter, is up for best melodic rap performance.
Netflix’s Emilia Pérez and composer Hans Zimmer each received three awards at the 15th annual Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA), which were held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at The Avalon in Hollywood, CA. The HMMA honors composers, songwriters and music supervisors for their contributions over the previous year in music for film, TV, video games and more.
Emilia Pérez won for music-themed film, biopic or musical and also song – onscreen performance (film) by Zoe Saldana, who performed “El Mal.” The film’s French composers and songwriters Clément Ducol & Camille also won for score – feature film.
Zimmer received three HMMAs, the most awarded this year to any one individual. He won for score – sci-fi/fantasy film for Dune: Part Two; for his score to the documentary TV series Planet Earth III, which he composed with Jacob Shea and Sara Barone; and for song – TV show/limited series for “Love Will Survive” from The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which he cowrote with Kara Talve, Walter Afanasieff and Charlie Midnight. Barbra Streisand performed the song.
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Universal Pictures’ animated film, The Wild Robot, and legendary lyricist Bernie Taupin each received two awards.
The Wild Robot received top accolades in two animated film categories, for its score composed by Kris Bowers and its original song “Kiss the Sky,” performed by Maren Morris, who co-wrote it with Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson, and Stefan Johnson.
Taupin received the HMMA Outstanding Career Achievement Award. In addition, he shared the award for song – documentary film for “Never Too Late” from the Disney+ documentary Elton John: Never Too Late. John and Brandi Carlile both co-wrote and performed the song, and collaborated with additional co-writers Taupin and Andrew Watt.
Diane Warren won this year’s HMMA for song – feature film for “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight, which was performed by H.E.R. If the song is nominated for an Oscar, it will be Warren’s 16thnomination for best original song, and her eighth year in a row with a nomination.
Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li, and Andrew Wyatt won for song – independent film for “Beautiful That Way from The Last Showgirl. Cyrus also performed the track.
The HMMA Awards were held nearly a month before the Oscars are set to announce their shortlists of 15 original songs and 20 original scores on Dec. 17. Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 17. The annual HMMA nominations and awards are our real first peek inside what may be vying for music awards at other awards shows in coming weeks.
Here are the 2024 HMMA nominations in film categories, with winners marked, followed by a listing of other award winners.
Song – feature film
“Winter Coat” from Blitz – Written by Nicholas Britell, Taura Stinson, and Steve McQueen. Performed by Saoirse Ronan.
“Compress/Repress” from Challengers – Written by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Luca Guadagnino. Performed by Mariqueen Maandig Reznor.
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez – Written by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard. Performed by Zoe Saldana.
“Mi Camino” from Emilia Pérez – Written by Clément Ducol and Camille. Performed by Selena Gomez and Édgar Ramírez.
“Forbidden Road” from Better Man – Written and performed by Robbie Williams.
“Periyone” from The Goat Life – Written by A.R. Rahman and Rafiq Ahamed. Performed by Jithin Raj.
“The Idea of You” from The Idea of You – Written by Savan Kotecha, Albin Nedler and Carl Falk. Performed by Galitzine and Anne-Marie.
WINNER: “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight – Written by Diane Warren. Performed by H.E.R.
“Out of Oklahoma” from Twisters – Written by Luke Dick, Shane McAnally, and Lainey Wilson. Performed by Lainey Wilson.
Song – animated film
“Double Life” from Despicable Me 4 – Written and performed by Pharrell Williams.
“Beyond” from Moana 2 – Written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. Performed by Auli’i Cravalho.
“Can I Get a Chee Hoo?” from Moana 2 – Written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear. Performed by Dwayne Johnson.
WINNER: “Kiss the Sky” from The Wild Robot – Written by Maren Morris, Ali Tamposi, Michael Pollack, Delacey, Jordan Johnson, and Stefan Johnson. Performed by Maren Morris.
“Just as You Are” from Thelma the Unicorn – Written by Taura Stinson, Darien Dorsey, and Brittany Howard. Performed by Brittany Howard.
Song – documentary film
“Pain Has a Purpose” from Americans With No Address – Written by Cindy Morgan and Jonathan Kingham. Performed by Rachael Lampa.
WINNER: “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late – Written by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Bernie Taupin and Andrew Watt. Performed by Elton John and Brandi Carlile.
“Mis Cuatro Letras” from Night Is Not Eternal – Written and performed by San Miguel Pérez and Chad Cannon.
“Piece by Piece” from Piece by Piece – Written by Pharrell Williams. Performed by Pharrell Williams, and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers.
“Growing Up Is for Losers” from Red Herring – Written and performed by Xav Clarke.
“Harper and Will Go West” from Will & Harper – Written by Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig, and Josh Greenbaum. Performed by Kristen Wiig.
Song – independent film
“Wi Sabi Wi” from African Giants – Written by Justin Schornstein. Performed by Malik Mayne, Patrick Dillon Curry, and Justin Schornstein.
“City of Dreams” from City of Dreams – Written by Linda Perry. Performed by Luis Fonsi.
“Hold on to the Dream” from Ka Whawhai Tonu – Struggle Without End. Written by Arli Liberman and Tiki Taane. Performed by Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane, and Louis Baker.
“Right Where He Ought To Be” from Kim Kahana: The Man Who Changed Hollywood – Written by Richard Lynch and Kenny Day. Performed by Richard Lynch.
“The Creatures of Nature” from Sasquatch Sunset – Written by Toto Miranda, Yvonne Lambert and Josh Lambert. Performed by Riley Keough.
WINNER: “Beautiful That Way” from The Last Showgirl – Written by Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li, and Andrew Wyatt. Performed by Miley Cyrus.
Song – onscreen performance
Cynthia Erivo – “Defying Gravity” from Wicked
Nicholas Galitzine and Anne-Marie – “The Idea of You” from The Idea of You
Saoirse Ronan – “Winter Coat” from Blitz
Timothée Chalamet – “Blowin’ in the Wind” from A Complete Unknown
WINNER: Zoe Saldana – “El Mal” from Emilia Pérez
Score – feature film
Blitz – Hans Zimmer
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
WINNER: Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol and Camille
Gladiator II – Harry Gregson-Williams
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 – John Debney
Saturday Night – Jon Batiste
The Six Triple Eight – Aaron Zigman
Score – sci-fi/fantasy
Deadpool & Wolverine – Rob Simonsen
WINNER: Dune: Part Two – Hans Zimmer
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga – Tom Holkenborg
If – Michael Giacchino
Red One – Henry Jackman
Score – independent film (foreign language)
Girl You Know It’s True – Segun Akinola
Ka Whawhai Tonu- Struggle Without End – Arli Liberman, Tiki Taane
Mongrels – Hao-Ting Shih, Tae-Young Yu
The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Karzan Mahmood
The Shadow of the Sun – Sandro Morales-Santoro
WINNER: The Goat Life – A.R. Rahman
Score – independent film
African Giants – Justin Schornstein
In the Land of Saints and Sinners – Diego Baldenweg
Sasquatch Sunset – The Octopus Project
September 5 – Lorenz Dangel
WINNER: The Room Next Door – Alberto Iglesias
Thelma – Nick Chuba
Score – horror/thriller film
A Quiet Place: Day One – Alexis Grapsas
Here After – Fabrizio Mancinelli
Longlegs – Zilgi
WINNER: Nosferatu – Robin Carolan
Speak No Evil – Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans
The Substance – Raffertie
Score – animated film
Dragonkeeper – Arturo Cardelús
Out 2 – Andrea Datzman
That Christmas – John Powell
WINNER: The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Lorne Balfe and Julian Nott
Score – documentary
Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge – Allyson Newman
Endurance – Daniel Pemberton
Frida – Víctor Hernández Stumpfhauser
Jim Henson Idea Man – David Fleming
October H8te – Sharon Farber
WINNER: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Ilan Eshkeri
The Donn of Tiki – Holly Amber Church
WILL & HARPER – Nathan Halpern
Music-themed film, biopic or musical
A Complete Unknown
Back to Black
Better Man
Bob Marley: One Love
WINNER: Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard. Prodcued by Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux, Valerie Schermann, Anthony Vaccarello
Wicked
Music documentary / special program
Elton John: Never Too Late
I Am: Celine Dion
Music by John Williams
One to One: John and Yoko
WINNER: Piece By Piece, directed by Morgan Neville. Produced by Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes, Joshua R. Wexler, Pharrell Williams.
The Greatest Night in Pop
Music supervision – film
WINNER: Dave Jordan – Deadpool & Wolverine
Frankie Pine – The Idea of You
LaMarcus Miller and Livy Rodriguez-Behar – Jim Henson Idea Man
Steven Gizicki – A Complete Unknown
Rachel Levy – Twisters
Susan Jacobs and Jackie Mulhearn – Out of My Mind
Here are more winners from the evening:
Song – TV show/limited series: “Love Will Survive” from The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Written by Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve, Walter Afanasieff, and Charlie Midnight. Performed by Barbra Streisand.
Score – TV show/limited series: Shōgun – Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross, and Nick Chuba
Song – onscreen performance (TV): Ashley Park – “Ruins” from Emily in Paris
Main title – TV show/limited series: Masters of the Air – Blake Neely
Score – short film (live action): Spaceman – Spencer Creaghan & Chris Reineck
Score – short film (animated): Fly Hard – Daniel Rojas
Score – short film (documentary): Motorcycle Mary – Katya Richardson
Score – documentary series -TV/ digital: Planet Earth III – Hans Zimmer, Jacob Shea and Sara Barone
Score – TV show/limited series (foreign language): Women in Blue (Las Azules) – Lucas Vidal
Score – video game (console & PC): Delta Force – Johan Söderqvist and Zio
Song – video game (console & PC): “The People’s Cry (Main Theme)” from Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Written by Pinar Toprak and Paul R Frommer.
Song/score – mobile video game: Honor of Kings – Volker Bertelmann, Matthew Carl Earl, Laurent Courbier, Robbie Say, 2WEI, Zeneth, Henrik Lindström, Martin Landström and Rasmus Faber
Music supervision – TV show/limited series: Fallout – Trygge Toven
Music supervision – video game: Honor Of Kings – Jing Zhang, Shuqin Xiao, Corey Huang, Peiyue Lu and Samuel Siu
Song/score – commercial advertisement: Ram “The Convoy” – Emily Bjorke / In The Groove Music
Soundtrack album: Deadpool & Wolverine – Hollywood Records
Song – short film: “No Wahala” from Alkebulan II. Written by Matt B, Buguma Mark, Performed by Matt B and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Score – TV/streamed movie: The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat – Kathryn Bostic
Music design – trailer: American Horror Story – Delicate Part 2 – Fjøra X Nocturn
Main title – tv show (foreign language): Hotel Beyrouth – Suad Bushnaq
Music video: Lainey Wilson – “Out of Oklahoma”
Live concert for visual media: Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour – Olivia Rodrigo
Exhibitions, theme parks, special projects: Braveship: The Live Symphonic Spectacular – Matt Cook (Composer, Producer), Dan Merceruio (Producer), Leslie Ann Jones (Recording Engineer, Mixing Engineer), Mirusia (Soprano).
Special recognition – New Media
Special recognition: Bullet Symphony – Live Coding for Everyone – Yang Zhang
For the complete list, visit: https://www.hmmawards.com/2024-hmma-nominations/
As this year’s CMA Awards drew to a close on Wednesday night (Nov. 20), Chris Stapleton became the evening’s foremost winner, picking up three trophies, single of the year, song of the year (both for “White Horse”) and male vocalist of the year. Morgan Wallen took home the evening’s biggest win, entertainer of the year. Meanwhile, Cody Johnson picked up album of the year for Leather. Brooks & Dunn extended their streak of the most wins in the vocal duo of the year category, nabbing a 15th win in the category. Megan Moroney picked up her first CMA Awards win, for new artist of the year, as did Riley Green and Ella Langley, in the musical event of the year category, for “You Look Like You Love Me.”
Outside of the award winners, many of the brightest moments at this year’s show came via a host of performances from artists ranging from legendary artists to buzzy newcomers. The soundscape highlighted a range of music under the country umbrella, including classic Texas honky-tonk, soul and rock fusions and bluegrass-leaning jams.
This year’s performances included several collaborations, including Kelsea Ballerini teaming with Noah Kahan, Post Malone performing with Chris Stapleton and Jelly Roll partnering with Brooks & Dunn on a stirring, gospel-tinged version of Brooks & Dunn’s “Believe,” included on B&D’s new Reboot II album. Plus, Dierks Bentley played alongside a trio of bluegrass music luminaries: Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes.
Artist tributes also contributed to some of the top moments, with Ashley McBryde paying homage the late singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson. George Strait was honored with the 2024 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, and was feted with all-star performances from Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.
Meanwhile, Eric Church continued to bring awareness to those impacted by Hurricane Helene through his stirring performance of “Darkest Hour.”
Every artist brought a unique artistry and talent to the CMA Awards stage. Here, we count down the top performances.
Post Malone Offers Familial Ode on “Yours”
The 2024 CMA Awards, held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, had its fair share of snubs and surprises. To be sure, many races went exactly as expected. Old Dominion won vocal group of the year for the seventh year in a row, the longest continuous winning streak in that category’s history. […]
Morgan Wallen was crowned entertainer of the year at the 2024 CMA Awards, which were held on Wednesday (Nov. 20) at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Wallen’s coronation comes less than four years after a career-imperiling moment where he was caught on video using a racial slur, and suggests that he is now back in Nashville’s good graces. (He did come up short in his other six categories this year, so he’s perhaps still not all the way back.) Wallen was a no-show, perhaps sensing that he was still persona non grata.
Wallen’s win for entertainer of the year means that Chris Stapleton has now lost in that category eight times without winning. That’s the most nominations for entertainer of the year without a win. Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are currently tied for second place on the list of artists with the most nominations without a win (six).
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But Stapleton won three awards on the night, more than any other artist. This brings his career total of CMA wins to 18. Only two other artists have won 18 or more CMA Awards. Brooks & Dunn, who won another award this year, lead with 19 awards. Vince Gill, like Stapleton, has won 18 awards. At this year’s show, Stapleton pulled ahead of George Strait (17 wins) and Alan Jackson (16).
Stapleton won male vocalist of the year for a record-extending eighth time. He’s far ahead of the pack in terms of most wins in the category. Runners-up, with five wins each, are Gill, Strait and Blake Shelton. (By way of comparison, the top winner in the female vocalist of the year category, Lambert, has won it seven times.)
Stapleton also won single and song of the year for “White Horse.” It’s the third time he has doubled up and won both awards on the same night. He also won both awards for “Broken Halos” in 2018 and “Starting Over” in 2021. Stapleton is the first artist in CMA history to win single of the year three times. Stapleton’s single beat a pair of long-running No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey and “I Had Some Help” by Post Malone featuring Wallen.
This was also Stapleton’s third win for song of the year. Only two other songwriters have won three or more times in this category. Gill leads with four song of the year wins. Don Schlitz also won it three times.
Lainey Wilson won two awards, second only to Stapleton. She took female vocalist of the year for the third year in a row. She’s the sixth woman to win in this category three or more years in a row. Tammy Wynette was the first singer to accomplish the feat (1968-70), followed by Reba McEntire (1984-87), Martina McBride (2002-04), Underwood (2006-08) and Lambert (2010-15). Wilson also won music video of the year for “Wildflowers and Wild Horses.” This ups her CMA tally to nine wins, all in just three years.
Old Dominion won vocal group of the year for the seventh consecutive year. They’re the first group ever to win in this category seven years running, though they still have a ways to go to catch up to The Statler Brothers for most total wins in the category (nine).
Brooks & Dunn won vocal duo of the year for the 15th time; the first time since 2006. Everyone was wondering if Brothers Osborne or Dan + Shay would win this time, or could The War and Treaty possibly win in an upset? Few thought Brooks & Dunn would reclaim the award they won 14 times between 1992 and 2006. When Brooks & Dunn first won the award, they beat reigning champs The Judds. With this latest win, they beat reigning champs Brothers Osborne.
Megan Moroney won new artist of the year on her second nomination. She lost to Jelly Roll last year. (Artists are allowed two nominations in this category.)
Cody Johnson’s ninth studio album, Leather, won album of the year. Its win was considered a surprise given the strong competition, including Stapleton’s Higher and Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel.
Guitar player Charlie Worsham won musician of the year for the first time, ending Jenee Fleenor’s five-year hold on the award. With Worsham’s win, steel guitarist Paul Franklin lost in the category for the 32nd time. That’s not a typo – Franklin has been nominated, and lost, in the category 32 times.
Jeff Bridges is many things – and “legendary actor” is certainly one of them. Not only did Bridges bring The Dude to life in 1998’s The Big Lebowski, creating one of the most beloved (and imitated) cinematic characters of the last 30 years, but he beautifully portrayed an alcoholic country singer in 2009’s Crazy Heart […]
Temperatures rose at the 2024 CMA Awards when Jelly Roll stepped out onstage for his second performance of the night, joined by Keith Urban for a rousing performance of “Liar.” Backdropped by bursts of flames and rhythmic balls of sparks, the two musicians brought the heat, with the “Son of a Sinner” singer passionately belting […]