01of 10It’s More InclusiveKevin Mazur/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Kevin Mazur/GettyThe Academy of Country Music Awards are almost here, and this year, the award show features more inclusive and diverse nominees than ever before.The country music industry has historically lacked representation for women, BIPOC and the queer community, which many artists — fromMaren MorrisandCarrie UnderwoodtoDarius RuckerandTJ Osborne— have spoken candidly about in recent years.Ahead of the 56th annual American Country Music Awards, whichwill air on Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and be available to stream on Paramount+, we’ve rounded up everything to know about this year’s show, from history-making nominations to who’s performing.
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It’s More Inclusive
Kevin Mazur/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty
The Academy of Country Music Awards are almost here, and this year, the award show features more inclusive and diverse nominees than ever before.
The country music industry has historically lacked representation for women, BIPOC and the queer community, which many artists — fromMaren MorrisandCarrie UnderwoodtoDarius RuckerandTJ Osborne— have spoken candidly about in recent years.
Ahead of the 56th annual American Country Music Awards, whichwill air on Sunday, April 18, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and be available to stream on Paramount+, we’ve rounded up everything to know about this year’s show, from history-making nominations to who’s performing.
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Women Will Reign
Francis Specker/CBS via Getty; ABC via Getty; Phil McCarten/CBS via Getty
Speaking about the record number of female nominations, ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said, “We have come a long way when the five most focal singles of the year are female. When you figure there’s been so much discussion about the lack of females at radio and just the lack of female content and presence in general in the country music industry,” according toBillboard.
He added, “We’ve all been working really hard to combat that as an industry. And it’s exciting to see that there’s just so much great content coming from our really strong female artists out there. I think that’s a major, major statement right there.”
03of 10There Are More Black Nominees Than BeforeABC via Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank via GettyAcross categories, four Black artists have earned nominations this year as well — a record for the annual awards show.Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, John Legend (withCarrie Underwood) and co-host Mickey Guyton are all up for various awards.“That’s really exciting [and] a big step in the right direction because we didn’t have any last year,” Whiteside said of the nominations for Black artists.
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There Are More Black Nominees Than Before
ABC via Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Trae Patton/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty
Across categories, four Black artists have earned nominations this year as well — a record for the annual awards show.Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, John Legend (withCarrie Underwood) and co-host Mickey Guyton are all up for various awards.
“That’s really exciting [and] a big step in the right direction because we didn’t have any last year,” Whiteside said of the nominations for Black artists.
04of 10But It’s Still Somewhat of a Boys' ClubJason Kempin/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Shannon Finney/GettyWhile the long overdue increase in representation is an exciting step in the right direction, there’s still more work to be done. For the third time in four years, no women are nominated for entertainer of the year, and no Black artist has ever been nominated in the category. The nominees this year areLuke Bryan, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett, who tied withCarrie Underwoodin the category last year.Gena Johnson broke the all-male nominee streak for audio engineer of the year, becoming the first woman to be nominated in the category for her work with Chris Stapleton and other artists.
04of 10
But It’s Still Somewhat of a Boys' Club
Jason Kempin/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Shannon Finney/Getty
While the long overdue increase in representation is an exciting step in the right direction, there’s still more work to be done. For the third time in four years, no women are nominated for entertainer of the year, and no Black artist has ever been nominated in the category. The nominees this year areLuke Bryan, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett, who tied withCarrie Underwoodin the category last year.
Gena Johnson broke the all-male nominee streak for audio engineer of the year, becoming the first woman to be nominated in the category for her work with Chris Stapleton and other artists.
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Morgan Wallen Won’t Be There
Morgan Wallen.Jason Kempin/ACMA2020/Getty
Absent from this year’s nominations is Morgan Wallen, who was at thecenter of a scandal earlier this yearafter a video surfaced on TMZ of himusing the N-word. One day after the clip made headlines, the Academy of Country Music announced that it would “halt” Wallen’s “involvement and eligibility” in the ceremony.
“We have made his management team aware of this decision,” ACM said in a statement on Twitter. “The Academy does not condone or support intolerance or behavior that doesn’t align with our commitment and dedication to diversity and inclusion.” The organization added that it would now “expedite” offering diversity training for ACM members.
“I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever,” Wallen said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.”
06of 10Neither Will Luke Bryan or Philip Sweet (for a Different Reason)Jon Kopaloff/GettyOther familiar faces missing from this year’s show areLuke Bryan(pictured) andLittle Big Town’s Philip Sweet, both of whom have tested positive for COVID-19. Sweet’s band members gave an update on his health, sharing that “he seems to be holding off the really bad stuff, just a little not feeling great,” while Bryan announced that he’s “doing well and look forward to being back at it soon.” Bryan was originally slated to perform, but will be skipping the show while he recovers.
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Neither Will Luke Bryan or Philip Sweet (for a Different Reason)
Jon Kopaloff/Getty
Other familiar faces missing from this year’s show areLuke Bryan(pictured) andLittle Big Town’s Philip Sweet, both of whom have tested positive for COVID-19. Sweet’s band members gave an update on his health, sharing that “he seems to be holding off the really bad stuff, just a little not feeling great,” while Bryan announced that he’s “doing well and look forward to being back at it soon.” Bryan was originally slated to perform, but will be skipping the show while he recovers.
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Mickey Guyton Will Break Even More Barriers
Kevin Winter/Getty
Mickey Guyton, who’s no stranger to breaking barriers in the industry, will once again make history as the first Black artist to co-host the award show, alongside Keith Urban. The “Black Like Me” singer, who became the first Black female artist to perform solo at the show last year, spoke toE! Newsabout the increased inclusivity being highlighted in this year’s show.
08of 10Kane Brown Already Made HistoryKane Brown.Jason Kempin/GettyAhead of the show,Kane Brownalsomade history with his ACM award, becoming the first Black solo artist to win video of the year for “Worldwide Beautiful,” his powerful video that spreads a message about justice and equality.“I wrote this song with three of my buddies out of Nashville. We were just like, ‘You know, it would be a great day when everybody could just see the beautiful in the world… we’re all a little different, but we’re all just different types of beautiful,’ " Brown said of the unifying track onCBS This Morning.
08of 10
Kane Brown Already Made History
Kane Brown.Jason Kempin/Getty
Ahead of the show,Kane Brownalsomade history with his ACM award, becoming the first Black solo artist to win video of the year for “Worldwide Beautiful,” his powerful video that spreads a message about justice and equality.
“I wrote this song with three of my buddies out of Nashville. We were just like, ‘You know, it would be a great day when everybody could just see the beautiful in the world… we’re all a little different, but we’re all just different types of beautiful,’ " Brown said of the unifying track onCBS This Morning.
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It’s Playing Things COVID-Safe
Chris Hollo/ Grand Ole Opry
The show will take place in the same locations this year, but will feature more live performances than the September show, which was largely pre-taped. Also in attendance will be a socially distanced crowd of vaccinated frontline workers, as well as masked nominees who will be rotated in as their categories come up, according toVariety.
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Get Ready for Lots of Music
From left: Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert.Jason Kempin/Getty; Kevin Winter/Getty; Jason Kempin/Getty; Francis Specker/CBS via Getty
source: people.com
