The 56th edition of the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMs) is coming – returning to normal April time.
The show comes on the heels of the 2020 ACMs, which aired in September after being postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Here’s what you need to know about this year’s ACM awards.
When will it air?
The 2021 ACM Awards will take place on Sunday, April 18th.
ACM AWARDS BACK TO NASHVILLE IN APRIL
Musician Chris Stapleton received six nominations.
(Getty)
How can I watch?
The show will be broadcast live, on demand and in streaming via CBS at 8 pm EST.
Where will it happen?
Choosing to return to Nashville, Tennessee, rather than Las Vegas, the 56th annual ACMs will once again be broadcast from three different locations in the City of Music – including the Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium and the Bluebird Café.
“We are thrilled to be returning to the most iconic venues in Music City, as we met on April 18 to celebrate the best of Country Music, back to our normal award cycle,” said Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside.
“A big thank you to the city of Nashville, Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium and Bluebird Cafe for welcoming us back to Nashville, where we can take care of the safety of our artists while lighting up this vibrant city after a tough 2020,” added Whiteside.
Who is nominated?
Like Stapleton, Maren Morris also had six nominations.
(ABC via Getty Images)
The Academy of Country Music, dick clark productions and CBS announced the nominations on Friday, which honors some of the greatest talent and rising stars within country music.
Topping the list of most nominations are country music singer Maren Morris and star Chris Stapleton – with six nominations in total.
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Morris’ pop crossover, “The Bones”, was nominated for single of the year and earned him two nominations as a songwriter and artist for song of the year. She was also nominated as a female artist of the year, which she won last year, and music video of the year for “Better Than We Found It”. Morris also received a nomination for the group of the year for his star collaboration with the Highwomen.
Stapleton, who released his fourth studio solo album last year, “Starting Over”, was nominated as the male artist of the year, an award he received twice. He was also nominated for song of the year as a songwriter and artist, as well as for album of the year as an artist and producer.
Miranda Lambert was nominated as a female artist of the year for the 15th time.
(Photo by Terry Wyatt / ACMA2020 / Getty Images for ACM)
Miranda Lambert received five nominations this year, with four nominations only for her hit “Bluebird”. She was also nominated as a female artist of the year, an honor she has won nine times.
In addition, Ashley McBryde and Thomas Rhett got four nominations.
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Notably, no woman was nominated for the main award in the artist of the year category. However, all five nominees for the single of the year are presented by women, a debut at the ACM Award.
In addition to Lambert’s “Bluebird” and Morris’s “The Bones”, Gabby Barrett’s “I Hope”, Carly Pearce and Lee Brice’s duet “I Hope You’re Happy Now” and Ingrid Andress’s “More Hearts Than Mine” fill the category.
In addition, four black artists were also nominated this year in all categories, another novelty for the ACM awards. Kane Brown was nominated for the album of the year for his album “Mixtape Vol. 1”, while Jimmie Allen was nominated for the new male artist of the year after being nominated for the first time in the same category in 2018.
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John Legend has his first ACM video award of the year for his duet with Carrie Underwood in ‘Hallelujah’.
(AP, Archive)
Mickey Guyton was nominated again as the new female artist of the year, after being nominated for the first time in 2015. His 2020 song “Black Like Me”, released after George Floyd’s death, never gained traction on the radio, but brought acclaim from the criticism and a Grammy Nomination for best country solo performance.
According to the ACM award criteria, artists can be nominated more than once in the categories of new artist of the year, as long as they have not won before and have not yet released a single from their third studio album.
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Grammy winner John Legend has his first ACM video of the year nomination for his duet with Carrie Underwood in “Hallelujah”.
The hosts, performers and presenters have yet to be announced.
The Associated Press and Melissa Roberto of Fox News contributed to this report