It’s a wide-open field for this year’s CMT Music Awards and Sony Music Nashville claims 22% of the nominations with Maren Morris, Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs and Kane Brown among those receiving the most nods. LANCO, Old Dominion, Mitchell Tenpenny and Tenille Townes each received music video nominations as well. See the full list and voting information HERE. 

SMN’s 13 nominations are:

Video of the Year
Kane Brown – “Good As You”
Luke Combs – “She Got The Best Of Me”
Maren Morris – “GIRL”
 
Male Video of the Year
Kane Brown – “Lose It”
 
Female Video of the Year
Maren Morris – “GIRL”
Miranda Lambert – “Keeper Of The Flame”

Group Video of the Year
LANCO  –  “Born To Love You”
Old Dominion  – “Hotel Key”
 
Breakthrough Video 
Mitchell Tenpenny – “Drunk Me”
Tenille Townes – “Somebody’s Daughter”
 
Collaborative Video
Jason Aldean Featuring Miranda Lambert – “Drowns The Whiskey”
 
CMT Performance of the Year
Luke Combs and Leon Bridges – “Beautiful Crazy” From CMT Crossroads
Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile – “You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman” From 2018 CMT Artists Of The Year

Nominations for the awards, to be held on June 5 in Nashville, Tennessee, were announced Tuesday and fan voting is now open at VOTE.CMT.COM . Grammy-winning act Little Big Town, who are nominated for two awards, are returning for a second year as hosts for the show airing live on CMT from Nashville, Tennessee.

Fourteen videos are in the running for video of the year, and the top five nominees in that category will be announced the morning of the show.

Luke Combs’ new single “Beer Never Broke My Heart” premiered this morning worldwide at country radio. Stream/purchase HERE. The song’s official music video will also debut today at 12:15 p.m. ET. Combs will be chatting with fans ahead of the video launch on YouTube Music starting at 12:00 p.m. ET. In celebration of the new music, Combs will perform the track on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” tomorrow, May 9. 

The release of “Beer Never Broke My Heart” continues an already monumental year for Combs, who is nominated for two awards at the 2019 CMT Music Awards: Video of the Year (“She Got The Best of Me”) and CMT Performance of the Year (“Beautiful Crazy” from CMT Crossroads with Leon Bridges). The awards ceremony will broadcast live on CMT from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. CT. 
 Additionally, Combs, who recently made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales (dated March 9, March 30 and April 6). Moreover, Combs’ 2x Platinum single, “Beautiful Crazy,” spent seven-straight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart—tying the second longest run atop the chart since its launch in 1990. “Beautiful Crazy” is Combs’ fastest rising single to date (15 weeks) and makes Combs the first artist ever to send his first five singles to the top of Billboard ’s Country Airplay chart. “Beautiful Crazy” is also the first country single shipped to radio already platinum-certified since Taylor Swift’s “Red” in 2013 and has more than 360 million on-demand streams. In celebration of these milestones, Combs recently performed an acoustic version of the song during the 2019 ACM Awards live broadcast. Watch/share HERE. Of the performance, Billboard praises, “…a stirring version of the hit single…the arrangement breathed a second life into a song that many would have stated was perfect as is beforehand,” while Rolling Ston e declares, “…Combs showed why he’s one of the genre’s most promising young voices.”
 Continuing his monumental year, Combs sold out venues in 25 of the 29 cities on his newly confirmed “Beer Never Broke My Heart” fall tour in the first weekend tickets were on-sale. He broke records at Bozeman’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena and Bossier City’s CenturyLink Center for the fastest sell out times in venue history. Additional sold-out shows include Kansas City’s Sprint Center, Portland’s Moda Center, Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, Phoenix’s Talking Stick Resort Arena, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena among several others. Special guests throughout the tour include Morgan Wallen, The Cadillac Three and Jameson Rodgers. See below for complete tour details. 
 Since the release of his double Platinum certified debut album, This One’s For You, on June 2, 2017, the album spent a total of 33 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart—the longest reign for a solo male artist in over 25 years. The album also spent 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2018—making it the highest selling country album last year with 1.1 million equivalent album units sold and the only country album to surpass 1 million album units. It’s also the most-streamed country album of 2019 so far. Additionally, Combs was awards Top Country Artist, Top Country Male Artist, and Top Country Album at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, New Male Artist of the Year at the 2019 ACM Awards, Country Artist of the Year at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards, was nominated for Best New Artist at the 61st GRAMMY Awards and was the recipient of a CMA Triple Play Award for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12 month period. 

The Billboard Music Awards were hosted by Kelly Clarkson on Wednesday, May 1^st.

Kane Brown presented with Becky G on the awards show.

LUKE COMBS

Top Country Artist:
Luke Combs

Top Country Male Artist:
Luke Combs

Top Country Album:
Luke Combs
This Ones For You

MAREN MORRIS

Top Dance/Electronic Song:

Zedd, Marren Morris & Grey “The Middle”

CMA and ACM Award-winning musician Luke Combs’ new single, “Beer Never Broke My Heart,” will premiere worldwide at country radio next Wednesday, May 8 at 9:00 AM ET. Pre-save/pre-add the song HERE. In celebration of the new music, Combs will perform the track on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” next Thursday, May 9.
 The release of “Beer Never Broke My Heart” continues a landmark year for Combs, who recently made history as the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard country charts for multiple weeks: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales (dated March 9, March 30 and April 6). Additionally, Combs’ current 2x Platinum single, “Beautiful Crazy,” spent seven-straight weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart—tying the second longest run atop the chart since its launch in 1990. “Beautiful Crazy” is Combs’ fastest rising single to date (15 weeks) and makes Combs the first artist ever to send his first five singles to the top of Billboard ’s Country Airplay chart. “Beautiful Crazy” is also the first country single shipped to radio already platinum-certified since Taylor Swift’s “Red” in 2013 and has more than 360 million on-demand streams. In celebration of these milestones, Combs recently performed an acoustic version of the song during the 2019 ACM Awards live broadcast. Watch/share HERE. Of the performance, Billboard praises, “…a stirring version of the hit single…the arrangement breathed a second life into a song that many would have stated was perfect as is beforehand,” while Rolling Ston e declares, “…Combs showed why he’s one of the genre’s most promising young voices.”
 Continuing his monumental year, Combs sold out venues in 25 of the 29 cities on his newly confirmed “Beer Never Broke My Heart” fall tour in the first weekend tickets were on-sale. He broke records at Bozeman’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena and Bossier City’s CenturyLink Center for the fastest sell out times in venue history. Additional sold-out shows include Kansas City’s Spring Center, Portland’s Moda Center, Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, Phoenix’s Talking Stick Resort Arena, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena among several others. Special guests throughout the tour include Morgan Wallen, The Cadillac Three and Jameson Rodgers. See below for complete tour details. 
 Since the release of his double Platinum certified debut album, This One’s For You, on June 2, 2017, the album spent a total of 32 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart—the longest reign for a solo male artist in over 25 years. The album also spent 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2018—making it the highest selling country album last year with 1.1 million equivalent album units sold and the only country album to surpass 1 million album units. It’s also the most-streamed country album of 2019 so far. Additionally, Combs was named New Male Artist of the Year at the 2019 ACM Awards, Country Artist of the Year at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards, was nominated for Best New Artist at the 61st GRAMMY Awards and was the recipient of a CMA Triple Play Award for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12 month period. 

Multi-platinum entertainer Chris Young today announced USAA as an Official Sponsor of the “Raised On Country Tour 2019.” USAA, a leading provider of insurance, banking and other financial services to members of the U.S. military and their families, will team with Chris Young to create memorable experiences for military, veterans and their families throughout the coast-to-coast headlining tour. Chris Young’s “Raised On Country Tour 2019” kicks off May 16 in Alpharetta, Georgia with over 25 shows through September.

With the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, USAA, Official NFL Salute to Service Partner, kicked-off celebrations by hosting a special NFL Draft USAA Salute to Service event for invited military members stationed at Fort Campbell. The event, which took place earlier today at The Steps at WME, featured an acoustic performance by Chris Young and a Q&A session featuring NFL Legend Joe Thomas. Following the on-stage portions of the event, both Chris Young and Joe Thomas met with military members, signing autographs and posing for pictures.

“From performing for our service members at military installations around the world to my sister and brother-in-law’s own service in the U.S. Marines, I’ve seen firsthand the many sacrifices our military and their families make every day in service to our country,” said Chris Young. “I’m excited to have USAA on board for my 2019 tour and I’m looking forward to meeting our service members at all the shows.”

“Creating unique and memorable experiences for today’s service members is one way USAA shows our appreciation. We are excited to bring together Chris Young, a noted military supporter, and the NFL for a once-in-a-lifetime event at the start of a special year honoring and appreciating our true heroes,” said Army veteran and USAA Bank President Chad Borton. “Whether a memorable summer on tour with Chris Young, or personal interactions with NFL players and legends, or simply being there when our members need us, USAA continues its mission of serving our military, veterans and their families.”

Memorable experiences that USAA will work with Chris Young to create for military at all 2019 tour dates include access to premium tickets, meet & greets, and other VIP experiences to be announced.

For more information on how USAA honors and appreciates our military all NFL season long, please visitSaluteToService.com. For a complete list of tour dates, including additional Chris Young concert stops for 2019, VIP package details and to purchase tickets, please visit chrisyoungcountry.com.

Double-PLATINUM Arista Nashville band LANCO released their new music video “Rival” today.  The first track from the band’s upcoming sophomore album, which already boasts over one million streams, follows their No. 1 selling and critically-acclaimed debut, HALLELUJAH NIGHTS. In the music video directed by Peter Zavadil and filmed in Nashville, LANCO brings together a diverse crowd from all walks of life who have overcome judgement cast by others. They amplify the power of unity by bulldozing through defeating moments together alongside a compelling live performance. Fans can watch the music video for “Rival” here.

“We really wanted to capitalize on the true message behind the song that was built from different times in our lives and the stories from fans who have felt beat-down and lost, but ultimately find hope and redemption,” said the band’s Brandon Lancaster. “Every caption on that wall was an experience that person had to overcome, and when it was knocked down you could feel the genuine joy from everyone on the set. It was a powerful moment I’ll never forget.” 

Fans can get a behind the scenes look of LANCO’s “Rival” music video here.

The ACM “New Group of the Year” once again tapped producer Jay Joyce for the track that was written by frontman Lancaster and drummer Tripp Howell as it curates “thumping beats, soaring guitar riffs and a sing-along chorus” with “a sound reminiscent of Arcade Fire” (Billboard). LANCO was able to “rile up the crowd with their catchy performance” (CBS) of “Rival” during the 54th annual ACM Awards, as it served as one the best moments of the night for Associated Press, Billboard, Country Living and Rolling Stone . They will continue that moment at Stagecoach this weekend, before heading overseas with their headlining HALLELUJAH NIGHTS TOUR. The UK trek will launch May 1 at London’s O2 Academy Islington, with opener Bailey Bryan.

LANCO has paved the course for critical acclaim with the success of their 2x Platinum single “Greatest Love Story” which became a multi-week chart topper. Following the release of their No. 1-selling debut album HALLELUJAH NIGHTS , which has over 550 million streams, both moments were historical in Country music as Lancaster became the first artist in 10 years to have a No. 1 on the chart solely written by that artist, while LANCO served as the first Country group in a decade to appear at the top of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with a debut album. LANCO recently earned their first award as ACM “New Group of the Year” and has garnered additional nominations from the CMT, CMA, AMA, and iHeart Awards, while Lancaster became the first member of a group to ever win NSAI’s Songwriter/Artist of the Year. This summer, they will perform at Country music’s biggest festivals after serving as direct support for Luke Combs’ BEER NEVER BROKE MY HEART TOUR. Fans can connect with LANCO on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For more information, visit www.lancomusic.com.

The best-selling duo of all time, Brooks & Dunn, debuts at No. One this week on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with their collaboration project REBOOT. Proving “the timing couldn’t be better to celebrate the influence of Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks” (Music Row), the impressive feat marks the first time the duo has topped the album charts since 2009 while simultaneously earning the duo their 10th Billboard 200 Top 10 album, the most of any country duo or group in the chart’s history. The 12-track collection produced by Dann Huff “revisits some of the duo’s most iconic songs with the genre’s hottest young talents” (PEOPLE) including Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler Booth and Kacey Musgraves.

“We always said that after all the crazy highs we’ve had along this journey, that the most important thing to us was that the music that held up over time,” said Ronnie Dunn. “To have a No. 1 record with these songs we love is wild and we’re so happy to have worked on this project with so many current talents. It is a testament to the power of collaboration.”

“These songs are so important to us, and we’re so thankful that they have had this chance to have new life breathed into them,” added Kix Brooks. “We had so much fun in the studio with everyone, it’s been a really special project for us.”

To mark the release, the next inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Brooks & Dunn, took an “electrifying performance” (Billboard) of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” with Midland to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, watch HERE and a “thrilling take” (Rolling Stone) of “Brand New Man” with Luke Combs to Academy of Country Music Awards,  watch HERE.

With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM and CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any duo in history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have propelled the duo to more than 30 million albums sold, with the New York Times  heralding “together they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right through their most recent albums.” Their original “Merle Haggard meets The Rolling Stones” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right. In 2014, the duo announced their reunion along with long-time friend, Reba McEntire, for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues to be extended including more shows throughout this year.

With anticipation building for their first radio single, rising country duo Seaforth are giving fans a preview of what’s to come with their debut EP Love That, out today (4/12). Click here to listen. 

Love That includes previously-released “sweet, catchy, romantic” (MusicRow) “Love That” and “Talk to Me,” as well as brand new tunes “Good and Gone” and “Taken Your Picture.” The duo’s Tom Jordan and Mitch Thompson co-wrote all four songs on the EP and co-produced the project with award-winning producer Dann Huff (Keith Urban, Thomas Rhett). 

Having honed their performance skills on the road with Kane Brown, Brett Young, and Mitchell Tenpenny, Seaforth will perform today on the Next from Nashville Stage at the Tortuga Music Festival in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Tomorrow (4/13), they’re set as direct support for Brown at the star’s sold-out show at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. They’re also on deck for high-profile summer festivals including the Key West Songwriters Festival and LakeShake. 

Tapped as a 2019 Artist to Watch by Sounds Like Nashville, NY Country Swag, and more, Seaforth are set to take country music by storm when they release their first radio single later this spring. 

Sony Music Nashville celebrated multiple wins and momentous performances at the 54th Annual ACM Awards at Hakkasan Las Vegas. 

Following the release of their collaborations project Reboot, Brooks & Dunn left their mark on the ceremony performing “Brand New Man” with New Male Artist of the Year winner and Male Artist of the Year nomineeLuke Combs, as well as presenting the Award for Entertainer of the Year.

Single of the Year nominee Kane Brown performed his Top 10 hit “Good As You” and welcomed Khalid for the television debut of their collaboration “Saturday Nights REMIX.” Combs also performed an acoustic arrangement of his six-week No. 1 smash “Beautiful Crazy” with co-writer Rob Williford and award-winning fiddle player Amanda Shires. 

Miranda Lambert, a nominee for Female Artist of the Year and the most decorated winner in ACM Awards history, performed a medley of hits that included “Gunpowder and Lead,” “White Liar,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” and “Little Red Wagon.” She then joined country legend George Strait for a stunning duet of Strait’s “Run.” 

New Duo/Group of the Year winner LANCO debuted their brand new single “Rival,” while Female Artist of the Year nominee Maren Morris rocked the crowd with “All My Favorite People” featuring Brothers Osborne from her record-breaking album GIRL. Old Dominion performed their Top 5 single “Make It Sweet” and took home the trophy for Group of the Year for the second consecutive year. New Male Artist of the Year nomineeMitchell Tenpenny also attended the ceremony. 

CMA and ACM Award-winning musician Luke Combs’ 2x Platinum single, “Beautiful Crazy,” remains No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart for the sixth-straight week—a milestone not achieved since Thomas’s Rhett’s “Die A Happy Man” in 2016—and the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart for the fourth-straight week—the first single to do so in nearly nine years following Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me” in 2010.

Combs also continues his historic Billboard run this week—topping all five country charts for a third non-consecutive week: Top Country Albums, Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales (dated March 9, March 30 and April 6). 

“Beautiful Crazy” is Combs’ fastest rising single to date (15 weeks) and makes Combs the first artist ever to send his first five singles to the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. “Beautiful Crazy” is also the first country single shipped to radio already platinum-certified since Taylor Swift’s “Red” in 2013 and has more than 312 million on-demand streams. In celebration of these milestones, Combs recently released an acoustic version of the song. Listen/share HERE. 

In celebration of his landmark year, Combs’ “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour” will extend through this fall including newly confirmed dates at Rogers, AR’s Walmart AMP, Portland, OR’s Moda Center, Philadelphia, PA’s Wells Fargo Arena and Nashville, TN’s Bridgestone Arena. Special guests throughout the tour include Morgan Wallen, The Cadillac Three and Jameson Rodgers. Luke Combs Bootleggers Presale powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan will be available starting today at 10:00 AM local time with general on-sale following on Friday, April 5 at 10:00 AM local time. See below for complete tour details.

Already the 2019 ACM Award-winner for New Male Artist of the Year, Combs is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year at this year’s awards and will perform during the ceremony. The 2019 ACM Awards will broadcast live on CBS from MGM Grand’s Garden Arena in Las Vegas this Sunday, April 7 at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT. 

These achievements add to an already monumental year for Combs, whose breakthrough debut album This One’s For You is now certified RIAA double Platinum. Since it’s release June 2, 2017, the album has spent a total of 30 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart—the first album to reach the milestone since Lady Antebellum’s Need You Now in 2010-2011. The album also spent 16 weeks at No. 1 in 2018—making it the highest selling country album last year with 1.1 million equivalent album units sold and the only country album to surpass 1 million album units. It’s also the most-streamed country album of 2019 so far. Additionally, Combs was recently named Country Artist of the Year at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards, New Artist of the Year at the 52nd Annual CMA Awards, was nominated for Best New Artist at the 61st GRAMMY Awards and was the recipient of a CMA Triple Play Award for writing three No. 1 songs in a 12 month period.