1 of 4 | Country music band Little Big Town performs during the CMA Music Festival in Nashville on June 13, 2015. File Photo by John Sommers II/UPI |
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NEW YORK, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Nominees for the 49th annual CMA Awards were announced live on Good Morning America Wednesday, with country acts Eric Church and Little Big Town dominating the list with five nominations each.
Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and country newcomer Kelsea Ballerini announced the nominees across five categories including Entertainer, Album, Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist and New Artist of the Year.
Ballerini was shocked to find out that she had nabbed two nominations herself including New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. "I sat at the CMA Awards as a fan last year," the 21-year-old recalled. "What is this!"
The rest of the categories were revealed afterwards by the CMA revealing that Church had earned nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Single of the Year for the song Talladega.
Little Big Town garnered noms in categories such as Single of the Year for the song Girl Crush, Album of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
Closely behind the country heavyweights were Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert with four nominations each.
Four acts from the new-artist category, Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae and Chris Stapleton received nominations in other categories as well. According to the CMA, it's the first time four acts have debuted as new-artist nominees while also receiving nominations in those additional categories.
The 2015 CMA Awards will be broadcasted live Nov. 4 on ABC.
The full slate of CMA nominations are as follows:
New Artist of the Year
Sam Hunt
Maddie & Tae
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Kelsea Ballerini
Album of the Year
Old Boots, New Dirt, Jason Aldean
Pageant Material, Kacey Musgraves
Pain Killer, Little Big Town
The Big Revival, Kenny Chesney
Traveller, Chris Stapleton
Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood
Lee Ann Womack
Kelsea Ballerini
Male Vocalist of the Year
Dierks Bentley
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Blake Shelton
Chris Stapleton
Entertainer of the Year
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Kenny Chesney
Eric Church
Miranda Lambert
Single of the Year
"American Kids" Kenny Chesney
"Girl Crush," Little Big Town
"I Don't Dance," Lee Brice
"Take Your Time," Sam Hunt
"Talladega," Eric Church
Music Video of the Year
"Biscuits," Kacey Musgraves
"Girl Crush," Little Big Town
"Girl In A Country Song," Maddie & Tae
"Little Red Wagon," Miranda Lambert
"Something In The Water," Carrie Underwood
Song of the Year
"American Kids," Kenny Chesney
"Girl Crush," Little Big Town
"Like A Cowboy," Randy Houser
"Like A Wrecking Ball," Eric Church
"Take Your Time," Sam Hunt
Musical Event of the Year
Django and Jimmie, Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard
"Lonely Tonight," Blake Shelton & Ashley Monroe
"Raise 'Em Up," Keith Urban & Eric Church
"Smokin' And Drinkin'," Miranda Lambert & Little Big Town
"Wild Child," Kenny Chesney & Grace Potter
Musician of the Year
Sam Bush, Mandolin
Jerry Douglas, Dobro
Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar
Dann Huff, Guitar
Mac McAnally, Guitar
Vocal Duo of the Year
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae
Thompson Square
Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Rascal Flatts
The Band Perry
Zac Brown Band