2020 CMA Awards Snubs: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini & More

Nominees for the 54th Annual CMA Awards were revealed on Tuesday (Sept. 1). Miranda Lambert, Luke Combs, Eric Church, Maren Morris and Keith Urban were among this year’s top nominees, however, the list left some fans scratching their heads as a number of artists weren’t included in the mix.

Here’s a look at six of this year’s biggest CMA Awards snubs.

Kane Brown

After another incredible year of sold-out shows and impressive streaming numbers and chart performance, Kane Brown was once again forgotten. There’s obviously only enough room for five nominees per category, but he should have been recognized for something.

Jason Aldean

Jason Aldean scored zero nominations for the second consecutive year. This is quite the surprise as he’s typically a favorite at the ACM Awards, having taken home the top honor of ACM Entertainer of the Year in the past. The voters are typically the same, so what gives?

Luke Bryan

With his a judge’s spot on American Idol, chart-topping singles and massive touring numbers (outside of the pandemic), it’s a shock that Bryan didn’t receive a single nomination. The same thing happened in 2019.

Kelsea Ballerini

It’s a surprise not to see Kelsea Ballerini’s name in the mix. She’s a Grand Ole Opry member and recently released her sophomore album. She would have been a good contender for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton had a massive year with “God’s Country” and “Nobody But You,” his duet with Gwen Stefani. It was definitely a surprise that “Nobody But You” didn’t (at the very least) score a nomination for Musical Event of the Year.

Kenny Chesney

Kenny Chesney delivered what is quite possibly his best album in years with Here and Now. It could be argued that the project was released a little too late in the nomination period, but it’s quite a shock to see his name omitted from the list of nominees.