2022 CMA Awards Snub: Here’s Why Kane Brown Should Have Been Nominated
Brown deserved to be nominated. Here’s why.
Kane Brown; Photo by Getty Images for MTV
The nominees for the 56th Annual CMA Awards have been revealed and one artist that was missing from the list of nominees was Kane Brown. After another standout year, his name was nowhere to be found on the list.
According to the official CMA Awards website, the eligibility period for the 2022 CMA Awards is July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022. During this time, Kane Brown continued to be one of the most successful artists in country music with sold-out concerts, hit singles, and national recognition.
Some of his achievements during the eligibility period include:
- Became the first country artist in history to headline every NBA basketball arena in a single tour when his Blessed & Free Tour visited 35 cities, including 29 NBA basketball arenas
- Topped the charts with “One Mississippi,” which became his 7th career No.1 in March
- Released “Like I Love Country Music,” the fast-rising single to date (the song reached No.1 after the eligibility period)
- Made his headlining stadium debut with a sold-out show in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Continued his longtime support of the Boys & Girls Club by donating a portion of ticket sales to the charitable organization (He also donated a gym to a club in Ohio and helped renovate a hometown Boys & Girls Club facility)
- Named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World
- Stepped up to co-host the 2022 CMT Music Awards at the last minute after Kelsea Ballerini fell ill
- Continued to introduce country music to a wider artist through genre-bending releases like “Memory” with Blackbear
- Headlined a nightly concert at CMA Fest with a show-stopping performance
With a list of achievements this long, it’s a bit shocking to see that Brown didn’t earn a single CMA Awards nomination.
Fans also noted that Brown was left off the list of nominees and several took to social media to share their disappointment in the comments section of the Country Music Association’s announcement.
Others shared their thoughts on Twitter.
Earning nominations is partly a political game as labels, management companies, booking agents, and more block votes to ensure the artists they represent get nominated. Even still, it’s an easy argument to prove that Brown should have been recognized for his achievements throughout the past year.
While he may not have earned a CMA Awards nomination, Brown is about to begin an exciting new chapter of his career with the release of his much-anticipated third studio album, Different Man, which arrives on Friday, September 9.
The 17-track project is sure to take his already red-hot career to new heights.
The album features his latest chart-topping singles “One Mississippi” and “Like I Love Country Music,” as well as “Thank God,” a duet with his wife, Katelyn, and a collaboration with fellow country superstar Blake Shelton. The album will also include previously released tracks “Grand,” “One Mississippi,” “Whiskey Sour,” and “Leave You Alone.”
“I’m most excited, when it comes to releasing this new project, for people to see how much I’ve grown as an artist,” Brown said of Different Man.
Different Man follows Brown’s second studio album, 2018’s Experiment. In August of 2020, Brown released his ACM-nominated EP, Mixtape Vol. 1, which included several hit singles such as “Cool Again,” “Worldwide Beautiful” “Worship You” and his Top 40 radio single, “Be Like That” featuring Khalid and Swae Lee.
The country superstar will also embark on his massive international Drunk or Dreaming Tour later this month.
The trek will feature special guests Restless Road, Jessie James Decker, Blanco Brown and Chris Lane on select dates. Kicking off on September 17 in Melbourne, Australia, the tour will continue through Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, and Europe.
The international leg of the Drunk or Dreaming Tour marks Brown’s first time touring in Australia and New Zealand, and his long-awaited return to Canada and Europe.
In addition, Brown recently announced the U.S. leg of his Drunk or Dreaming Tour, which features support from Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett and LOCASH.
The U.S. leg of the tour will kick off in Grand Rapids, MI on March 16, 2023, and will visit 23 cities throughout the United States before wrapping up in Greenwood Village, CO at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
While embarking on the massive headlining trek, Brown will headline Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for the first time ever on March 31.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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