Cody Johnson Reflects On His Multiple CMA Award Nominations: ‘I’m Really Thankful That I’m Finally Getting Recognized’

Cody Johnson is heading into “The 58th Annual CMA Awards” as one of the most nominated of the night. With five nods, he’s just behind Morgan Wallen with seven nominations and tied with Chris Stapleton.  

He has been recognized in the following categories: Album of the Year (Leather), Male Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year (“Dirt Cheap”), Song of the Year (“Dirt Cheap”) and (“The Painter”) and Music Video of the Year (“Dirt Cheap”) and (“The Painter”).

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During a recent conversation with media outlets in Nashville, the Texas native took a second to reflect on the success of these songs and what it means to him to see his name in multiple categories going into this year’s ceremony. 

He explained that the moment he first heard the news of his nominations, he thought something tragic had happened based on the number of calls and messages he was receiving. 

“When I go home, I completely check out, and so my phone blows up and there’s 48 missed calls and 107 text messages. And I’m like, who died? Something bad happened, like Jesus. And I pick up my phone, it’s all congratulations, and there’s the balloons and the confetti on the text message and stuff,” Johnson recalled to Country Now and other outlets. “I called Brandi and I’m like, ‘Hey, what happened?’ She was like, ‘You just got nominated for all these CMA awards.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, sweet. Which ones did we get?’”

Every time a major award show approaches, Johnson says it can be easy to get caught up in the excitement of the possibility of being nominated. In order to avoid the disappointment he may face if that nomination doesn’t turn into a win, the “I’m Gonna Love You” singer reveals he tries not to put too much focus on the awards.

“I think if you want one thing too much, it’s likely to disappoint you. Just like whenever you get nominated for Entertainer of the Year or something and you’re like, ‘I want it so bad. I want it so bad.’ And the award goes to someone else and you’re like, ‘Oh.’”

However, this time, Cody Johnson says he’s feeling especially grateful to finally getting acknowledged and validated for his hard work after grinding through the industry for about 18 years now. Thinking back to all the people who told him he would never make it at the start of his career makes this moment that much more special. 

“I kind of look at it as, man, it’s a product of hard work and I’m really thankful that I’m finally getting recognized in those areas. Because you got to remember, I’m the guy that 18 years ago, they said, ‘you’re never going to make it in Nashville. The cowboy hat don’t work, and your music’s too country for radio.’ So when you get nominated for that many CMA awards, it’s a little bit in the back of your mind. You’re like kind of, I think it’s awesome,” he shared humbly.

Fans can tune into “The 58th Annual CMA Awards” on Wednesday, November 20 (8:00 – 11:00 PM/EST) to see if Cody Johnson leaves a winner. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the show will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC and available the next day on Hulu.

A full list of nominees can be found HERE.