Five Surprising Omissions From the 2019 CMA Awards Nominations

Nominees for the 2019 CMA Awards were revealed Wednesday morning (Aug. 28) and while many of the nominations were expected,…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

August 28, 2019

2:33 pm

Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean; Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for ACM

Nominees for the 2019 CMA Awards were revealed Wednesday morning (Aug. 28) and while many of the nominations were expected, there were a few surprises among the bunch.

Some of the biggest surprises were the artists, songs and albums NOT included in the nominee announcement.

Here, we recap the biggest omissions from the 2019 CMA Awards nominees.

Luke Bryan

After earning a nomination in the Entertainer of the Year category every year for the past six years, Luke Bryan’s name was noticeably missing from not only the EOTY category but among the entire list of nominations. The two-time CMA Entertainer of the Year is between albums, but it’s surprising to see his name completely omitted, especially since he has continued to tour and remained in the national spotlight as a judge on American Idol.

Jason Aldean

Another superstar who surprisingly didn’t receive a single CMA Awards nomination is Jason Aldean. The Georgia native seems to be a favorite among the Academy of Country Music voters, but for some reason doesn’t resonate as well with voters of the Country Music Association. Aldean is a true road warrior and continues to crank out hit after hit at country radio. It seems as if he would be worthy of at least a single nomination.

Pistol Annies

Two words: Interstate Gospel. How Pistol Annies’ third studio album didn’t land a nomination for CMA Album of the Year is beyond us.

Kane Brown

Following the massive success of his latest album Experiment, fans believed Kane Brown would have been a shoo-in for the Album of the Year category. Much to their disappointment, Brown didn’t land a single nomination for the upcoming CMA Awards.

Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X; Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images for BET

“Old Town Road”

Viral sensation “Old Town Road” nabbed a CMA nomination for Musical Event of the Year, but if it’s worthy of that, why is the longest-running No.1 song in history not up for Single of the Year? It may have gotten booted from the country charts, but there’s no denying the success of the song.

The 53^rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Carrie Underwood with special guest hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8/7c on ABC.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

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.