Chris Stapleton goes into this year’s ACM Awards with six nominations (tied with Dan + Shay), including Entertainer of the Year. He’s also nominated twice, as both artist and producer, for Album of the Year for From A Room: Volume 2, an award he won last year for From A Room: Volume 1. Additionally, he’s up for Male Vocalist (which he won last year), as well as Song of the Year twice, as both artist and songwriter, for “Broken Halos,” for which he won the CMA Song of the Year Award in November.
He says he’s always surprised to hear his name called when it comes to awards. “These things are always fantastic to win, but when you get nominated or invited to these parties, in my estimation, you’ve already won and you’ve already gotten to be far beyond anything, you know, anybody who’s a musician could ever dream of getting to do, and we get to do that every day, we get to live it every day,” says the humble Kentucky native. “As far as thinking about going into anything, I’m always genuinely surprised to win anything, and I’m always grateful for it.”
At last year’s CMA Awards, he picked up awards for Single and Song of the Year for “Broken Halos,” which he co-wrote with his friend and mentor Mike Henderson, which made the wins so much sweeter. “It’s very meaningful for me because I do consider myself first and foremost a songwriter and to get to do it with a man who was a mentor to me, Mike Henderson. You know a lot of things that I try to do on electric guitar or the ways I try to think lyrically or I try to get as much information, or he would call it secret knowledge, out of him as I can. So, to win awards with him means so very much to me that I’m not even sure I can describe it.”
The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas April 7th at 8pm ET/delayed PT on CBS.
In the meantime, Chris is poised to top the country charts with his latest song, “Millionaire.” This would be only his second time as an artist to have a No. 1 song. We’re pulling for ya, Chris!
Audio / Chris Stapleton says he’s always surprised when he wins awards.
DownloadChris Stapleton (awards) OC: …grateful for it. :30
“These things are always fantastic to win, but when you get nominated or invited to these parties, in my estimation, you’ve already won and you’ve already gotten to be far beyond anything, you know, anybody who’s a musician could ever dream of getting to do, and we get to do that every day, we get to live it every day. As far as thinking about going into anything, I’m always genuinely surprised to win anything, and I’m always grateful for it.”
Audio / Chris Stapleton is nominated for Song of the Year for “Broken Halos” at this year’s ACM Awards. He took home the CMA Awards for Single and Song of the Year for “Broken Halos,” which he said was made even sweeter since he was able to share it with his friend and mentor, Mike Henderson.
DownloadChris Stapleton (winning CMA Song Award for Broken Halos) OC: …describe it. :45
“It’s extremely meaningful, because on paper and in chart performance and all those things, there were certainly more worthy songs in both categories, and I think that’s worth saying and noting. The flipside of that is it’s very meaningful for me because I do consider myself first and foremost a songwriter and to get to do it with a man who was a mentor to me, Mike Henderson, you know a lot of things that I try to do on electric guitar or the ways I try to think lyrically or I try to get as much information, or he would call it secret knowledge, out of him as I can. So to win awards with him means so very much to me that I’m not even sure I can describe it.”
