Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban are among the nominees for Male Vocalist of the Year at this year’s CMA Awards.
Dierks is up for three awards, including Male Vocalist, Single and Music Video of the Year for “Burning Man,” which features Brothers Osborne. He says it’s “pretty cool” to be nominated and “ trophy would be awesome, to get recognized by your peers and all that, but I get to go out there and be recognized every night by the fans that cheer for us and sing for us, so my cup is pretty overflowing as it is.” Dierks recently scored his 19th No. 1 single with “Living.”
The reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, Chris Stapleton, scored his fifth nomination in the category, which he’s consecutively won since 2015. “Millionaire” has earned his third nomination for Single of the Year. Chris is also nominated for Entertainer of the Year, his fourth nomination in the category. Chris says he’s always surprised when he wins awards. “I’m always genuinely surprised to win anything, and I’m always grateful for it.”
Keith – the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year — is once again nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year, an award he’s won three times and been nominated for nearly every year since 2004. He’s also once again up for the night’s top honor. He says his first win in the Male Vocalist category will stick with him forever. “Really to be in that category and then to win was again just one of those sort of moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett round out the Male Vocalist category.
The 53rd Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Carrie with special co-hosts Reba McEntire and Dolly Parton, will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (November 13th) at 8pm ET on ABC.
Audio / DIERKS BENTLEY SAID HE WOULD LOVE TO WIN AN AWARD AT WEDNESDAY’S CMA AWARDS, BUT HE SAYS HE ALSO GETS RECOGNIZED EVERY NIGHT BY HIS FANS.
DownloadDierks Bentley (CMA nomination) OC: …as it is. :38
“People always say it’s good to be nominated, but you think about how crowded the country music field is, how many people are trying to get in and no one’s really trying to get out. I mean, just packing more singers into one format, so to be one of the five performers to be nominated, it is pretty cool. Yeah, I’d obviously like to win one. I got one in the previous decade, it’d be fun to get one in the teens, but yeah, either way, it’s not where, you know … the reward really lies in getting the chance to tour and get up in front of your audience every night. A trophy would be awesome, to get recognized by your peers and all that, but I get to go out there and be recognized every night by the fans that cheer for us and sing for us, so my cup is pretty overflowing as it is.”
Audio / BACKSTAGE AT LAST YEAR'S CMA AWARDS, CHRIS STAPLETON SAYS HE'S ALWAYS SURPRISED WHEN HE WINS AWARDS.
DownloadChris Stapleton (CMA 2018) 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 / THE REIGNING CMA ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR KEITH URBAN PICKED UP HIS FIRST CMA MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR AWARD IN 2004, AND HE SAYS IT WAS A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE FOR HIM. HE WENT ON TO WIN THAT AWARD AGAIN IN 2005 AND 2006.
DownloadKeith Urban (winning 1st Male Vocalist award) OC: …my life. :27
“In 2004, I won Male Vocalist of the Year, and again it was that same feeling I had when I’d won the Horizon Award, but it was like the next level. It just felt so humbling really. Really to be in that category and then to win was again just one of those sort of moments that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
