Before the 51st CMA Awards kick off on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, we asked a few people around the Nash Country Daily office to predict which artists will be taking home trophies.
There was no back-and-forth debate, no who “should” win, and no waffling. Each panelist was simply asked: Who WILL win in each category?
Panel
Ty Bentli, co-host of Ty, Kelly & Chuck
Elaina Smith, co-host of Nash Nights Live
Blair Garner, host of Blair Garner Show
Jim Casey, Nash Country Daily editor in chief
Here’s who Ty, Elaina, Blair and Jim think WILL win each award . . . but seriously, what do we know?
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist)
- Garth Brooks
- Luke Bryan
- Eric Church
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
Garth: Ty, Elaina, Blair, Jim
SINGLE OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist, producer, and mix engineer)
- “Better Man” – Little Big Town; Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineer: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
- “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban; Producer: Dann Huff, Keith Urban; Mix Engineer: Chris Lord-Alge
- “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt; Producer: Zach Crowell; Mix Engineer: Zach Crowell
- “Dirt On My Boots” – Jon Pardi; Producer: Bart Butler, Jon Pardi; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
- “Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert; Producer: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse, Glenn Worf; Mix Engineer: Eric Masse
“Body Like a Back Road”: Ty, Elaina, Blair, Jim
ALBUM OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist and producer)
- The Breaker – Little Big Town; Producer: Jay Joyce
- From A Room: Volume 1 – Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton
- Heart Break – Lady Antebellum; Producer: busbee
- The Nashville Sound – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; Producer: Dave Cobb
- The Weight of These Wings – Miranda Lambert; Producer: Frank Liddell, Glenn Worf, Eric Masse
The Weight of These Wings: Ty, Jim
Heart Break: Elaina
From A Room: Volume 1: Blair
SONG OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the songwriter)
- “Better Man” — Songwriter: Taylor Swift
- “Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Songwriter: Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, Steven Olsen
- “Body Like A Back Road” — Songwriter: Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne
- “Dirt On My Boots” — Songwriter: Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley
- “Tin Man” — Songwriter: Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall
“Better Man”: Ty, Elaina, Blair
“Blue Ain’t Your Color”: Jim
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist)
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Reba McEntire
- Maren Morris
- Carrie Underwood
Maren Morris: Ty, Elaina, Blair
Miranda Lambert: Jim
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist)
- Dierks Bentley
- Eric Church
- Thomas Rhett
- Chris Stapleton
- Keith Urban
Chris Stapleton: Elaina, Jim
Keith Urban: Ty
Thomas Rhett: Blair
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the group)
- Lady Antebellum
- Little Big Town
- Old Dominion
- Rascal Flatts
- Zac Brown Band
Little Big Town: Ty, Blair, Jim
Lady Antebellum: Elaina
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the duo)
- Dan + Shay
- Florida Georgia Line
- LOCASH
- Maddie & Tae
- Brothers Osborne
Florida Georgia Line: Elaina, Blair, Jim
Brothers Osborne: Ty
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR (Award goes to each artist)
- “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett (feat. Maren Morris)
- “Funny How Time Slips Away” – Glen Campbell with Willie Nelson
- “Kill a Word” – Eric Church (feat. Rhiannon Giddens)
- “Setting the World on Fire” – Kenny Chesney (with P!nk)
- “Speak to a Girl” – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
“Craving You”: Elaina, Blair
“Speak to a Girl”: Ty
“Setting the World on Fire”: Jim
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR (Award goes to the artist and director)
- “Better Man” – Little Big Town; Director: Becky Fluke and Reid Long
- “Blue Ain’t Your Color” – Keith Urban; Director: Carter Smith
- “Craving You” – Thomas Rhett (feat. Maren Morris); Director: TK McKamy
- “Vice” – Miranda Lambert; Director: Trey Fanjoy
- “It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne; Director: Wes Edwards and Ryan Silver
“It Aint My Fault”: Blair, Jim
“Vice”: Ty
“Craving You”: Elaina
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD (Award goes to the artist)
- Luke Combs
- Old Dominion
- Jon Pardi
- Brett Young
- Lauren Alaina
Jon Pardi: Elaina, Jim
Luke Combs: Ty
Brett Young: Blair
