Nominees Revealed For The 2018 CMT Music Awards

CMT announced the nominations and hosts for the “2018 CMT Music Awards,” premiering on Wednesday, June 6 at 8pm ET/PT. In celebration of blended-genre collaborations dominating all formats, this year’s nominations feature the most eclectic and diverse list to date, spanning the worlds of pop, hip-hop, Americana and R&B. Each winner is selected by the fans with voting open now at CMT.com.

The nominees for the 2018 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
(Final nominees announced the morning of the show, with final voting held on social media during the live telecast.)
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line – “Meant To Be”
Blake Shelton – “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Brett Young – “Mercy”
Brothers Osborne – “It Ain’t My Fault”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris – “The Champion”
Dan + Shay – “Tequila”
Jason Aldean – “You Make It Easy”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton – “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina – “What Ifs”
Kelsea Ballerini – “Legends”
Luke Combs – “When It Rains It Pours”
Thomas Rhett – “Marry Me”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton – “I’ll Name The Dogs”
Dustin Lynch – “Small Town Boy”
Jason Aldean – “You Make It Easy”
Jon Pardi – “Heartache On The Dance Floor”
Luke Bryan – “Light It Up”
Thomas Rhett – “Marry Me”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Carly Pearce – “Every Little Thing”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris – “The Champion”
Kelsea Ballerini – “Legends”
Lauren Alaina – “Doin’ Fine”
Maren Morris – “I Could Use A Love Song”
Miranda Lambert – “Tin Man” From 2017 ACM Awards

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Big & Rich – “California”
Brothers Osborne – “It Ain’t My Fault”
Dan + Shay – “Tequila”
Florida Georgia Line – “Smooth”
High Valley – “She’s With Me”
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill – “Speak To A Girl”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Lady Antebellum – “You Look Good”
LANco – “Greatest Love Story”
Little Big Town – “When Someone Stops Loving You”
Midland – “Make A Little”
Old Dominion – “No Such Thing As A Broken Heart”
Rascal Flatts – “Yours If You Want It”
Zac Brown Band – “My Old Man”

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Carly Pearce – “Every Little Thing”
Danielle Bradbery – “Sway”
Devin Dawson – “All On Me”
LANco – “Greatest Love Story”
Russell Dickerson – “Yours”
Walker Hayes – “You Broke Up With Me”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Bebe Rexha feat. Florida Georgia Line – “Meant To Be”
Carrie Underwood feat. Ludacris – “The Champion”
Cole Swindell feat. Dierks Bentley – “Flatliner”
Justin Timberlake feat. Chris Stapleton – “Say Something”
Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina – “What Ifs”
Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris – “Craving You”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year: Andra Day, Common, Little Big Town, Lee Ann Womack and Danielle Bradbery – “Stand Up For Something”
From CMT Crossroads: Backstreet Boys and Florida Georgia Line – “Everybody”
From 2017 CMT Music Awards: Charles Kelley, Jason Aldean, Darius Rucker and Derek Trucks – “Midnight Rider”
From CMT Crossroads: Earth, Wind & Fire and Lady Antebellum – “September”
From 2017 CMT Artists of the Year: Jason Aldean, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town – “I Won’t Back Down”
From 2017 CMT Music Awards: Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood – “The Fighter”

For more information, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.

Scotty McCreery Introduces New Single “This Is It” To Country Radio

This past Saturday (May 5), Scotty McCreery was the surprise entertainer at the iHeart Country Festival in Austin, Texas where he received a standing ovation from the entire audience at the Frank Erwin Center. His acoustic performance of his recent first-ever No. 1 hit, the Gold certified “Five More Minutes,” became one of the most talked about moments of the night.

The Triple Tigers recording artist introduces his fans to his new single, “This is It.” The heartwarming tune, written as a love song for his fiancée Gabi Dugal, impacted radio this week and is already making waves with 38 Mediabase adds. 
 
 “I’ve shared so much of my life on my new album, Seasons Change, and so many of the songs were inspired by the love of my life, Gabi,” said an excited McCreery. “It feels like the perfect time to release ‘This Is It’ as my next single while she and I prepare for our wedding that will happen in just a few weeks. This is our story. I hope everyone will celebrate with us!”  
 
McCreery wrote “This Is It” with Frank Rogers and Aaron Eshuis just two weeks before he proposed to Dugal. For months he had carefully planned how the proposal would go, the exact location, the words he would say and more — and that created the blueprint for the song. And a couple of weeks later, the lyrics became reality in the midst of the picturesque North Carolina mountains when he asked for her hand and she accepted. The couple had found this beautiful spot by mistake months earlier while out hiking and it had quickly become their spot. For McCreery, there was no other location to pop the once-in-a-lifetime question, as described in the lyrics: 
 
Way up in the mountains, 4,000 feet high
There’s a trail through the trees to a cliff where Carolina meets the sky
Oh, and there’s a view, I just can’t describe
No, we’re not there yet, just a few more steps
Baby wait, okay, you can open your eyes
 
This is it, this is now
This is what I’ve been talking ‘bout
Looking out, can’t you see forever?
Take my hand, just take it in
This is the moment we won’t forget
On top of the world here together
If there ever was a time for a perfect kiss, this is it
 
“This Is It” is the second single off of McCreery’s recently released album, Seasons Change, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, achieving one of the strongest first weeks for a country music album in the last year, moving over 40,000 albums in the first week alone. For the first time, McCreery is featured as a songwriter on all 11 tracks. With themes such as losing loved ones, moving out on his own, falling in love and coming of age, Seasons Change is a reflective and honest narrative of the artist’s experience navigating life in his early twenties. The album was produced by Rogers, Eshuis and Derek Wells. 
 
Fans can listen to Seasons Change and “This Is It” here.

Jimmie Allen Makes Grand Ole Opry Debut

Stoney Creek Records’ Jimmie Allen brought the packed crowd to their feet on Friday night (May 4), as he made his Grand Ole Opry debut. Following the realization of his life-long dream of performing in Country music’s hallowed circle, the singer was brought to tears as he received a standing ovation from the audience at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry.

The emotional evening was made even sweeter as Aaron Tippin, Jimmie’s father’s favorite artist, was on hand to support the newcomer leading into his performance and was the first to greet him as he stepped off the stage for his very first time. He was introduced by Opry legend Jeannie Seely and congratulated backstage by Charley Pride, who was celebrating his 25th anniversary as an Opry member.

Photo Credit Grand Ole Opry

“What an incredibly surreal moment for me — I got my first taste of Country music listening to Aaron Tippin with my dad and really fell in love with the genre listening to the Opry so to play that stage is a dream in of itself but to have the artist who inspired it all be by my side through it is a dream I didn’t even know existed,” said an emotional Jimmie. “To play the Opry is an unbelievable honor. Legends have played that stage and to be welcomed into that family; I’m just filled with gratitude and feel even more motivated to keep working hard, writing music and giving Country music my all.”

Stepping into that iconic circle for the first, time Jimmie showed off his velvety-smooth vocals with a brand new song, released on Friday, entitled “21.” The track is the first release in a new collection of songs the singer calls the “Slower Lower Sessions,” which are all inspired by memories growing up in the “Slower Lower” region of Delaware. Jimmie will share a new song from the series each month leading up to the launch of his full-length album, due later this year. “21,” written by Ash Bowers, Brandon Hood and Josh Jenkins is available for purchase HERE.

Jimmie also dazzled the crowd singing his debut single “Best Shot,” off his self-titled EP. The personal song was inspired by advice from Jimmie’s grandmother and is currently approaching Top 40 on the Country charts after debuting as the 2nd Most Added song at Country radio. This remarkable debut comes on the tail of being recognized on nearly every “One to Watch” list for 2018 after quietly dropping his self-titled EP in October.

The hot newcomer instantly caught the ears of music lovers on digital streaming players with his cutting-edge melodic mix of Country and rock, soulful groove and heartfelt lyrics before winning over their hearts with his personable demeanor and unbreakable spirit. Jimmie shares his journey, which Taste of Country declared “the most feel-good story since fans learned of Shania Twain’s hard luck upraising,” in his docu-series “Jimmie Allen All In,” available here.

Jimmie Allen EP, produced by Ash Bowers and Eric Torres can be found HERE. For tour dates and more information, visit www.JimmieAllenMusic.com. 

Jason Aldean Releases New Single “Drowns The Whiskey” Featuring Miranda Lambert

Three-time and reigning ACM “Entertainer Of The Year” Jason Aldean holds down the top spot on both Billboard Country Airplay and Mediabase/Country Aircheck singles charts for a second consecutive week marking his 20th career No. One single, “You Make It Easy,” which becomes the first Country song released in 2018 to be certified GOLD by the RIAA.

After “shaking  things  up  on  the  radio” (USA TODAY) with his eighth studio album REARVIEW TOWN‘s (Broken Bow Records) lead single, Aldean continues the momentum with the release of “Drowns the Whiskey” featuring Miranda Lambert.

“The way fans and radio have responded to this record has been really cool for me,” said Aldean. “‘Whiskey’ has always been a favorite of mine, but when Miranda came in and knocked out her parts in only a couple takes, I knew it was special.”

Written by Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton and Josh Thompson, “Drowns the Whiskey” is remarkably understated in its arrangement, but it’s saturated in well-worn emotions. The lost love lament has already been dubbed as a standout off REARVIEW TOWN as the “the contemporary honky-tonk track” (NPR) shows how Aldean “employs straightforward classic Country melodicism,” (Rolling Stone).

Fans can take a peak into the recording process with Aldean and Lambert for  “Drowns the Whiskey” through its official lyric video.

Old Dominion Adds New Dates To Their Happy Endings World Tour

Acclaimed country band Old Dominion reveal the newest leg of “Happy Endings” world tour dates. The additional string of dates are set to kick off on October 4, 2018 in Knoxville, TN with Michael Ray, Granger Smith, Walker Hayes and High Valley opening on select dates. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, May 4th, check local listings for details. Please see routing for announced dates below, with additional tour stops to follow. Click HERE to buy!

Lead singer Matthew Ramsey says of the tour, “It’s a little hard to wrap our minds around the size of some of these venues.  It suddenly feels like we are in the big league now. But we feel ready and excited to bring that positive energy and the momentum we’ve built over the past few years to the stage. This is what we’ve been working for!”

ADDITIONAL HAPPY ENDINGS WORLD TOUR 2018 DATES :
Oct 4                     Knoxville, TN                                    Knoxville Civic Coliseum #
Oct 6                     Rochester, NY                                   Main Street Armory #
Oct 11                  Amarillo, TX                                      Amarillo Civic Center #
Oct 12                  Las Cruces, NM                                 Pan American Center #
Oct 26                  State College, PA                              Bryce Jordan Center ^
Oct 27                  Roanoke, VA                                      Berglund Center ^
Oct 31                  Dublin, Ireland                                 Dublin Whelans
Nov 1                    Belfast, UK                                         Belfast Empire Music Hall **
Nov 3                    Liverpool, UK                                   O2 Academy 2**
Nov 4                    London, UK                                        O2 Shepherds Bush Empire**
Nov 5                    Bristol, UK                                          Trinity Centre**
Nov 6                    Manchester, UK                               Manchester Academy 2**
Nov 8                    Birmingham, UK                             O2 Institute Birmingham**
Nov 9                    Glasgow, UK                                      Queen Margaret Union**
Nov 10                 Glasgow, UK                                      Queen Margaret Union**
Nov 29                 Estero (Ft. Meyers), FL                 Germain Arena #
Nov 30                 St. Augustine, FL                              St Augustine Amphitheatre +
Dec 7                    Huntington, WV                               Big Sandy Superstore Arena #
Dec 8                    Grand Rapids, MI                             Deltaplex Arena #
Dec 13                  Bismarck, ND                                   Bismarck Event Center *
Dec 14                  Fargo, ND                                           Scheels Arena +
Dec 15                  Duluth, MN                                        Amsoil Arena*

* w/ High Valley
# w/ Michael Ray & High Valley
^ w/ Granger Smith & High Valley
** w/ Walker Hayes
+ Support To Be Announced