Morgan Wallen leads CMA award nominations as Beyonce misses out

Morgan Wallen has topped the 2024 Country Music Association (CMA) award nominations with seven.

For a third year in a row, Wallen is up for both the top prize – entertainer of the year – and the male vocalist categories.

Rounding out the entertainer of the year categories are Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.

Morgan Wallen performs during the 56th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee in November 2022
Morgan Wallen performs during the 56th annual CMA Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, in November 2022 (Mark Humphrey/AP)

It is up for single, song, musical event and music video of the year.

His last nomination is a second one in the musical event category, for his collaboration with Eric Church, Man Made A Bar.

Single of the year is awarded to the artist, producer and mix engineers; song of the year is given to the songwriters.

Ahead of the nominations announcement, some fans speculated that Beyonce, whose landmark country-and-then-some reclamation Cowboy Carter was released during the eligibility window, could receive a nomination at the 2024 CMAs.

She did not.

Earlier this year, the album hit number one on the Billboard country albums chart, making her the first black woman to top the chart since its 1964 inception.

Beyonce during the iHeartRadio Music Awards in April
Beyonce during the iHeartRadio Music Awards in April (Chris Pizzello/AP)

The CMA Awards are nominated and voted on by members of the Country Music Association, which includes music executives, artists, publicists, songwriters and other industry professionals.

Wallen is followed by both Cody Johnson, who is also nominated in the male vocalist category for the third year in a row, and seven-time male vocalist of the year winner Stapleton.

Stapleton and Johnson have five nominations each.

But Stapleton could take home seven trophies, should he sweep his categories.

Stapleton is both an artist and producer on White Horse, up for single of the year, and Higher, up for album of the year.

At the CMA Awards, production credits are not counted as separate nominations, although they are factored into trophy counts.

First-time nominee Post Malone and Wilson, last year’s entertainer of the year winner, are tied with four nominations.

Post Malone during the pre-game ceremony ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, in February
Post Malone during the pre-game ceremony ahead of Super Bowl LVIII at the Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada, in February (PA)

Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome and Hoskins are tied with three nominations for their work as producers and co-writers on I Had Some Help.

Jelly Roll, Combs, Kacey Musgraves and Megan Moroney also boast three nods each.

The latter three could take home four trophies: Combs is both artist and producer on Fathers & Sons, up for album of the year.

The same is true for Musgraves’ album Deeper Well.

And Moroney is both artist and director of her nominated music video, I’m Not Pretty.

The 2024 CMA Awards will air on November 20 on ABC at 8pm Eastern.

It can be streamed the next day on Hulu.

– Advertisement –
– Advertisement –