Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and Keith Urban are the first performers announced for the 48th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 5th. All four artists are in contention with George Strait for the top prize of the night, Entertainer of the Year, and are among the evening’s most honored nominees.
Bryan has three nominations going into the show and is hoping for his first-ever CMA win. The husband-wife team of Lambert and Shelton are the reigning Female and Male Vocalists of the Year and have nine and three nominations respectively. Lambert’s nine nods make her the evening’s leading nominee and match her 2010 record for the most nominations given to any female artist in the history of the awards. Her CMA-nominated “We Were Us” duet partner, Urban has nods in four categories.
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the CMA Awards for the seventh year in a row. More performers will be announced in the coming weeks for the live broadcast, which will air on ABC November 5th at 8 p.m. ET.
