Lainey Wilson Leads In CMA Noms

The CMA Awards are back Wednesday to honor the top artists in country music, with Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Ashley McBryde and Morgan Wallen among the acts hitting the stage.

The Washington Post reports Wilson is the leading nominee for the second year in a row, competing for entertainer of the year along with Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs.

Stapleton, Dan + Shay and the War and Treaty are among the performers scheduled to take the stage at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The show airs live on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern and will stream the next day on Hulu.

Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning will host the ceremony, which will feature a musical tribute to the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

Wilson is up for nine awards, including her collaborations with HARDY (”Wait in the Truck”) and Jelly Roll (“Save Me.”)

Rapper-turned-singer Jelly Roll, who earlier this year topped the CMT Music Awards, has five nominations, including best new artist. Other best new artist nominees are Zach Bryan, Parker McCollum, Megan Moroney and Hailey Whitters. More than 30 years after she won two Grammy Awards for “Fast Car,” Tracy Champman could win a song of the year trophy at the CMA Awards thanks to Luke Combs’ cover.

In a year when the genre’s leading men have dominated streaming headlines, it’s female powerhouse Lainey Wilson who leads all artists with nine nominations. Lainey’s up for the night’s top awards including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Song of the Year.

Lainey's had a busy year: her song, “Heart Like a Truck,” was tapped for a national RAM Trucks ad campaign, and more recently, her partnership with Wrangler showcased the brand’s Fall collection. However, you may have also seen her play the part of Abby in season 5 of the megahit TV series, Yellowstone.

Lainey’s role in Yellowstone lines up with a career-altering move in US On-Demand Audio streaming. Her album Bell Bottom Country was released on October 28, 2022, approximately two weeks before the show’s Season 5 premiere on November 13, 2022. By the time the show’s Season 5 first-half finale aired two-and-a-half months later on January 1, 2023 Lainey’s streams were up 129% (week ending 1/5/23 compared to week ending 11/10/22). When comparing the fifteen weeks after the show’s finale to the 15 weeks before the season premiere Lainey’s overall ODA streaming volume was up 257%. (1/6/23-4/20/23 vs. 7/29/22-11/10/22)

According to Luminate Insights consumer research, Lainey's fans are 20% more likely to discover new music through TV programming than the average US music listener.  Luminate’s Artist & Genre Tracker shows additional consumer research areas where the show had an impact on Lainey’s fandom including her growing awareness and likeability among the general population.