#HARDY, Lainey Wilson Lead Nominees at Academy of Country Music Awards

HARDY and Lainey Wilson lead the nominees for the 2023 Academy of Country Music Awards.

HARDY is the top contender with seven nominations, while Wilson is up for seven awards. Their collaboration, “wait in the trunk,” will compete for song of the year, visual media of the year and music event of the year.

The ACM Awards, to be hosted by Dolly Parton and Garth Brooks, will air live on Amazon’s Prime Video on May 11 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. 

HARDY is also nominated for artist-songwriter of the year and is a triple nominee for song of the year: He’s nominated as a performer and co-writer of “wait in the truck” and as a co-writer of Morgan Wallen’s double platinum hit, “Sand In My Boots.” HARDY is a double nominee for musical event of the year since he co-produced “wait in the truck,” a Top 5 country hit.

Wilson’s other nominations include female artist of the year, album of the year for Bell Bottom Country and single of the year for “Heart Like a Truck.”

Artists vying for the show’s top prize — entertainer of the year — include Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, Kane Brown and last year’s winner, Miranda Lambert. This year the award has extended its nominees from five to seven and marks Wallen and Brown’s first time competing for the big prize.

Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM history, scored five nominations including album of the year with Palomino and female artist of the year. In the latter category she and Wilson will compete with Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce.

For album of the year, Lambert and Wilson’s projects will battle McBryde’s Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, Combs’ Growin’ Up and  Jon Pardi’s Mr. Saturday Night.

Combs, Brown and Cole Swindell also earned five nominations each. Male artist of the year nominees include Combs, Brown, Stapleton, Wallen and Jordan Davis.

Brown and his wife, Katelyn Brown, won the top prize at this month’s CMT Music Awards with their sweet duet “Thank God,” and the song is nominated for three ACMs: single of the year, music event of the year and visual media of the year. 

Other standout nominees include The War And Treaty, who make history as the first Black duo to receive a nomination for duo of the year, while Little Big Town’s 17th nomination for group of the year edges them close to Alabama’s all-time record of 18 nominations.