Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney & More React To CMA Awards Nominations

Written by Lauren Jo Black
Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney & More React To CMA Awards Nominations

Steven Tyler, Kelsea Ballerini

Nominees for The 49th Annual CMA Awards were revealed by Steven Tyler and Kelsea Ballerini earlier today on ABC’s Good Morning America. While many of the nominees were to be expected, there were quite a few upsets and also several new faces in many of the categories.

Following the nominations announcement, several artists released statements regarding the news.

Ballerini earned her very first CMA nominations, for New Artist of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year, and she couldn’t be happier.

“I am still such a new artist and this has really been my first year getting out there to share my music with people,” shares Ballerini. “To have been embraced with a No.1 single was insane. I still feel like I’m celebrating that, but now to be nominated for two CMA Awards makes me feel so proud to be a country music artist and makes me so incredibly thankful to everyone in the Country music industry, Country radio and the fans for making this year insanely epic. I don’t think it could get any better and I’m excited to sit with the cool kids this year!”

Also earning their first CMA nominations are Maddie & Tae, who earned nominations in three categories – Vocal Duo of the Year, New Artist of the Year & Video of the Year for
“Girl In A Country Song.”

“It was our only day off since two weeks before Start Here was released,” Maddie says. “And we could hardly sleep wondering what was going to happen…”

“And then…wow!” Tae continues. “We grew up watching these shows, seeing all the stars – and just getting to go last year was so fun. But to be up for actual awards? For songs that are taken from Maddie and my life? That is everything we were dreaming of when we were driving back and forth to Nashville for songwriting weekends when we were 15 years old.”

“This is crazy,” Maddie picks up, “but great crazy.”

Four-time CMA Entertainer of the Year Kenny Chesney was one of this morning’s leading nominees. After all the time, the superstar is still honored to receive accolades from the Country Music Association.

“I’m just starting to get the sound of diesel engines out of my ears, and now there’s a whole other kinda roaring in my head,” Chesney said with a laugh when reached with the news, “It seems like we just wrapped two incredible nights in Boston, and now this kinda news? It makes me feel like these songs, this music and the No Shoes Nation are just getting started.”

Lee Ann Womack, who earned a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, got the news while on her way to visit her mother in East Texas.

“And I gotta tell you,” she said by phone, “that news hit me pretty hard in the heart. I am and always will be a country music singer. It’s what I do… It’s what I love… and it’s the thing that truly makes me feel alive. Having the CMA recognize that after the year I’ve had since The Way I’m Livin’ came out really does my heart good.”

Other artists took to social media to share their excitement.

Click HERE to view the complete list of CMA nominees.

Hosted for the eighth time by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, The 49th Annual CMA Awards airs live Wednesday, Nov. 4 on the ABC Television Network.