On Nov. 8, the 57th annual Country Music Awards (CMA’s) debuted at 8 p.m. ET on ABC from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Luke Bryan and Payton Manning reprised their roles as hosts for this year’s ceremony, leaving both country music and football fans satisfied with their appearances.
Country music fans without access to the show’s initial ABC release can expect Hulu to provide day-after streaming options to all of its subscribers.
Among the award winners was 31-year-old country recording artist Lainey Wilson, who accomplished significant milestones in her music career despite only her second year of CMA nominations for her outstanding music industry performance. She continues not to fall short of her fans’ high-caliber expectations. She was nominated for nine categories before the show’s occurrence and racked up five awards upon the event’s conclusion.
Here is a complete list of this year’s winners:
Entertainer of the Year:
Lainey Wilson
Single of the Year:
*Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s)
Luke Combs – “Fast Car”
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews
Album of the Year:
*Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s)
Lainey Wilson – “Bell Bottom Country”
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
Song of the Year:
*Award goes to Songwriter(s)
“Fast Car”
Songwriter: Tracy Chapman
Female Vocalist of the Year:
Lainey Wilson
Male Vocalist of the Year:
Chris Stapleton
Vocal Group of the Year:
Old Dominion
Vocal Duo of the Year:
Brothers Osborne
Musical Event of the Year:
*Award goes to Artist(s) and Producer(s)
Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson) – “wait in the truck”
Producers: Hardy, Joey Moi, Jordan Schmidt, Derek Wells
Musician of the Year:
Jenee Fleenor
Music Video of the Year:
*Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s)
Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson) – “wait in the truck”
Director: Justin Clough
New Artist of the Year:
Jelly Roll
This year’s CMA Awards recognized tremendous talent from various unique artist styles. In addition to Wilson’s prominence, one the most memorable moments from the award ceremony was when Luke Combs received both the Single of the Year and Song of the Year awards for his rendition of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 “Fast Car.”
He attributed his cover’s success to Chapman to the extent of referencing the special place that her original song has in his heart.
Although Chapman was not in attendance, presenter Sara Evans addressed the audience by sharing Chapman’s thoughtful message, where Chapman apologized for her absence and rejoiced in her song’s revitalization 35 years after its initial release, crediting Combs and the fans for their contributions to maintaining its popularity.
Chris Stapleton received his seventh Male Vocalist of the Year award, attributing a component of his success to his wife, Morgane Stapleton, and Mike Henderson, his former partner in the Steel Drivers, among two of Stapleton’s friends that passed away in 2023.
Other artist accolades include Brothers Osborne’s sixth Vocal Duo of the Year award and Old Dominion’s sixth consecutive Group of the Year award.
Along with many additional live musical performances from talented artists, the 2023 CMA Awards are sure to be remembered by fans and viewers due to its demonstration of superior country artists who are sure to grow more featured in the industry subsequently.
Sources:
https://people.com/country/cmt-awards-2023-complete-winners-list/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/08/entertainment/cma-awards-2023-see-who-won/index.html
