2024 CMA Awards Nominations: Biggest Snubs + Surprises, Ranked
This list of snubs and surprises for the 2024 CMA Awards includes two artists who’ve anchored the show for nearly 20 years. Fans have a right to be angry!
You’ll also find one of country music’s biggest contemporary hitmakers and an out-of-genre star who deserved so much more.
None of them are No. 1, however.
The most snubbed group at the 2024 CMAs is representative of a larger problem with this format of prize-giving. Is it time to bring the fan vote back in a meaningful way?
Find the full list of 10 CMA snubs and surprises below. They’re ranked in order of least to most surprising, meaning it’s surprising to see Carrie Underwood missing out (No. 10), but not shocking.
2024 CMA Awards Nominations: Biggest Snubs + Surprises, Ranked
Country music fans should be a little angry today. Nominees for the 2024 CMA Awards were announced, and missing are several of the genre’s top stars, including two who’ve anchored the format for nearly 20 years.
10. Snub: Carrie Underwood
Last year Carrie Underwood was an Entertainer of the Year nominee. This year, she didn’t get mentioned at all! She’s not currently in an album cycle, so any case for her in EOTY or Female Vocalist of the Year categories would rest with her Las Vegas residency. It’s surprising not to see her nominated for the first time ever, but not shocking.
9. Snub: Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert’s streak of 17 straight years with a Female Vocalist of the Year nomination comes to an end in 2024. Like Underwood, the 2024 CMAs caught her out of an album cycle and somewhat between record labels. Yes, she’s with Big Loud, but if they were to push for her nomination, they’d be doing it on the strength of her Sony career, plus “Wranglers.” It’s going to be weird not to see either her or Underwood at the show this year.
8. Snub: Nate Smith, “World on Fire”
Nate Smith’s “World on Fire” spent 10 weeks at No. 1, tying Morgan Wallen’s record. That wasn’t enough for a Single of the Year nomination.
Part of why this ballad was able to span two-and-a-half-months was the holidays, when record labels aren’t really working the phones to get to No. 1. His light catalog also made it easy for this slow-burner to maintain maximum airplay. Maybe it’s not a Song of the Year contender, but any song with that much airplay should be in the Single category.
No. 7: Surprise: Kacey Mugraves
Artistically, Kacey Musgraves deserves each and everyone of her CMA nominations in 2024, but typically the artists who aim their arrow at mainstream country radio get the artist-based nominations. It’s refreshing to see her hold a spot in the Female category.
No. 6: Snub: Parmalee
Hey, it’s us — just over here waving the flag for Parmalee, the most snubbed country act of the last five years. This group continue to churn out radio hits, but can’t crack a very weak Vocal Group category. It’s mystifying.
No. 5: Surprise: Jelly Roll, ‘Whitsitt Chapel’
Jelly Roll was praised for a lot in 2023 and 2024, but his album was rarely talked about in Album of the Year conversations. It’s a strong effort, but he seemed much more likely to nab Song or Single of the Year nominations.
His Entertainer of the Year nom is no surprise. He very well could win it.
No. 4: Snub: Post Malone
Post Malone earned four nominations, but didn’t get one in the Male Vocalist or New Artist category. He should have. He’s the Jelly Roll of 2024.
No. 3: Snub: Beyonce
There is going to be a lot written this week about why Beyonce deserved some CMA love. She truly did. Cowboy Carter got us through a very sleepy first half of 2024, and her music pushed the genre forward in meaningful ways. If nothing else, she should have been mentioned in Single of the Year or the uninspiring Album of the Year category.
No. 2: Snub: Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan is at or near the top of streaming and sales charts most weeks, and his tour is one of the biggest in country music. He represents a much bigger snub, however …
No. 1: Snub: Country Music Fans
Nominations for the 2024 CMA Awards are nearly a replica of the 2024 ACM Awards. The only difference in the Entertainment, Male, Female, Group and Duo categories is Flatland Calvary is out, and the Red Clay Strays are in. The ACMs also added a few extra EOTY nominees, but the same five are at the core. It’s like voters forgot to submit until the last minute and just copy-pasted what they wrote last time. That’s an insult to fans who (whether they admit it or not) look to ACM/CMA/CMT voters as tastemakers. This set of nominees lacks the most popular streaming artists (Beyonce, Post Malone, Zach Bryan) and the most popular live artists (similar list, plus Kenny Chesney).
Source: https://tasteofcountry.com/
