Miranda Lambert and George Strait have just been announced as performers at the 2019 ACM Awards! The country stars will join an impressive list of artists, including Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Little Big Town, Thomas Rhett and Chris Stapleton. Reba McEntire, who is hosting the live broadcast, will also perform, as will Jason Aldean, who has been announced as the recipient of the 2019 Artist of the Decade Award.
McEntire also announced several of the ACM Awards nominees categories live on CBS This Morning, later speaking out about the lack of females nominated, with the Entertainer of the Year category once again filled with all male artists.
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“It doesn’t make me very happy because we’ve got some very talented women out there who are working their butts off,” McEntire said at the time, later adding, “I’m missing my girlfriends on this list.”
Entertainer of the Year nominee Luke Bryan later praised McEntire and her willingness to stand up for her fellow female artists.
“It’s something the country music community has taken note of, that women artists aren’t being truly recognized like they need to, and it’s something on everybody’s radar,” Bryan told BuzzFeed News. “I think Reba has earned the right to voice her opinion on matters like that. Somebody like Reba has to stand up and say to the Academy of Country Music and all forms of country music award shows.
“It does get a little bit tricky when it is a naturally male-heavy format,” he added. “There’s so many women out there that should feel the right to speak up.”
Stapleton and Dan + Shay are tied with the most nominations, with six each. Lambert is nominated for Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year, for “Drowns the Whiskey,” her duet with Aldean. Morris is also nominated for Female Artist of the Year, while Rhett is nominated for Male Artist of the Year. Little Big Town earned a nod for Vocal Group of the Year, and Brothers Osborne racked up four nominations, including two for Video of the Year, both for their own “Shoot Me Straight,” and their “Burning Man” collaboration with Dierks Bentley.
More performers are expected to be announced in the near future. The 2019 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
Photo Credit: Getty images/Rick Diamond
