Here’s all you need to know about the Nashville’s 2021 ACM Awards
The ACM Awards are the most prominent ceremony of the Academy of Country Music, a West Coast-based country music organization established in 1964.
Traditionally held in Las Vegas, the pandemic caused the ACM Awards to move to Nashville for 2020. For the second time, the 56th edition of ACM Awards is scheduled on Sunday April 18th at Nashville. Like 2020, this year’s ACMs will originate from three different venues in Nashville: the Ryman Auditorium, the Bluebird Cafe, and the Grand Ole Opry House.
“We’re excited to be back in Nashville. This is a great city that’s had a really rough year, even more of a rough year than other cities have had. Our country music industry has basically been out of work and suffering,” says Damon Whiteside, CEO of the ACM and an executive producer of the awards show. “It started with the tornado [in March 2020] and then the bombing [on Christmas Day]. It’s like, oh my gosh.”
To be hosted by Keith Urban Mickey Guyton, the top nominees are Maren Morris and Chris Stapletonare (6 nominations), Miranda Lambert (5 nominations) and Ashley McBryde and Thomas Rhett (4 nominations). First-time nominees include Tenille Arts, Travis Denning, John Legend, Pink, Gwen Stefani, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench.
All nominees would be declared at the Opry House, even though in view of the COVID pandemic, some artists chose to accept their awards at other venues. “To keep it really safe, we’re rotating in the audience,” Whiteside adds. “So basically you’ll have each category come up, and the five nominees will be escorted into the Opry House. They’ll be masked and they’ll be socially distanced, and each artist will get one personal guest with them. Then as the winner’s revealed, that winner would go up onstage and the rest will be escorted safely out of the venue, back on their bus in the parking lot.”
Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, and Chris Stapleton compete for the Entertainer of the Year prize.”
Miranda Lambert and Elle King had the opening performance with the live debut of their party song “Drunk”. Other collaborations include Dierks Bentley and the War and Treaty performing U2’s “Pride”and Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney singing “Half of My Hometown.” Carrie Underwood presented a medley from her album My Saviour,Brothers Osborne performed “I’m Not for Everyone,” Dan + Shay harmonize on “Glad You Exist,” and Chris Stapleton performed “Maggie’s Song” from the Bluebird Cafe. Luke Bryan couldn’t put up his show (he tested positive for Covid-19) and was replaced by the trio Lady A.
“I spoke with Luke’s team yesterday, and he’s so disappointed. He’s up for Album of the Year and Entertainer, but Album especially means a lot to him, so he’s real disappointed,” Whiteside says. “We’re somewhere in the neighborhood of over 27 performers at this point and we’ve got over 30 songs in the show. It’s going to be probably our most musically jam-packed show we’ve ever done.”
Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Ingrid Andress, Blanco Brown, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, Clay Walker, and actor and Instagram star Leslie Jordan will all present awards at the ACM’s.
