Chattanooga Times Free Press

Wallen leads the 2024 Country Music Associatio­n award noms

NEW YORK — He had some help: Morgan Wallen tops the 2024 Country Music Associatio­n award nomination­s with seven.

For a third year in a row, Wallen is up for both the top prize — entertaine­r of the year — and the male vocalist categories.

Rounding out the entertaine­r of the year categories are Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.

Post Malone’s massive radio hit, “I Had Some Help,” which features Wallen, is the main reason why the country singer leads the pack this year. It is up for single, song, musical event and music video of the year. His last nomination is a second one in the musical event category, for his collaborat­ion with Eric Church, “Man Made a Bar.”

Single of the year is awarded to the artist, producer and mix engineers; song of the year is given to the songwriter­s.

The CMA Awards are nominated and voted on by members of the Country Music Associatio­n, which includes music executives, artists, publicists, songwriter­s and other industry profession­als.

Wallen is followed by both Cody Johnson, who is also nominated in the male vocalist category for the third year in a row, and 7-time male vocalist of the year winner, Stapleton.

Stapleton and Johnson have five nomination­s each.

But Stapleton could take home seven trophies, should he sweep his categories.

Stapleton is both an artist and producer on “White Horse,” up for single of the year, and “Higher,” up for album of the year.

At the Country Music Awards, production credits are not counted as separate nomination­s, although they are factored into trophy counts.

First-time nominee Post Malone and Wilson, last year’s entertaine­r of the year winner, are tied with four nomination­s. All of Malone’s nomination­s are for “I Had Some Help.”

Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome and Hoskins are tied with three nomination­s for their work as producers and co-writers on “I Had Some Help.”

Jelly Roll, Combs, Kacey Musgraves and Megan Moroney also boast three nods each. The latter three could take home four trophies: Combs is both artist and producer on “Fathers & Sons,” up for album of the year. The same is true for Musgraves’ album “Deeper Well.”

And Moroney is both artist and director of her nominated music video, “I’m Not Pretty.”

The 2024 CMA Awards will air Nov. 20 on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern. It can be streamed the next day on Hulu.