In the music industry, one of the highest honors you can receive is a Grammy Award. Artists from all genres are nominated in a variety of categories, and country music is always well-represented.
After months of anticipation, the Grammys finally announced which country artists are nominated for the 2017 Grammy Awards. Some of today’s biggest stars can proudly add another nomination to their long lists of accomplishments, while other artists have been nominated for the first time.
Rising star Maren Morris leads the country nominations, with a total of four. She’s been nominated for Best Country Solo performance and Best Country Song for her smash single “My Church,” as well as Best Country Album for Hero. Her fourth nomination is particularly notable, because it’s in the all-genre category for Best New Artist. She’s up against fellow first-time nominee and country star Kelsea Ballerini, along with The Chainsmokers, Chance the Rapper, and Anderson .Paak.
Keith Urban also cleaned house with nominations, earning a total of two. He was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and his album, Ripcord, was nominated against Morris’ Hero for Best Country Album. “Blue Ain’t Your Color” also earned another nomination in the Best Country Song category, which honors songwriters Clint Lagerberg, Hillary Lindsey, and Steven Lee Olsen.
Sturgill Simpson was another artist who earned two nominations. His album, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, was nominated in the Best Country Album category along with Urban and Morris. The album also received a nomination for the coveted Album of the Year title, which is an all-genre category. Simpson is the only country artist nominated in the category, with Adele’s 25 and Beyoncé’s Lemonade being two of the other nominees.
Miranda Lambert earned two nominations as well, both for her single “Vice” off of her new album The Weight of These Wings. “Vice” was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.
Lady Antebellum‘s Hillary Scott was also nominated for two awards, but not in the country categories. Scott and her family were nominated for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Love Remains, and received a nod for Best Contemporary Christ Music Performance/Song for “Thy Will.”
Another notable nomination is in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance, where Dolly Parton and Pentatonix were nominated for their viral collaboration on “Jolene.” A sure contender in the Best Country Song category is Tim McGraw‘s “Humble and Kind” (written by Lori McKenna), since it is the reigning CMA Song of the Year.
Along with Morris, Simpson, Urban, and Brandy Clark, country legend Loretta Lynn is nominated for Best Country Album for her hit record Full Circle. Lynn and the others are only a handful of country artists that were nominated for the upcoming Grammys. If you’d like to check out the full list, you can do so by clicking here.
While you wait to find out if your favorite artist will take home a Grammy, tune in below to listen to Morris’ twice-nominated song “My Church.”
Congratulations and best of luck to all of the nominees!