2018 ACM Awards Nominations Full Of Surprises

Chris Stapleton (Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS) Miranda Lambert ( R. Diamond/Getty Images for True Public Relations) Keith Urban (Jason Kempin/Getty Images for St. Jude)

The 2018 ACM Awards are rapidly approaching and we now know which artists will be vying for the coveted trophies and who will be hosting the event.

Reba McEntire will be returning to host the Academy of Country Music Awards for the fifteenth time! The 16-time ACM award winner announced the Song of the Year nominees live on Facebook before appearing on CBS This Morning where she revealed additional nominees in the following categories: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Vocal Duo of the Year, and Vocal Group of the Year.

Nancy O’Dell announced the final nominees on Entertainment Tonight’s website at 8:50 a.m. ET.

Chris Stapleton leads all nominees with a whopping eight nominations in five categories, including his first nod for Entertainer of the Year. Thomas Rhett is close behind with six nominations, while Keith Urban and songwriter Shane McAnally each have five.

Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris have tied for the most nominations among female artists with four each. Lambert received her twelfth nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. She currently holds the record for most consecutive wins in the category and is tied with Brooks & Dunn for the most ACM Awards wins with 29.

And, for the first time, husband/wife team Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have been nominated as a country duo after the release of their joint project The Rest of Our Life.

See the full list of nominees below:

Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Garth Brooks
Luke Bryan
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban
Chris Young

Female Vocalist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Maren Morris
Carrie Underwood
Miranda Lambert
Reba McEntire

Vocal Duo of the Year
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Florida Georgia Line
LOCASH

Vocal Group of the Year
Lady Antebellum
LANCO
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion

New Male Vocalist of the Year
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Devin Dawson
Russell Dickerson
Brett Young

New Female Vocalist of the Year
Lauren Alaina
Danielle Bradbury
Carly Pearce
RaeLynn

New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year
High Valley
LANCO
LOCASH
Midland
Runaway June

Album of the Year
Breaker – Little Big Town
California Sunrise – Jon Pardi
From a Room: Vol. 1 – Chris Stapleton
Happy Endings – Old Dominion
Life Changes – Thomas Rhett

Single Record of the Year
“Better Man” – Little Big Town
“Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt
“Broken Halos” – Chris Stapleton
“Drinkin’ Problem” – Midland
“I’ll Name the Dogs” – Blake Shelton

Song of the Year
“Body Like A Backroad” – Sam Hunt
“Female” – Keith Urban
“Tin Man” – Miranda Lambert
“Whiskey and You” – Chris Stapleton

Video of the Year
“Black” – Dierks Bentley
“It Ain’t My Fault” – Brothers Osborne
“Legends” – Kelsea Ballerini
“Marry Me” – Thomas Rhett
“We Should Be Friends” – Miranda Lambert

Songwriter of the Year
Rhett Akins
Ashley Gorley
Hillary Lindsey
Shane McAnally
Josh Osborne

Vocal Event of the Year
“Craving You” – Thomas Rhett feat. Maren Morris
“Dear Hate” – Maren Morris feat. Vince Gill
“Funny (How Time Slips Away)” – Glen Campbell and Willie Nelson
“The Fighter” – Keith Urban feat. Carrie Underwood
“What Ifs” – Kane Brown feat. Lauren Alaina

The 53rd ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 15, 2018 on CBS. Will you be watching?