ACM Nominations: Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift Are On Top

Carrie Underwood and Blake Shelton also nabbed noms in top categories

By Alyssa Toomey Feb 13, 2013 5:18 PMTags
Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert, Taylor SwiftLarry Busacca/Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Vegas is about to get country, y'all!

The nominations for the 48th annual Academy of Country Music Awards were announced this morning, and Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift nabbed the most noms for male and female artists respectively.

Church landed a whopping seven nominations, while Hayes came in with a total of six although neither artist is nominated for the prestigious Entertainer of the Year award—an accolade both Lambert and Swift, who received five nominations each, are competing for. 

Blake Shelton's other half is the reigning Female Vocalist of the Year, receiving her seventh nomination in the category, which will be her fourth consecutive win if she takes home the trophy.

Reigning Entertainer of the Year T.Swift is also on top, having received her fourth consecutive nod for the highly coveted honor. If she wins, this will be her third consecutive year to be crowned country music's top performer. The "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" singer is also nominated for the sixth time for Female Vocalist of the Year, which will be her third consecutive win if she takes home the trophy. Oh, and she also won a Grammy last Sunday (no big deal!).

Carrie Underwood—who recently took home the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song—received her eighth consecutive nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year. 

Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield is also dipping her toes into the country waters, receiving her first ACM nomination for Vocal Event of the Year for "Easy" with Rascal Flatts.

And finally, Blake Shelton—who's teaming up with Luke Bryan to host this year's show—is nominated for three awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year (he's the current title holder) and Entertainer of the Year.

The 2013 ACM Awards will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Here's a complete list of nominations: 

Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
Taylor Swift 

Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church
Toby Keith
Blake Shelton 

Female Vocalist of the Year
Miranda Lambert
Martina McBride
Kacey Musgraves
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Florida Georgia Line
Love and Theft
Sugarland
Thompson Square

Vocal Group of the Year
The Band Perry
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Zac Brown Band

New Male Vocalist of the Year
Lee Brice
Brantley Gilbert
Hunter Hayes

New Female Vocalist of the Year
Jana Kramer
Kacey Musgraves
Sunny Sweeney

New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year
Florida Georgia Line
Love and Theft
Thompson Square

New Artist of the Year
Florida Georgia Line
Brantley Gilbert
Jana Kramer

Album of the Year
Blown Away, Carrie Underwood (19/Arista Nashville, produced by Mark Bright)
Chief, Eric Church (EMI-Nashville, prod. by Jay Joyce)
Red, Taylor Swift (Big Machine Records, prod. by Jeff Bhasker, Nathan Chapman, Dann Huff, Jacknife Lee, Max Martin, Shellback, Taylor Swift, Butch Walker, Dan Wilson)
tailgates & tanlinesLuke Bryan (Capitol Nashville, produced by Mark Bright, Jeff Stevens)
Tornado, Little Big Town (Capitol Nashville, prod. by Jay Joyce)

Single Record of the Year
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart," Eli Young Band
"Over You," Miranda Lambert
"Pontoon," Little Big Town
"Springsteen," Eric Church
"Wanted," Hunter Hayes 

Song of the Year
"A Woman Like You," Lee Brice
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart," Eli Young Band 
"Over You," Miranda Lambert
"Springsteen," Eric Church 
"Wanted," Hunter Hayes

Songwriter of the Year
Rodney Clawson
Dallas Davidson
Josh Kear
Luke Laird
Shane McAnally

Video of the Year
"Creepin'," Eric Church
"Merry Go ‘Round," Kacey Musgraves
"Tornado," Little Big Town
"Wanted," Hunter Hayes
"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift
"The Wind," Zac Brown Band 

Vocal Event of the Year
"Don't Rush," Kelly Clarkson Featuring Vince Gill 
"Easy," Rascal Flatts Featuring Natasha Bedingfield
"Feel Like A Rock Star," Kenny Chesney (Duet With Tim McGraw)
"Let It Rain," David Nail Featuring Sarah Buxton
"The Only Way I Know," Jason Aldean With Luke Bryan & Eric Church