Luke Combs, Carly Pearce & More React to 2021 CMA Awards Nominations

Several country music artists woke up on Thursday (Sept. 9) to the news that they are nominees for the 55th annual Country Music Association Awards. Some artists were celebrating their very first CMA nods in certain categories, while for other artists, being nominated clearly never gets old.

Carly Pearce earned her first CMA female vocalist of the year nomination, as well as her first album of the year nomination (for 29).

“When we started working on 29, I was trying to write my way through some of the greatest sadness and biggest disappointments of my life,” Pearce said in a statement about crafting the album. “I was writing to save my heart without even knowing it. My champion and longtime producer busbee had died; my marriage was over; my world was completely upended.”

“When I started writing, it was both to understand what was happening, and to go to the one thing that has never let me down: music. But in that, I found not only a kind of salvation, but a very clear sense of the woman and the artist I truly am,” she continued. “From the pain, the scraping away everything but the essence of who I really am, 29 emerged. To see it recognized like this, it blows me away. To be the only woman in the category, well, that speaks to the hunger people have for real life … even when it’s the tough stuff.”

Luke Combs shared his excitement on social media, exclaiming in an Instagram post, “Wow, what an amazing thing to wake up to.” He is up for entertainer of the year, male vocalist of the year, and song of the year (for writing “Forever After All” alongside Drew Parker and Robert Williford).

“CAN’T HANDLE IT!!!!!! 4 CMA nominations. Dream come true. God is gracious,” said Gabby Barrett on Instagram. She is nominated for new artist of the year, female vocalist of the year, single of the year and song of the year (the latter two nods for her hit “The Good Ones”).

Other top nominees this year include Brothers Osborne, Kane Brown, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young and more.

This year’s CMA Awards will air live from Nashville on Nov. 10 on ABC.

See some of the artist reactions below:

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