Finalists for the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards have been announced. Country superstar Luke Bryan dominates the list with seven category nods, followed by newcomer Sam Hunt with five, Thomas Rhett and Zac Brown Band each with four, and Florida Georgia Line with three. Additionally, megastar and multi-category finalist Carrie Underwood has been added as a performer, joining previously announced performers Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett and more. The American Country Countdown Awards are based on country music’s longest-running radio countdown show, American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, which has recognized the best in country radio for more than 40 years. This year’s host and additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.
The 2016 American Country Countdown Awards will air live from the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, May 1st from 8-10 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed on FOX. The two-hour event is the first country music awards show to air live from Los Angeles in more than 10 years. Tickets for the American Country Countdown Awards at the Forum are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.
Superstar Carrie Underwood emerged from her 2005 American Idol win to become a true multi-format, multi-media artist, spanning achievements in music, television and film. A seven-time Grammy Award winner, she has amassed more than 100 major honors, sold 58 million records worldwide and recorded 23 No. 1 singles, 13 of which she co-wrote, with a catalog of songs that has been streamed more than 1.5 billion times worldwide. She is a finalist in two categories for the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards: Female Vocalist Of The Year; and Album Of The Year (for Storyteller).
In addition to Underwood, A Thousand Horses, Blake Shelton, Cam, Dan + Shay, Jana Kramer, Jason Aldean, Kelsea Ballerini, and Old Dominion each were named finalists in two categories. Brothers Osborne, Chris Janson, Chris Stapleton, Garth Brooks, Karen Fairchild, Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Michael Ray, and Miranda Lambert also received nods.
Below are the finalists for the 2016 American Country Countdown Awards:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton
Florida Georgia Line
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Blake Shelton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Sam Hunt
Thomas Rhett
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Cam
Carrie Underwood
Jana Kramer
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
A Thousand Horses
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
BREAKTHROUGH MALE OF THE YEAR
Chris Janson
Michael Ray
Sam Hunt
BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE OF THE YEAR
Cam
Jana Kramer
Kelsea Ballerini
BREAKTHROUGH GROUP/DUO OF THE YEAR
A Thousand Horses
Dan + Shay
Old Dominion
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Stay A Little Longer” – Brothers Osborne
“Home Alone Tonight” – Luke Bryan featuring Karen Fairchild
“Strip It Down” – Luke Bryan
“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
“Homegrown” – Zac Brown Band
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Storyteller” – Carrie Underwood
“Traveller” – Chris Stapleton
“Kill The Lights” – Luke Bryan
“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt
“Jekyll + Hyde” – Zac Brown Band
DIGITAL SONG OF THE YEAR
“Girl Crush” – Little Big Town
“Kick The Dust Up” – Luke Bryan
“Die A Happy Man” – Thomas Rhett
DIGITAL ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Anything Goes” – Florida Georgia Line
“Montevallo” – Sam Hunt
“Tangled Up” – Thomas Rhett
TOURING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Garth Brooks
Kenny Chesney
Luke Bryan
Shania Twain
Zac Brown Band
American Country Countdown Awards finalists and winners for all categories are based on radio airplay charts, sales and streaming data from April 1, 2015 to March 28, 2016 provided by BuzzAngle Music. Touring data is from Pollstar “The Concert Hotwire.” The NASH Icon Award is chosen by The American Country Countdown.
