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Maren Morris, Chris Stapleton lead ACM Awards nominations

Morris and Stapleton lead the nominations for this year's Academy of Country Music Awards. The academy announced on Friday that Morris and Stapleton both had six nominations ahead of the April 18 awards show, which will air on CBS from Nashville, Tennessee. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Maren Morris and Chris Stapleton are the leading nominees for the Academy of Country Music Awards, but only Stapleton joined the all-male ballot for the top prize of entertainer of the year. The academy announced on Friday that Morris and Stapleton both had six nominations ahead of the April 18 awards show, which will air on CBS from Nashville, Tennessee. AdMiranda Lambert, who is already the most nominated artist in ACM history, stretched her streak with five nominations.

Relive the Super Bowl performances by Alicia Keys, Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church and poet Amanda Gorman

The captivating pre-game experience featured performers from award-winning singers and inaugural poet Amanda Gorman. Alicia Keys performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is widely recognized as the Black national anthem. Alicia Keys ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing.’ Both teams lined up in endzones #SBLV pic.twitter.com/WMgUVwOv4X — Grace Remington (@GraceRemiWTSP) February 7, 2021Singer H.E.R. gave a beautiful rendition of, “America the Beautiful.”Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church sang the national anthem. Youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman recited the poem, “Chorus of the Captians,” which honored James Martin, Trimaine Davis, Suzie Dorner and community heroes everywhere.

Amanda Gorman, in a first, brings poetry to Super Bowl

Gorman, the 22-year-old poet who stirred America at the inauguration of President Joseph Biden, again commanded the spotlight on one of the countrys biggest stages, the Super Bowl. That Gorman brought poetry to the Super Bowl was an almost unthinkable collision of grace and glitz. She seemed to grasp the unlikeliness of her pre-game reading, the first in Super Bowl history. “Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art and our country, because it means we’re thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed,” Gorman said Sunday on Twitter. Here’s to them, to poetry and to a Super Bowl like no other.”

Jazmine Sullivan talks Super Bowl gig and Whitney Houston

This combination photo shows singer Jazmine Sullivan in Rydal, Pa., on Jan. 26, 2021, left, and singer Whitney Houston at the BET Honors in Washington on Jan. 17, 2009. Sullivan and Eric Church will perform the national anthem at Sunday's Super Bowl. Houston has arguably the best performance of The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Super Bowl game. One of Sullivan's idols, Whitney Houston, has arguably the best performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner" at a Super Bowl game. I was blown away, in my feelings, everything, at the fact that she even knew me and stood up and was giving me love in that way," Sullivan continued.

Jazmine Sullivan, Eric Church, H.E.R. to sing at Super Bowl

Sullivan and Church will join forces to sing the national anthem at the next months Super Bowl, where Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. will perform America the Beautiful. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – R&B star Jazmine Sullivan and country singer Eric Church will join forces to sing the national anthem at the next month’s Super Bowl, where Grammy-winning singer H.E.R. will perform “America the Beautiful.”The performances will take place Feb. 7 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa before the big game and halftime show starring The Weeknd. She’s won honors at the MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and Soul Train Music Awards and launched R&B hits such as “Focus,” “Best Part,” “Slide,” “Damage” and “B.S.” with Jhené Aiko.

Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris to play CMAs

FILE - Eric Church performs at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. on March 28, 2017. Church will perform at this year's CMA Awards in Nashville. (Photo by Rick Scuteri/Invision/AP, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Luke Combs and more are set to take the stage at the CMA Awards in November. The country music awards show promised that the genre’s biggest stars will be together in one room again for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak started. Lambert, the leading nominee with seven nods including entertainer of the year, will perform “Settling Down" from her album of the year nominated record ”Wildcard."

Keith Urban finds musical connections across genre lines

“Breland was a man after my own heart musically and I was just dying to get in the studio with him to see what happened,” Urban said. AP: In that vein, one song called “Tumbleweed” includes a sample of a didgeridoo, an instrument that originated in Australia. Urban: After the guitar solo, there was about four seconds of a breakdown, and I was like, "I need something here. Urban: If anyone wants to know what my beliefs are, my views are, listen to my music or look at my life. Urban: I’m learning.

Country's night to party sobers up amid pandemic

This combination photo shows, from left, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood, nominees for entertainer of the year at the 55th ACM Awards. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a pre-pandemic world, the Academy of Country Music Awards advertised itself as country music’s night to party with gambling, after-parties and a Las Vegas-style attitude. This year the red carpet, crowds and gambling are all r eplaced with COVID-19 tests, temperature checks and face masks. Swift, who makes her first return to the ACM stage in seven years, was the last female artist to win ACM entertainer of the year in 2011. “I certainly believe that she’s been an entertainer of all entertainers and brought so much grace and class and elegance to country music,” said Bryan.

ACM Awards brings live performances back to TV amid pandemic

This combination photo shows country singers, from left, Luke Bryan, Kane Brown and Mickey Guyton who will perform at this year's ACM Awards in Nashville. (AP Photo)NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At the Academy of Country Music Awards on Wednesday, there won’t be fake fans, canned applause or pre-taped acceptance speeches. After a five-month delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the awards show wants to bring the live television experience back again. The 55th annual ACM Awards, normally held in April in Las Vegas, were delayed this year and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, for the first time. “I don’t know if it’s gonna look like an NFL Draft night when we hand out the awards,” Urban said laughing.

Taylor Swift returns to ACM Awards for ‘Folklore’ premiere

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country-turned-pop star Taylor Swift returned to her roots with a performance at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards. The nine-time ACM award winner performed from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee, where the awards show was broadcasted Wednesday on CBS. Swift performed “betty” from her new album “Folklore,” which has held the top spot on for six weeks on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. 6 on Billboard’s Hot Country song chart. This marks the first time in seven years that the two-time ACM entertainer of the year has performed at this awards show and the world premiere performance for any song from her “Folklore” album.

CMA Awards 2019 nominations announced

(CNN) - The Country Music Association announced the nominees for "The 53rd Annual CMA Awards" on Wednesday, with Maren Morris topping the list with six. Those nods add to her previous 10 nominations and one win in years past. The following is a list of the nominees:ENTERTAINER OF THE YEARGarth BrooksEric ChurchChris StapletonCarrie UnderwoodKeith UrbanSINGLE OF THE YEAR*Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s), and Mix Engineer- "Burning Man" -- Dierks Bentley Feat. Brothers Osborne)Producers: Maren Morris, busbee- "Brand New Man" -- Brooks & Dunn (with Luke Combs)Producer: Dann Huff- "Dive Bar" -- Garth Brooks & Blake SheltonProducer: Garth Brooks- "Old Town Road (Remix)" -- Lil Nas X feat. The-CNN-Wire & 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company.