The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards, commonly known as the 52nd CMA Awards, were held on November 14, 2018, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted for the eleventh and final time by CMA Award winners Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.
Winners and nominees The nominations for the 52nd CMA Awards were announced on August 28, 2018, on Good Morning America by Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay and Sugarland.
The winners are shown in Bold. Entertainer of the YearAlbum of the Year Keith Urban Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Chris Stapleton Golden Hour — Kacey Musgraves The Mountain — Dierks Bentley Life Changes — Thomas Rhett From A Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton Graffiti U — Keith UrbanMale Vocalist of the YearFemale Vocalist of the Year Chris Stapleton Dierks Bentley Luke Combs Thomas Rhett Keith Urban Carrie Underwood Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Maren Morris Kacey MusgravesVocal Group of the YearVocal Duo of the Year Old Dominion Lady Antebellum LANCO Little Big Town Midland Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Florida Georgia Line Maddie & Tae SugarlandSingle of the YearSong of the Year "Broken Halos" — Chris Stapleton "Drinkin' Problem" — Midland "Drowns the Whiskey" — Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert "Meant to Be" — Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line "Tequila" — Dan + Shay "Broken Halos" — Chris Stapleton and Mike Henderson "Body Like a Back Road" — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osborne "Drowns the Whiskey" — Brandon Kinney, Jeff Middleton, and Josh Thompson "Drunk Girl" — Scooter Carusoe, Tom Douglas, and Chris Janson "Tequila" — Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds, and Dan SmyersNew Artist of the YearMusician of the Year Luke Combs Lauren Alaina Chris Janson Midland Brett Young Mac McAnally, Guitar Jerry Douglas, Dobro Paul Franklin, Steele Guitar Dann Huff, Guitar Derek Wells, GuitarMusic Video of the YearMusical Event of the Year "Marry Me" — Thomas Rhett; (Dir. TK McKamy) "Babe" — Sugarland feat. Taylor Swift; (Dir. Anthony Mandler) "Cry Pretty" — Carrie Underwood; (Dir. Randee St. Nicholas) "Drunk Girl" — Chris Janson; (Dir. Jeff Venable) "Tequila" — Dan + Shay; (Dir. Patrick Tracy) "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" — David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney "Drowns the Whiskey" — Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert "Burning Man" — Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne "Dear Hate" — Maren Morris and Vince Gill "Meant to Be" — Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line
Performers Artist(s) Song(s) Luke BryanLuke CombsCole SwindellLindsay EllChris JansonJon PardiAshley McBryde "What Makes You Country" Jason Aldean Miranda Lambert "Drowns the Whiskey" Thomas Rhett "Life Changes" Dan + Shay "Tequila" Lauren Alaina "A Lesson in Leavin'" Kelsea Ballerini "Miss Me More" Old Dominion "Hotel Key" Carrie Underwood "Love Wins" Brett Young "Mercy" Ricky Skaggs Kentucky Thunder Keith Urban John Osborne Brad Paisley Marty Stuart Sierra Hull Carson Peters "Black Eyed Suzie" "Highway 40 Blues" "Country Boy" Midland "East Bound and Down" Bebe Rexha Florida Georgia Line "Meant to Be" Luke Combs "She Got the Best of Me" Keith Urban "Never Comin' Down" Garth Brooks "Stronger Than Me" Pistol Annies "Got My Name Changed Back" Dierks Bentley Brothers Osborne "Burning Man" Chris Stapleton Morgane Stapleton Maren Morris Mavis Staples Marty Stuart "Friendship" "I'll Take You There" Brad Paisley "Bucked Off" Kacey Musgraves "Slow Burn" Eric Church Joanna Cotten "Desperate Man"
Presenters Presenter(s)AwardLady AntebellumSong of the YearMackenzie Foy and Noah SchnappNew Artist of the YearJimmie Allen, Dustin Lynch and Carly PearceSingle of the YearKane Brown and Olivia CulpoVocal Group of the YearLittle Big TownAlbum of the YearBobby Bones and Sharna BurgessVocal Duo of the YearMartina McBride and Lara SpencerMale Vocalist of the YearTrisha Yearwood and Dennis QuaidFemale Vocalist of the YearLionel RichieEntertainer of the Year
Reception Underwood and Pasley's monologue was praised for ignoring the subject of politics, with Fox News stating that "despite avoiding controversial topics, Underwood and Paisley still delivered a joke-filled opening monologue that left many in the audience in stitches".
In their review of the best and worst moments of the telecast, The Washington Post praised Stapleton's performance with Morris and Staples, Brooks' "sweet" and "adorable" tribute to Trisha Yearwood, Bryan's opening number, the "fiery" Pistol Annies performance and the Ricky Skaggs tribute and celebrated Musgraves' Album of the Year win as well as the performances on newer artists such as Combs and Dan + Shay. However, they were critical of Paisley and Underwood's monologue, calling it "flat", "lame" and claiming that it "didn't make sense", leaving audience members "confused". Lauren Alaina's tribute to Dottie West was criticised for being too short and Midland's tribute to Burt Reynolds was described as being too confusing and unexplained.
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