The 54th Academy of Country Music Awards was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 7, 2019. Nominations were announced on February 20, 2019 by Reba McEntire during CBS This Morning, with Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay leading with six nominations each. McEntire returned to host the awards for the sixteenth time.
Jason Aldean was presented with the ACM's rare honor "Artist of the Decade" by previous holder George Strait.
Winners and Nominees The winners are shown in bold. Entertainer of the YearAlbum of the Year Keith Urban Jason Aldean Luke Bryan Kenny Chesney Chris StapletonGolden Hour — Kacey Musgraves Dan + Shay — Dan + Shay Desperate Man — Eric Church From A Room: Volume 2 — Chris Stapleton The Mountain — Dierks BentleyFemale Artist of the YearMale Artist of the Year Kacey Musgraves Miranda Lambert Ashley McBryde Maren Morris Carrie Underwood Thomas Rhett Dierks Bentley Luke Combs Chris Stapleton Keith UrbanGroup of the YearDuo of the Year Old Dominion Lady Antebellum LANCO Little Big Town Midland Dan + Shay Brothers Osborne Florida Georgia Line LoCash Maddie & TaeSingle of the YearSong of the Year "Tequila" — Dan + Shay "Down to the Honkytonk" — Jake Owen "Heaven" — Kane Brown "Meant to Be — Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line "Most People Are Good" — Luke Bryan "Tequila" — Nicolle Galyon, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers "Break Up in the End" — Jessie Jo Dillon, Chase McGill, Jon Nite "Broken Halos" — Mike Henderson, Chris Stapleton "Meant to Be" — David Garcia, Tyler Hubbard, Joshua Miller, Bebe Rexha "Space Cowboy" — Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves "Yours" — Casey Brown, Russell Dickerson, Parker WellingNew Female Artist of the YearNew Male Artist of the YearAshley McBryde Danielle Bradbery Lindsay Ell Carly PearceLuke Combs Jimmie Allen Jordan Davis Michael Ray Mitchell TenpennyNew Vocal Duo or Group of the YearVideo of the YearLanco High Valley Runaway June "Drunk Girl" — Chris Janson; Dir. Jeff Venable "Babe" — Sugarland (feat. Taylor Swift); Dir. Anthony Mandler "Burn Out" — Midland; Dir. TK McKamy "Burning Man" — Dierks Bentley (feat. Brothers Osborne); Dir. Wes Edwards "Shoot Me Straight" — Brothers Osborne; Dir. Wes Edwards "Tequila" — Dan + Shay; Dir. Patrick TracyMusic Event of the YearSongwriter of the Year "Burning Man" — Dierks Bentley and Brothers Osborne "Drowns the Whiskey" — Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" — David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney "Keeping Score" — Dan + Shay and Kelly Clarkson Meant to Be" — Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line Shane McAnally Ross Copperman Ashley Gorley Chas McGill Josh OsborneArtist of the Decade Jason Aldean
Performances Performer(s)Song(s) Florida Georgia LineJason Aldean"Can't Hide Red"Thomas Rhett"Look What God Gave Her"Miranda LambertMedley of Hits"Kerosene""Gunpowder and Lead""Mama's Broken Heart" "White Liar" "Little Red Wagon"Luke Bryan"Knockin' Boots"Chris Stapleton"A Simple Song"Ashley McBryde"Girl Going Nowhere"Maren MorrisBrothers Osborne"All My Favorite People"George Strait Miranda Lambert"Run"Luke Combs Amanda Shires (on fiddle)"Beautiful Crazy"Dan + Shay Kelly Clarkson"Keeping Score"Little Big Town"The Daughters"Blake Shelton"God's Country"Old Dominion"Make It Sweet"Brooks & DunnLuke Combs"Brand New Man"Keith Urban Charlie Worsham (on guitar)"Burden"Eric ChurchAshley McBryde "The Snake"Lanco"Rival"Carrie Underwood"Southbound" Kane BrownKhalid"Saturday Nights"Reba McEntire"Freedom" Jason AldeanKelly Clarkson Artist of the Decade Medley"Lights Come On" "Don't You Wanna Stay""Dirt Road Anthem" Chrissy MetzLauren AlainaMaddie & TaeMickey GuytonCarrie Underwood"I'm Standing With You" Dierks Bentley Brandi Carlile"Travelin' Light"George Strait"Every Little Honky Tonk Bar"
Presenters
PresentersLauren AlainaBeth BehrsClint BlackNikolaj Coster-WaldauJessie James DeckerHunter HayesJay HernandezLady AntebellumMidlandNancy O'DellDanica PatrickCarly PearceMichael RayCole SwindellWilmer Valderrama
Reception In its review of the event, Rolling Stone Country praised that the ACMs took the opportunity to bring seasoned musicians Amanda Shires and Charlie Worsham "into the fold" by having them appear alongside Luke Combs and Keith Urban respectively but criticised that the ACMs did not introduce either of them or even feature them on screen. Worsham, who the reviewer believed should have been nominated for his own awards, performed "mostly in the shadows" and Shires, who "helped transform [Combs' performance] with her lyrical playing" was barely seen. Rolling Stone also praised Reba McEntire's hosting and the performances by Dierks Bentley and Brandi Carlile, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde but stated that it was "baffling" that Kacey Musgraves, who had five nominations and won the CMA Award for Album of the Year and four Grammy Awards including Best Country Album and the all-genre Album of the Year for Golden Hour, did not perform. Musgraves' win made her only the third artist (after Taylor Swift and the artists that appeared on Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) to win the ACM, CMA and Grammy Awards for Best Country Album as well as the all-genre Grammy for Album of the Year.
See also Academy of Country Music Awards
References