Ranking the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards nominees by number of Twitter followers

Songwriter Josh Osborne might have the lowest number of Twitter followers in this list, but at least he has an account, which is more than can be said of a few of his fellow nominees in the Songwriter of the Year category. His Twitter bio states that he writes songs we probably don’t know, but we definitely know he’s been the mind behind songs from Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton to Kelly Clarkson and Pink. He even won a Grammy for helping to pen Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go ‘Round” in 2014. In addition to the aforementioned ACM category, Osborne is also up for Song of the Year (for co-writing Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road”) and Single Record of the Year (for co-writing and co-producing Midland’s “Drinkin’ Problem”).

New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year nominees Runaway June are so new that they don’t even have a debut album yet, just the hit singles “Lipstick” and “Wild West.” That would explain the low number of Twitter followers. However, we have little doubt that the Nashville-based vocal trio will find a fair amount of fame one day. After all, it’s sort of in their DNA: member Jennifer Wayne is the granddaughter of screen legend John Wayne.

In addition to having more than 1,000 additional followers, New Male Vocalist nominee Devin Dawson also has another leg up on the previous member of this list, Runaway June: he has actually released a studio album, which dropped on January 19, 2018. “Dark Horse” has already sold about 200,000 copies, and includes the single “All on Me,” which reached No. 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on the Hot Country charts.

For a quintet that only has about 15,000 Twitter followers and a debut album that’s just two months old, it’s pretty remarkable that LANCO has two nominations: New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year and the prestigious category of Vocal Group of the Year. For the latter, LANCO has to compete with big names like Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, and Old Dominion, which should create quite a challenge. Then again, LANCO’s “Greatest Love Story” reached No. 1 on the Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, so don’t be surprised if they emerge as the dark horse winner.

Like LANCO, Midland also snuck their way into the Vocal Group of the Year category, as well as New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year and Single Record of the Year (for their debut song “Drinkin’ Problem”). The Texas-based, neo-traditionalist country trio consists of Mark Wystrach, Cameron Duddy, and Jess Carson, with Wystrach already having found some fame prior to forming Midland in 2016. He had a regular role on the soap opera “Passions” from 2006 to 2007, and also appeared in a season six episode of “CSI: Miami.”

Only about 20,000 people follow Shane McAnally on Twitter, but millions know his songs. McAnally is up for five ACM Awards this year, including Album of the Year (for producing Old Dominion’s “Happy Endings”), Single Record of the Year (for co-writing and co-producing Midland’s “Drinkin’ Problem”), and Songwriter of the Year. McAnally is also competing against himself in the Song of the Year category, as he helped write both Sam Hunt’s “Body Like a Back Road” and Keith Urban’s “Female.” So where’s all the love, Twitter?

Country legend Glen Campbell passed away at the age of 81 nearly nine months ago, but has still held onto 21,600 Twitter followers. He also earned a posthumous ACM nod alongside fellow icon Willie Nelson in the Vocal Event of the Year category. Ironically, the nominated song is “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Rest in peace, Rhinestone Cowboy.

Carly Pearce’s debut album, “Every Little Thing,” hasn’t performed especially well in stores, but the title track sold more than 500,000 copies as a single, which was enough to earn the 27-year-old singer a nod for New Female Vocalist of the Year. That track also hit No. 1 on both the US Country Airplay and Canada Country charts, so we expect to see a lot more songs (and Twitter followers) in Pearce’s future.

Having only 27,100 Twitter followers probably doesn’t worry Russell Dickerson too much. After all, he can point to a more important number: the million copies of his hit single, “Yours,” that made him a Platinum-selling artist. Soon, he may also be able to boast a New Male Vocalist of the Year award, if he can capitalize at the ACMs. 

45,000 followers doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s more than any other nominee in the Songwriter of the Year category—especially since Ashley Gorley and Hillary Lindsey don’t even have Twitter accounts. Not that Rhett Akins worries about stuff like that. The guy has been active in the music biz for more than 25 years now, and in addition to penning tunes for the likes of Brooks & Dunn, Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Jon Pardi, Akins previously found some success singing his own songs.

After failing to win a nomination for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year in 2017, LoCash will get another shot in category this year. Additionally, the Nashville-based twosome is up for Vocal Duo of the Year, thanks in part to their latest single, “Don’t Get Better Than That.”

Brett Young has nearly doubled his Twitter following since last year, when he had a shot at New Male Vocalist of the Year. Young has earned a second chance to nab the award this year, and with “In Case You Didn’t Know” going 3x Platinum and “Like I Loved You” going Gold since then (as well as his popular new single, “Mercy”), we like the 36-year-old’s odds in 2018. 

“This One’s for You,” the debut album from Luke Combs, was released in the summer of 2017 and eventually reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts, giving the young singer/songwriter a solid shot at New Male Vocalist of the Year. It also helps that his third single from the album, “One Number Away,” is on its way to becoming his third Platinum song.

2018 marks the third consecutive year that the Brothers Osborne (T.J. and John Osborne) have received two ACM nominations. In addition to cracking the Vocal Duo of the Year category for a third time, the duo will also enter some unchartered territory: Video of the Year (for “It Ain’t My Fault”). Capitalizing on either nod would give the brothers a trio of wins at the ACM Awards.

The Alberta-born duo High Valley has found some success at the Canadian Country Music Awards dating all the way back to 2010, but this year will be their first time at the ACM Awards. Thanks to their latest album, “Dear Life,” and its five singles (“Every Week’s Got a Friday,” “I Be U Be,” “She’s with Me,” “Dear Life,” and “Young Forever”), High Valley could take home a trophy for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.

Fun fact: Vince Gill has won 21 Grammys, more than any other country musician in history, in addition to numerous ACM Awards. Although his last album was released more than two years ago, the country legend still found his way into the 2018 event; he is up for Vocal Event of the Year for being featured on Maren Morris’ non-album single “Dear Hate.”

In addition to doubling his Twitter following since last year, singer/songwriter Jon Pardi also has a chance to double his number of ACM victories. After winning New Male Vocalist of the Year in 2017, he’s now in the running for Album of the Year for “California Sunrise,” a record he also co-wrote and co-produced.

Racheal Lynn Woodward, a.k.a. RaeLynn, was eliminated in the quarterfinals of season two of “The Voice” back in 2012, but that’s of little consequence now. She has since had five charting singles of her own, not including her vocal contributions to Blake Shelton’s “Boys ‘Round Here” and “Buzzin.” On the heels of her debut studio album, “WildHorse,” RaeLynn is up for New Female Vocalist of the Year—her second nod in the category since 2016.

In the last two years, the five-member Old Dominion has earned three ACM Award nods, including a win for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year. They’ve matured since that 2016 victory, now having appeared in the Vocal Duo of the Year category twice, along with an additional 2018 nomination for Album of the Year for “Happy Endings,” the aforementioned album produced by Shane McAnally.

It seems like Chris Stapleton is everywhere nowadays, including the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards, where he leads all nominees with five mentions: Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (“From a Room: Volume 1”), Single Record of the Year (“Broken Halos”), and Song of the Year (“Whiskey and You”). In addition to writing and performing the songs, Stapleton also co-produces most of his work, which has thus far won him five Grammys, five ACMs, and seven CMAs.

The singer/songwriter duo of Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney is fittingly up for Vocal Duo of the Year, a category in which they have now appeared in four consecutive years. Dan + Shay have yet to win the coveted award, but based on the success of their recent single “Tequila” (which has already reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Hot Country charts), 2018 could be the young twosome’s year.

New Female Vocalist of the Year hopeful Danielle Bradbery isn’t just new to the ACMs, she’s also still relatively new to this world—at least compared to her fellow nominees. However, the 21-year-old Texan already has two studio albums under her belt, including “I Don’t Believe We’ve Met,” which was released on December 1, 2017 and has yielded the singles “Sway” and “Worth It.”

According to the RIAA, Garth Brooks is the best-selling solo album artist in U.S. history, so he deservingly earned a spot in the CMA’s coveted Entertainer of the Year category. It also helps that a little more than a year ago, Brooks released two albums (“Gunslinger,” his tenth solo studio release, and “Christmas Together,” a holiday duet with wife Trisha Yearwood) two weeks apart.

After winning New Female Vocalist of the Year in 2017 (one of her four nods at the event), Maren Morris is back at it again with three more nods. In addition to a second consecutive nod in the Female Vocalist of the Year category, she’ll also compete against herself for Vocal Event of the Year, as she is nominated for both “Dear Hate” (featuring Vince Gill) and “Craving You” (on which she is featured with Thomas Rhett). As if that isn’t enough, Morris is also slated to perform at the award show.

“Body Like a Back Road” is a song so nice that it was nominated twice. The Sam Hunt tune can possibly take home both Single Record of the Year and Song of the Year honors, and it has already been certified 4x Platinum and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. All things considered, this is quite the fortuitous turn for a dude who hasn’t released an album in almost four years. 

At almost 85 years old, country icon Willie Nelson is still relevant today. However, we should point out that his 2018 ACM nod for Vocal Event of the Year isn’t for a new song, but his classic “Funny How Time Slips Away,” which he recorded with Glen Campbell on the late musician’s final album. If Willie and Glen win, it’ll be the former’s sixth ACM Award.

Curiously, Lauren Alaina has only gained 60,000 additional followers since last year’s ACM Awards, when she was nominated for (but did not win) New Female Vocalist of the Year. Not only will the 23-year-old get a chance at redemption this year thanks to her most-recent album, “Road Less Traveled,” but she could also win Vocal Event of the Year for being featured on Kane Brown’s “What Ifs.”

In the last year, Kelsea Ballerini has blown up in a big way. Her album “Unapologetically” reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200, her single “Legends” topped the Country Airplay charts, and she nearly doubled her number of Twitter followers. For the third year in a row, Ballerini is up for two ACMs: Female Vocalist of the Year and Video of the Year—and she’ll also perform at the event!

Kane Brown couldn’t manage a win for New Male Vocalist of the Year in 2017, but with the support of nearly a million more Twitter followers since then, and a new single, “Heaven,” he could capitalize in the category this year. If not, Brown also has a shot at Vocal Event of the Year for his Platinum-certified song “What Ifs” featuring Lauren Alaina.

The four members of Little Big Town share three nods at this year’s Academy of Country Music Awards: Vocal Group of the Year, Album of the Year (“The Breaker”), and Single Record of the Year (“Better Man”). Although the single is off their album “The Breaker,” which was released on February 24, 2017, it was actually written by Taylor Swift.

Faith Hill hasn’t released a solo album in a more than a decade (focusing more on film and TV appearances in the meantime), but her and husband Tim McGraw dropped a collaborative record in November 2017. “The Rest of Our Life” debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 for Top Country Albums, and was enough to earn the couple an ACM nomination for Vocal Duo of the Year.

Chris Young has had a huge year, and gaining more than 500,000 Twitter followers is the least of his achievements. Young released his seventh studio album, “Losing Sleep,” in October 2017; he saw his record debut at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 for Top Country Albums; and he was asked by Vince Gill to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Oh, and he also has another shot at winning an ACM Award after getting nominated for Male Vocalist of the Year.

An increase of 140,000 followers is pretty modest given the popularity of Florida Georgia Line over the past year. The duo has seen their 2016 studio album, “Dig Your Roots,” peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 for Top Country Albums; they’ve released two hit singles (for a total of four from “Dig Your Roots”); and they also appeared on the Chainsmokers’ track “Last Day Alive.” After winning more than a half-dozen ACMs over the past five years, Florida Georgia Line will look to add another with a 2018 nomination for Vocal Duo of the Year. (They’ll also be playing at the event!)

Not only will Thomas Rhett be performing at the 2018 ACMs, but the 27-year-old also earned four nominations: Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (“Life Changes”), Video of the Year (“Marry Me”), and Vocal Event of the Year (“Craving You” featuring Maren Morris). “Life Changes” is his third and best-selling studio album, and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Hey, wait a minute, isn’t Reba McEntire the host of the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards? She sure is, but the owner of 2.18 million Twitter followers (and 14 previous hosting turns at the event) is also up for Female Vocalist of the Year on the heels of her latest album, “Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope.” Think we could get a performance out of the country legend too?

Lady Antebellum dropped their seventh studio album in June 2017, and it has yielded two singles thus far: “You Look Good” and “Heart Break,” the title track. The latter song, which made it all the way to No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, earned the trio one of its two Grammy nominations earlier this year. Lady Antebellum is also up for Vocal Group of the Year at the 2018 ACMs, and a win would give them a total of nine.

In the last year, Dierks Bentley has added nearly 400,000 Twitter followers, released two hit singles (“What Did I Say?” and “Woman, Amen”), and is preparing to drop his ninth studio album later this year. His 2016 video for “Black” also just missed the ACM cutoff last year, and is up for Video of the Year this year. Oh, and of course Bentley will also be performing at the event.

Following the November 2015 release of “Damn Country Music” and its three singles, Tim McGraw embarked on a world tour with wife Faith Hill in anticipation of their collaborative album, “The Rest of Our Life.” Like Hill, Vocal Duo of the Year is McGraw’s sole nomination at the 2018 ACMs.

It has been a tough year for Jason Aldean given the October 1, 2017 tragedy in Las Vegas, but there have also been plenty of positives for the 41-year-old singer. He had a song, “They Don’t Know,” reach No. 67 on the Hot 100; he topped that feat with his next single, “You Make It Easy,” which hit No. 28; and finished recording his eighth studio album, “Rearview Town,” which is set for an April 2018 release. Aldean is also up for two of the most coveted ACM Awards: Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year.

Keith Urban is getting a lot of love from the 53rd Academy of Country Music Awards. Then again, with 4.33 million followers, he’s getting a lot of love from everybody right now. Urban is not only up for two major honors, Male Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year, but also Song of the Year (“Female”) and Vocal Event of the Year (“The Fighter” featuring Carrie Underwood). Interestingly, Urban’s wife, Nicole Kidman, provided background vocals on “Female,” which peaked at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 and nearly cracked the top-10 in both the Hot Country and Country Airplay charts. 

Not only will Miranda Lambert be playing the 2018 ACMs, she also has a chance to win three awards: Female Vocalist of the Year, Song of the Year (“Tin Man”), and Video of the Year (“We Should Be Friends”). “Tin Man” is the third single off of Lambert’s sixth studio album, which won Album of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards.

After Carrie Underwood performed “The Fighter” with Keith Urban at last year’s Grammys, the single took off and hit as high as No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on both the Hot Country and Country Airplay charts. She not only has a chance to win her thirteenth ACM in the aforementioned Vocal Event of the Year category, but could even add another if she’s named Female Vocalist of the Year. Currently, the singer’s duet with Ludacris, “The Champion,” is making its rounds on the radio, and it peaked at No. 47 on the Hot 100.

Luke Bryan is so popular right now that he’s at nearly 10 million followers on Twitter...although he has probably been too busy to notice. In addition to near-constant touring over the last year-plus, Bryan performed the national anthem at Super Bowl LI in February 2017, was named a judge on ABC’s “American Idol” revival in September, released the single “Light It Up” around the same time, and dropped his sixth studio album, “What Makes You Country,” in December. He’s now promoting his latest song (“Most People Are Good”), getting ready for an ACM performance, and hoping to win Entertainer of the Year.

Not only does Blake Shelton have the most Twitter followers of any ACM nominee, he actually has more than twice as many as Luke Bryan in second place. In addition to his hosting gig on “The Voice,” Shelton released “Texoma Shore,” his eleventh studio album, in November 2017, and has been promoting the singles “I’ll Name the Dogs” and “I Lived It.” The former accounts for Shelton’s only ACM Award nomination, for Single Record of the Year.