52nd ACM Awards: Everything You Need To Know For Tonight’s Country Celebration

Tonight’s 52nd annual Academy of Country Music Awards will honor the past year’s best in country music. Here’s all the information you need to help you get the most out of the ACMs.

How and where to watch the ACM Awards:

This year’s ACM Awards will be co-hosted by popular country music singers Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan. Bentley and Bryan did such an amazing job at last year’s ACMs, they’ve been tapped for this year’s awards show too. According to CBS News, the Academy of Country Music Awards are set to air live tonight, April 2nd, from Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

For those who don’t have television, the ACM Awards can be streamed online via CBS All Access. If you don’t have a current CBS All Access account, there is a one-week free trial available to new members.

Who will be performing?

While some like to tune in to awards shows to see their favorite artists go home a winner, others like to watch for the live performances. The ACM Awards is sure to delight country music fans everywhere with their lineup.

This is the reported list of performers expected:

Brett Eldredge
Old Dominion
Jason Aldean
Kelsea Ballerini
Dierks Bentley
Brothers Osborne
Luke Bryan
Lady Antebellum
Sam Hunt
Miranda Lambert
Little Big Town
Maren Morris
Jon Pardi
Rascal Flatts
Chris Stapleton

The ACM Awards will also have some featured collaborations:

Reba McEntire and contemporary Christian artist Lauren Daigle;
husband and wife team Tim McGraw and Faith Hill;
Thomas Rhett and Morris;
Cole Swindell and Bentley;
Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban;
Florida Georgia Line with the pop band The Backstreet Boys

That’s a substantial amount of live country music performances, but it’s also possible there could be one more. According to The Boot, there are unconfirmed rumors that country music fans may get a surprise performance from singer Shania Twain. Twain had told Rolling Stone that a new single would be coming hopefully in March but insiders speculate Shania will use Sunday night’s ACM Awards to make her new music’s debut. Fingers crossed.

Who is nominated?

Keith Urban lead the nominations for this year’s ACM Awards. And in an earlier awards ceremony for some of the smaller categories, according to Rolling Stone, songwriter Lori McKenna became the first woman to ever win an Academy of Country Music Awards in the Songwriter of the Year category. (Yep. We were shocked that Dolly Parton hadn’t won it already, too.)

New Artist ACM Award category winners were announced in March with Maren Morris named as New Female Vocalist of the Year, Jon Pardi as New Male Vocalist and Brothers Osborne as New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year.

The awards that will be presented live during the April 2 broadcast include:

Entertainer of the Year
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Carrie Underwood
Keith Urban

Male Vocalist of the Year
Jason Aldean
Dierks Bentley
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton
Keith Urban

Female Vocalist of the Year
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

Vocal Duo of the Year
Big & Rich
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Maddie & Tae

Vocal Group of the Year
Eli Young Band
Lady Antebellum
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts

Album of the Year
Black — Dierks Bentley
Dig Your Roots — Florida Georgia Line
Hero — Maren Morris
Ripcord — Keith Urban
The Weight of These Wings — Miranda Lambert

Single
“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban
“H.O.L.Y.” — Florida Georgia Line
“Humble and Kind” — Tim McGraw
“My Church” — Maren Morris
“Vice” — Miranda Lambert

Song of the Year
“Blue Ain’t Your Color” — Keith Urban
“Die a Happy Man” — Thomas Rhett
“Humble and Kind” — Tim McGraw
“Kill a Word” — Eric Church
“Tennessee Whiskey” — Chris Stapleton
“Vice” — Miranda Lambert

Video of the Year
“Fire Away” — Chris Stapleton
“Forever Country” — Artists of Then, Now and Forever
“Humble and Kind”– Tim McGraw
“Peter Pan” — Kelsea Ballerini
“Vice” — Miranda Lambert

Vocal Event
“Different for Girls” — Dierks Bentley featuring Elle King
“Forever Country” — Artists of Then, Now and Forever
“May We All” — Florida Georgia Line featuring Tim McGraw
“Setting the World on Fire” — Kenny Chesney featuring P!nk
“Think of You” — Chris Young featuring Cassadeee Pope

If you’re a country music fan, it sounds like the ACM Awards are definitely one show you don’t want to miss.

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]