The relationship between the country music community and Lil Nas X has been contentious, to say the least. “Old Town Road” briefly appeared on the Billboard country charts before being removed, and some Wrangler fans boycotted the clothing brand when they partnered up with Lil Nas X. The rapper just got a big co-sign from one of the biggest entities in country music, though: “Old Town Road” is nominated for an award at the 2019 CMA Awards.
Congratulations to all of the #CMAawards nominees! ✨
Watch Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 8|7c on @ABCNetwork as we celebrate Country Music's Biggest Night! pic.twitter.com/rGSTeKADbd
— CMA Country Music (@CountryMusic) August 28, 2019
The song (specifically, the Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring remix) secured a single nomination, in the Music Event Of The Year category, where it will compete against Maren Morris’ “All My Favorite People,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Brand New Man,” Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton’s “Dive Bar,” and Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell’s “What Happens In A Small Town.” Producers are also credited in the nomination, meaning that Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and YoungKio have all received their first CMA nomination alongside Lil Nas X.
Lil Nas X is thankful for the nod, as he shared a tweet making the announcement and added, “thank you guys for this nomination!!”
thank you guys for this nomination!! https://t.co/YFMudfHWQI
— ☆ (@LilNasX) August 28, 2019
Meanwhile, Maren Morris leads all artists with six nominations, while Brothers Osborne came in at second with four nominations. Tied for third is a slew of artists who scored three nominations each: Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton, Dierks Bentley, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood.
Find the full list of 2019 CMA Award nominees here.
