Hardy and Lainey Wilson emerge as the initial winners of the 2023 CMA Awards beating a field that includes top names in country music. The 57th annual ceremony is all set to take place on Wednesday evening at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Before the highly anticipated event, Hardy and Wilson were presented with trophies for CMA Musical Event of the Year and CMA Music Video of the Year for their joint effort, “wait in the truck,” during a live announcement on ABC’s Good Morning America. The host of the show, Lara Spencer, broke the news from downtown Nashville as Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the hosts of the CMA Awards, offered a glimpse of what to expect on tonight’s show. Wilson, who led the pack with the most nominations, claimed spots in categories like Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Single of the Year, and Song of the Year for her song, “Heart Like A Truck,” as well as Album of the Year for Bell Bottom Country, among others. Several first-time nominees were also featured this year, including Jelly Roll, Katelyn Brown (wife of Kane Brown), and Tracy Chapman, whose iconic 1988 song “Fast Car” was revived with a new cover by Luke Combs. The awards have stirred up curiosity, leaving fans wondering who the big winners are and who walked away empty handed. The full list of winners is presented below:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson – WINNER!
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Fast Car” – Luke Combs – WINNER!
“Heart Like A Truck” – Lainey Wilson
“Need A Favor” – Jelly Roll
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis
“wait in the truck” – HARDY (feat. Lainey Wilson)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville – Ashley McBryde
Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson – WINNER!
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs
One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat – Kelsea Ballerini
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Fast Car” – Songwriter: Tracy Chapman – WINNER!
“Heart Like A Truck” – Songwriters: Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson
“Next Thing You Know” – Songwriters: Jordan Davis, Greylan James, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne
“Tennessee Orange” – Songwriters: David Fanning, Paul Jenkins, Megan Moroney, Ben Williams
“wait in the truck” – Songwriters: Renee Blair, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
Lainey Wilson – WINNER!
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War And Treaty
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Save Me” – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson)
“She Had Me At Heads Carolina (Remix)” – Cole Swindell & Jo Dee Messina
“Thank God” – Kane Brown (with Katelyn Brown)
“wait in the truck” – HARDY (feat. Lainey Wilson) – WINNER!
“We Don’t Fight Anymore” – Carly Pearce (featuring Chris Stapleton)
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jenee Fleenor
Paul Franklin
Rob McNelley
Derek Wells
Charlie Worsham
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Light On In The Kitchen” – Ashley McBryde/Director: Reid Long
“Memory Lane” – Old Dominion/Directors: Mason Allen, Nicki Fletcher
“Need A Favor” – Jelly Roll/Director: Patrick Tohill
“Next Thing You Know” – Jordan Davis/Director: Running Bear
“wait in the truck” – HARDY (feat. Lainey Wilson)/Director: Justin Clough – WINNER!
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Zach Bryan
Jelly Roll
Parker McCollum
Megan Moroney
Hailey Whitters
The award ceremony, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, will air live on Wednesday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned for more updates as the winners are announced.
