52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards
The 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards, commonly known as the 52nd CMA Awards, were held on November 14, 2018, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee and was hosted for the final time by CMA Award winners Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.[2]
| 52nd Annual Country Music Association Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | November 14, 2018 |
| Location | Bridgestone Arena Nashville, Tennessee |
| Hosted by | Brad Paisley Carrie Underwood |
| Most awards | Chris Stapleton (3) |
| Most nominations | Chris Stapleton (5) |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | ABC |
| Viewership | 10.1 million[1] |
Winners and nominees
The nominations for the 52nd CMA Awards were announced on August 28, 2018, on Good Morning America by Luke Bryan, Dan + Shay and Sugarland.
The winners are shown in Bold.[3]
| Entertainer of the Year | Album of the Year |
|---|---|
| Male Vocalist of the Year | Female Vocalist of the Year |
|
|
| Vocal Group of the Year | Vocal Duo of the Year |
| Single of the Year | Song of the Year |
|
|
| New Artist of the Year | Musician of the Year |
|
|
| Music Video of the Year | Musical Event of the Year |
|
|
Performers
Presenters
Reception
Underwood and Pasley's monologue was praised for ignoring the subject of politics, with Fox News stating that "despite avoiding controversial topics, Underwood and Paisley still delivered a joke-filled opening monologue that left many in the audience in stitches".[5]
In their review of the best and worst moments of the telecast, The Washington Post praised Stapleton's performance with Morris and Staples, Brooks' "sweet" and "adorable" tribute to Trisha Yearwood, Bryan's opening number, the "firey" Pistol Annies performance and the Ricky Skaggs tribute and celebrated Musgraves' Album of the Year win as well as the performances on newer artists such as Combs and Dan + Shay. However, they were critical of Paisley and Underwood's monologue, calling it "flat", "lame" and claiming that it "didn't make sense", leaving audience members "confused". Lauren Alaina's tribute to Dottie West was criticised for being too short and Midland's tribute to Burt Reynolds was described as being too confusing and unexplained.[6]
References
- de Moraes, Lisa (2018-11-15). "'Country Music Awards' Tops Wednesday While Tumbling To Lowest-Ever Ratings". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
- "Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley Set to Host 2018 CMA Awards". 2 August 2018.
- "CMA Awards announces 2018 hosts, will reveal nominees on August 28".
- "Everything You Need to Know About the 52nd CMA Awards Show, Including Performers, Presenters, Nominees & More". The Ty Bentli Show. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- Savitsky, Sasha (14 November 2018). "CMA Awards: Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley praised for leaving politics out, Keith Urban wins top award". Fox News. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- "CMA Awards: 10 things you missed, from Keith Urban's big win to the awkward monologue jokes". The Washington Post. 2018-11-15. Retrieved 2019-01-23.