Jordan Davis secured the award for Song of the Year with his career-changing track “Buy Dirt” with Luke Bryan at the 56th Annual CMA Awards.
Penned by Davis and his brother Jacob Davis alongside Matt Jenkins and Josh Jenkins, the track appears on Davis’ EP of the same name.
“Oh man, I did not expect that! Oh my God, Zach Sutton, Callie Bartz, Universal Music Group, Ryan and Stephanie Wright, these guys behind me – oh my God, I want them to say something, too,” gushed a shocked Davis. “God, country radio, everyone who’s played this song – the fans – we wrote a song about faith and family and if that’s not country music, I don’t know what is. Luke Bryan, come up here bro! What are you doing? Luke, come here dude!”
When writing a song, there’s no way to predict how fans will react, but regardless of what happened to it, Davis and his fellow songwriters knew it was something they could be proud of.
“I do remember us finishing this one and Josh saying, ‘you know what? I don’t know where this song goes, if you cut it, if somebody else cuts it, but we should be really, really proud of this.’ We were at a writing retreat when we did that and that night when I started to come back to Nashville, I just couldn’t stop listening to it,” Davis recalled. “I was like, ‘man, he was right. This is a special song.’
This is the second year that Davis has been nominated for a CMA award, following his 2021 nomination for Musical Event of the Year for “Buy Dirt.” Since he did not take home the win last year, tonight’s accomplishment is even sweeter for the singer.
The 56th Annual CMA Awards featured performances from Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Cody Johnson, and Carly Pearce.
The show opened with an all-star tribute to the late Loretta Lynn from Underwood, Reba McEntire and Lambert.
Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, and Lainey Wilson joined together to honor the 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Alan Jackson.
Additionally, the show included star-studded collaborations from Kelsea Ballerini, Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce, HARDY and Lainey Wilson, Elle King with The Black Keys, Brothers featuring The War and Treaty, Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry, Chris Stapleton with Patty Loveless, Zac Brown Band, Jimmie Allen and Marcus King as well as Ashley McBryde with Pillbox Patti, Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack and John Osborne.
Mookie Betts, BRELAND, Jessica Chastain, Jordan Davis, Sarah Drew, Cole Hauser, Tyler Hubbard, Wynonna Judd, Lady A, Rex Linn, Little Big Town, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Ben and Erin Napier, Jeannie Seely, Michael Shannon, and Lainey Wilson were on hand to present during the ceremony.
Co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 2022 CMA Awards broadcasted live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and aired on ABC (8:00-11:00 PM/ET).
The CMA Awards will also be available for viewing on Hulu beginning Thursday, Nov. 10.
The 56th Annual CMA Awards was a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton served as the Executive Producer, Alan Carter as the Director, and Jon Macks as the Head Writer.
