Nominations for the 54th Annual CMA Awards were revealed on Tuesday (Sept. 1), and for the first time in 41 years two solo female country artists were nominated for ‘Entertainer Of The Year.’ The last time two solo female artists were nominated in the EOTY category was in 1979 when Crystal Gayle and Barbara Mandrell.
In a recent virtual press conference on Sept. 3, McEntire spoke of her excitement that two women were included in this year’s Entertainer Of The Year category saying “I’m thrilled with the girls getting back in there.”
McEntire says that she seen first-hand how much Carrie Underwood has worked for this title from her impressive live shows and the creativity and production value that goes into her live performances. She says she is “very proud” of Underwood. McEntire has won the high honor of EOTY in 1986 and she thinks it’s time for Underwood to get the long-deserved award this year.
“Carrie has worked her tail off. I’ve watched her,” McEntire gushed. “I’ve watched her show. I’m very impressed with how much work she puts into her production and to her creativity, whether it’s the people who surround her [during] her concerts or her costuming—she puts a lot of thought into it. She sings her butt off, so I’m very, very proud of Carrie coming in and working so hard and representing country music.
Eric Church, Luke Combs and Keith Urban are also nominated for CMA Entertainer Of The Year.
The Annual CMA Music Awards will broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday, November 11 at 8:00p.m. EST on ABC.
