With the genre finally adapting to streaming, country music has had a few good years recently. As such, the nominations for country categories at the American Music Awards are plentiful, from throwback champions to pop crossovers and some of the most successful country artists of the past decade. With such a competitive peloton, who is going to come out on top for victory?
Favorite Male Country Artist
For 10 years, this category has only been won by four men: Luke Bryan, Kane Brown, Blake Sheltonand Keith Urban. So, since none of them are nominated this year, it’s harder to know which artist ultimately has the most active fan base. Perhaps the most obvious answer is Morgan Wallen, who achieved great success with his album “Dangerous: The Double Album”. Wallen has been infamously caught up in a racism controversy over his use of the N-word, but it seems he’s mostly redeemed himself in the eyes of most of the country’s industry, earning several top 10 hits in the Hot 100, reaching the top. broadcast rankings after being banned from most radio stations and being reinstated in the ACMs and CMAs (even in the latter).
However, if he didn’t win this category last year, is he really winning this year? That’s a tough question, especially given the sheer scale of “Dangerous” in 2021; he would have seemed like an obvious choice. That said, though, I’m going to go ahead and predict it this year, as the album is still a smash and maybe it has more active fans now that the controversy seems to be waning. That said, Luc Combes is probably next on the list and could possibly have more goodwill than Wallen. I would also pay attention to a Chris Stapleton win, especially since he will have the support of Taylor Swift fans because of their “I Bet You Think About Me” collaboration.
Favorite Female Country Artist
Taylor Swift is looking to win his seventh award in this category, due to the success of his acclaimed album “Red (Taylor’s Version)”. Swift led the category from 2008 to 2013, the last year of her country career before switching completely to pop music. However, with a few more yee-haws in her due to her re-recordings, it will be interesting to see how many awards she collects here, and if she could even beat Reba McEntirethe record 11 wins. She is sure at least to bind Carrie Underwoodwho is second on the most wins list here with eight, and who could be her closest competitor this year.
Favorite Country Duo/Group
This is the only category where the winner might be less obvious. In terms of numbers, Parmaled probably had their biggest year, especially with the success of their number one country radio hit “Take My Name.” However, Dan + Shay have won this category for the past three years, so perhaps their fan love is big enough to overcome their tamer success in 2022 compared to their winning years. So there is Lady A, which topped this category in the early 2010s, but was beaten by Dan + Shay last year. That said, if the younger bands here split some votes, Lady A could make a comeback. And then there is Old Dominion, who have never won here. Typically that would rule them out, but maybe their fans think this should be the year they finally win. I’ll play it safe and go with Dan + Shay, but it’s really up for grabs.
Favorite country song
It’s the second category that depends on how much Morgan Wallen is actually loved. On paper, “Wasted on You” should be an easy win here; it’s the biggest hit, the most popular with pop audiences, and overall it’s considered one of “Dangerous’s” standouts. That said, again, how beloved is Wallen actually since his controversy? He didn’t win anything for “Dangerous” last year at his peak, so what exactly assures us that he’s going to win big this year? If Wallen loses, it will be for “Buy Dirt,” which stars the aforementioned fan favorite Luke Bryan and is perhaps the second most affected country here. The song also recently won the CMAs, so it’s clear people are loving it in the country music community.
Favorite Country Album
When it comes to AMAs, betting on Taylor Swift is always the right answer. In a lineup with no other huge records either, Swift’s “Red (Taylor’s Version)” is very likely to bring this one home. Swift’s huge-selling re-recording of 2012 was also a big hit, earning one of the biggest streaming weeks ever by a female artist and debuting with over 500,000 album units alone. in the USA. The album was also led by “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”, which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. Perhaps the closest contender here is Luke’s “Growin’ Up” Combs, who recently won the CMA. for album of the year. But really, it’s practically a lock for Swift.
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