The Snubs and Surprises of the 2021 CMA Awards Nominations, Ranked

The 2021 CMA Awards nominees included many of the same artists as last year in the artist categories. In fact, there are just five differences in those five categories, which means several artists got snubbed.

This annual CMA Awards Snubs and Surprises list ranks nine "Wow!" responses to Thursday morning's (Sept. 9) nominee announcement. While the venerable television broadcast has never been quick to pivot or celebrate a class of country artist ignored in previous years, this year's nominee lineup looks particularly familiar.

But, we're getting ahead of ourselves (see No. 5 below), because for a second-straight year, three true superstars of our genre have been shut out. What does this say about country music today?

Artists that lean toward the edges of the genre are being celebrated now more than ever. That's Eric Church and Chris Stapleton (five nominations apiece), as well as Brothers Osborne, Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde (three). Did your favorite artist get snubbed? Look for them below:

The 2021 CMA Awards are set for Nov. 10 and will air live from Nashville on ABC beginning at 8PM ET. A host or co-hosts for the show have not yet been announced.

The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2021 CMA Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest CMAs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.

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