Jason Aldean on 2016 CMA Awards Snub: ‘I Wanna Win’
Despite big honors from the Academy of Country Music in 2016, Jason Aldean won't be taking home any trophies at this year's CMA Awards. In April, the "Lights Come On" singer was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2016 ACM Awards, and on Tuesday, (Aug. 30), at the 2016 ACM Honors, Aldean received the ACM Triple Crown Award. However, when CMA nominations were revealed on Aug. 31, Aldean was left out in the cold -- but he wasn't all that surprised.
"I’ve learned not to assume anything at this point,” Aldean told reporters in Nashville on Thursday (Sept. 1; quote via Taste of Country). “It’s one of those things that, obviously when you see that stuff, it’s disappointing, but at the same time, the day before that, we’re celebrating the Triple Crown, and we won the Entertainer of the Year. So I don’t understand the way the voting goes any more than anybody else does."
Aldean adds that he wasn't the only top-selling and popular act to be left out this year, citing Kenny Chesney and Blake Shelton's lack of nominations and noting, "I don’t think there’s any rhyme or reason to it. It’s just, somebody’s gonna get left out, and it seems to be us.”
In the end, Aldean is proud of his accomplishments in 2016, and his absence from the CMAs' list of nominees won't change that.
"Things are gonna happen if they’re gonna happen,” he says. “There’s nothing I can go do that’s gonna magically get us nominated next year or the year after that. At this point, I feel like I’ve gone out and done everything I can do to put ourselves in a position to be there, and people either vote for you, or they don’t.
"I don’t know why it’s so different from ACMs to CMAs, it just seems to be that way," Aldean continues. "It’s not just this year; it seems to be that way a lot over the years."
Aldean admits that he wouldn't want a nod if he didn't have a good shot of taking home the award.
"Honestly, I’m not a ‘It’s good to be here’ guy," he says. "I’m just competitive. I wanna win. If we can barely squeak in enough votes for a nomination, I’d just as soon -- if we ain’t gonna win, I’d as soon not be there anyway."
On Sept. 9, Aldean will release his seventh studio album, They Don't Know. He's currently on the road, wrapping up his 2016 Six String Circus Tour.
The 2016 CMA Awards are set to air live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 2 at 8PM ET on ABC.
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