POLL: Who Should Win Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards?
The ACM for Male Vocalist of the Year has gone to some pretty stellar acts over the past 50-plus years, including Merle Haggard, George Strait, Brad Paisley and, most recently, Chris Stapleton. In 2017, Stapleton is up for the honor again, but he's got some pretty tough competition. Who do you think will win?
The year 2016 kicked off with a bang for Jason Aldean, when he took home the ACM for Entertainer of the Year, but that was just the beginning of the country star's big year. Aldean released "Lights Come On," which became his 17th No. 1 song, as the first single from his album They Don’t Know. Released in September, that project has produced two more singles: "A Little More Summertime," which also hit No. 1, and "Any Ol' Barstool," which debuted in November and is steady climbing the charts.
When Dierks Bentley released Black in May, he debuted his most honest and vulnerable record yet. Written about the natural ebb and flow of relationships, Bentley drew on his decade-long marriage to his wife Cassidy, even using her maiden name for the album's title. From the tongue-in-cheek "Somewhere on a Beach" to the role-reversal anthem "Different for Girls," Bentley took songwriting to a new level on Black ... but will it be enough to secure him his first Male Vocalist of the Year win?
Reigning ACM Male Vocalist of the Year Stapleton is up for the honor again in 2017, and rightfully so. Although Stapleton didn't actually release a new album in 2016, his presence in country music was just as powerful as ever. In February, he debuted a stunningly heartbreaking music video for his single "Fire Away," using the clip to shine a spotlight on issues surrounding mental health and earning himself another ACM nomination for Video of the Year. Combine that with an epic summer tour, and Stapleton is definitely a strong contender for this honor once again.
Keith Urban is also a past Male Vocalist of the Year winner who is up for the award at this year's ACMs. Urban spent most of 2016 promoting his powerful studio album Ripcord, which he released in early May; recent singles from the project include "Wasted Time" and "Blue Ain't Your Color," the latter of which fused jazz, country and a retro waltz to create a sound different from anything the singer has recorded before. That sentiment is true of all of Ripcord, which reveals a new, more experimental side of Urban while staying true to what that fans have come to know and love of him. Given that he earned more ACM nominations than any other artist this year (seven, if you're counting), the experiment paid off!
In 2016, Thomas Rhett was considered a newbie at the ACM Awards, finding himself nominated in the New Male Vocalist of the Year category -- but oh, what a difference a year makes! Thanks to huge 2016, Rhett is up for two awards at the 52nd annual ACMs: In addition to Male Vocalist of the Year, he's got a nod for "Die a Happy Man" in the Song of the Year category (the song already took home the CMA for Single of the Year).
Who should win Male Vocalist of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards? Vote for your pick in the poll below as often as once an hour until 11:59PM ET on March 30. We’ll compile the results for our readers vs. staff predictions prior to this year’s ACMs.
The 2017 ACM Awards are set to take place in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 2, and air live on CBS beginning at 8PM ET. For the first time ever, the show will take place at T-Mobile Arena; Luke Bryan and Bentley will return as co-hosts.
The Boot will be staying up late covering the most buzzed-about winners, fashion and moments at the 2017 ACM Awards. Readers can watch along with us by checking back to TheBoot.com for the latest ACMs headlines, liking The Boot on Facebook and following The Boot on Twitter.
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