The ACM Awards are right around the corner and there is a new category this year- ‘New Female Vocalist Of The Year.’ Previous years have had both males and females in the ‘New Artist’ category. This year there were just too many emerging new artists worth recognizing!
This award is presented to an outstanding individual female vocalist in the country music industry who gains either initial fame or significantly greater recognition, through efforts surrounding the promotion of a debut or sophomore album, during the prior calendar year of November 2014 to November 2015. The artist must have success in digital media; in addition to having charted a single record in the Top 40 and/or selling 100,000 album units.
Kelsea Ballerini, Cam, Mickey Guyton & RaeLynn are the lucky nominees in the ‘New Female Vocalist of the Year’ category for the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards, airing on CBS on April 3rd.
Kelsea Ballerini was a breakout artist in 2015, shattering records and being the first female artist to have a debut single (“Love Me Like You Mean It”) reach number one since Carrie Underwood in 2005 with “Jesus Take the Wheel.” Her down to earth personality resonates with fans, and she is one of the most genuine artists out there. Ballerini started off as a hopeful fan, waiting in line for concert tickets and waiting in line to meet her favorite artists (one of those being Taylor Swift). She adores meeting her fans, because she knows how exciting it was meeting her own idols. That is a grounding experience for any artist. Ballerini is silly and relatable and isn’t afraid to be herself, which makes her fans adore her even more. Kelsea is currently on tour with Billy Currington and will be joining Rascal Flatts this summer on their Rhythm & Roots Tour.
What a year it has been for newcomer Cam! Cam has arguably had the biggest debut single of the year with “Burning House.” 31-year-old Camaron Ochs goes simply by Cam, and her single “Burning House” even earned her a GRAMMY nomination. Cam took a risk with releasing a ballad and it really paid off. “Burning House” was actually prompted by a bad dream the singer had about an ex-boyfriend, and in turn is making her real dreams come true! Cam started off 2016 opening for Brad Paisley and this summer she will join Dierks Bentley on his Somewhere on a Beach Tour.
Mickey Guyton has spent the past year performing at the Grand Ole Opry, touring with Brad Paisley, and releasing her debut song, “Better Than You Left Me.” While on tour with Paisley, each night she performed a beautiful rendition of “Whiskey Lullaby” which has helped expand her recognition and fan base. She’s appeared on many “Artists to Watch” lists for 2016, and with her first ACM nomination, she’s gaining momentum! At 21+ thousand twitter followers, she’s clearly on the radar of country music fans already!
RaeLynn first graced the world with her adorable presence in 2012 during season two of The Voice. After choosing Team Blake (Blake Shelton), she developed a close relationship with both Shelton and Miranda Lambert, who became mentors to the then 17 year old. Since then she has released an EP, “Me” and is most known for “God Made Girls” which reached top 10 on the country charts. In 2015, RaeLynn was an opener on Lambert’s Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars Tour. Raelynn was married last month to the man of her dreams, Joshua Davis, at a whimsical ceremony in Nashville with 300 guests.
Be sure to watch on April 3rd to see which lovely lady takes home the award and vote on who you want to see win!
