Morgan Wallen and Post Malone headline a highly collaborative Country Music Association Awards

post malone and Morgan Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” collaboration could make both men big winners at Wednesday night’s Country Music Association Awards.

A huge hit from the rapper-singer and one of country’s biggest stars, Wallen It is the best candidate of the night and although Beyoncé is not in the nominations, it sheds light on the moment of transition the country is experiencing.

“I Had Some Help” is up for four awards: single, song, musical event and music video of the year, marking Malone’s first CMA nomination.

Wallen was honored with a total of seven awards, including the night’s top prize and entertainer of the year, along with Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and last year’s winner. Lainey Wilson. Like Malone, he is nominated for four awards.

Collaborations will be a hit on the show, which airs at 8pm Eastern on ABC and airs on Hulu on Thursday.

Wilson will host alongside Luke Bryan and NFL Hall-of-Famer and University of Tennessee graduate Peyton Manning.

The show will open with a duo performance by Malone and Stapleton.

The broadcast will feature performances throughout the night from a combination of artists including Shaboozey, Combs, and Eric Church; Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims; and Jelly Roll and Brooks & Dunn.

The night will also include tributes from many artists to George Strait, who received the association’s Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

The CMA Awards are nominated and voted on by members of the Country Music Association, which includes music executives, artists, advertisers, songwriters and other industry professionals.

Ahead of the nominations, some fans speculated about Beyoncé’s breakthrough country and then some reclamation work. “Cowboy Carter” was released during the eligibility window and could be nominated at the 2024 CMAs. He didn’t.

Earlier this year, the album reached number 1 on the Billboard country albums chart, making her the first Black woman to top the chart since its inception in 1964.

Other top nominees include Stapleton and Cody Johnson, who each won five awards each. But according to the CMAs’ unconventional math, Stapleton could go home with seven trophies if he wins his categories. Stapleton is the artist and producer of “White Horse”, which was selected as the single of the year, and “Higher”, which was selected as the album of the year. At the CMAs, production credits are not counted as a separate nomination, although they are included in trophy counts.