Clockwise from top left: Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer & Florida Georgia Line, 2013 ACM New Artist Final Nominees.
The Academy of Country Music and Kohl’s Department Stores announced today that Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer and Florida Georgia Line have been named nominees for this year’s ACM New Artist of the Year Presented By Kohl’s Department Stores, which will be given out during the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on CBS.
In the first round of fan voting at GACTV.com, fans helped name Gilbert, Kramer and Florida Georgia Line ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year, ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year and ACM New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, respectively. The winners of those categories go on to compete for overall ACM New Artist of the Year, which is again a fan-voted category.
“This year’s New Artist of the Year nominees show the depth of emerging talent in our industry. We are so pleased to have Kohl’s presenting this award, as it’s a natural fit with the Academy. Kohl’s encourages fans to ‘Expect Great Things’ and that’s exactly what fans can expect from these incredible newcomers,” said Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.
Voting for New Artist of the Year will take place at www.VoteACM.com beginning March 25, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET/12noon PT and will continue until 5:00 PM PT on Sunday, April 7, 2013 (before the LIVE show starts). The New Artist of the Year final nominees were selected by a combined vote of the fans and professional members of the Academy of Country Music. Professional member votes will be combined with fan votes to obtain the winner of the category for the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.
Leading up to the show, fans can watch interviews and exclusive performances with the three nominees as they receive their trophies for winning their respective categories on GAC’s “ACM New Artist of the Year” special, premiering March 25th at 8:00 PM ET and re-airing multiple times until voting closes on April 7. Keep an eye on the GAC Schedule for more times.
The winner of the New Artist of the Year category will be awarded on the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on CBS.
About the ACM New Artist of the Year Nominees:
Brantley Gilbert has already earned a striking set of “notches” on his industry belt, including four No. 1 singles, impressive album sales of over 1 million and multiple award show nominations. He is currently on his first-ever headlining dates – HELL ON WHEELS TOUR. Just last year he played to over 500,000 fans while on the road with Toby Keith and Eric Church. His sophomore project, the GOLD-certified HALFWAY TO HEAVEN DELUXE, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and has since produced two GOLD-certified, No. 1 hits – “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” As a celebrated songwriter, he has also penned No. 1 songs – “My Kinda Party,” “Dirt Road Anthem,” “Country Must Be Country Wide” and “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do.” In 2011, he garnered the prestigious honor of being the only new artist to have a No. 1 hit at Country radio.
Jana Kramer is nominated in the New Female Vocalist of the Year category. Kramer’s new single, “Whiskey,” from her highly praised self-titled debut album, is featured on RollingStone.com, where you can also view the music video. “Whiskey,” gaining over 30 adds in its’ first week at radio, is the follow-up to her debut hit single, “Why Ya Wanna,” which reached No. 3 on the charts and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kramer has impressively sold over a million tracks, including more than 100,000 of the new single “Whiskey” and over a half million of “Why Ya Wanna.” In addition to her debut album premiering at No. 5, the success of “Why Ya Wanna” also earned Kramer the title of highest charting debut single from a new female artist since 2006 (previously held by Taylor Swift), as well as making her one of the fastest rising debut artists of 2012. Kramer will be joining Blake Shelton this summer on his Ten Times Crazier Tour with dates running through the fall.
Since releasing their multi-week No. 1, PLATINUM debut single, “Cruise,” hot duo Florida Georgia Line has been quickly garnering buzz among fans, media and superstars (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles) alike. To date, the tune has sold over two million copies and was the quickest Top 10 by a new duo since Brooks & Dunn’s “Brand New Man” over two decades ago, according to Billboard. Comprised of Tyler Hubbard from Monroe, Georgia and Brian Kelley from Ormond Beach, Florida, the Republic Nashville duo brings a fresh combination of eclectic beats and expressive lyrics to the genre. Producer Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Nickelback) showcases their unique sound throughout their debut album, HERE’S TO THE GOOD TIMES, which earned the highest debut album sales of 2012 for a new Country artist with nearly 63,000 copies in the first week. They have appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, FOX & Friends and secured a presenter spot during the 2012 American Music Awards. They are currently on the road with Luke Bryan’s “DIRT ROAD DIARIES TOUR.” In less than two months, FGL’s follow-up single, “Get Your Shine On,” has sold over 250,000 copies and landed in the Top 25 at Country radio.
