Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt and More Earn Billboard Music Awards Nominations

Hunt was recognized in the Billboard Chart Achievement Award category, while Stapleton made his own place on the Top Selling Album list.

Written by Kelly Brickey
Chris Stapleton, Sam Hunt and More Earn Billboard Music Awards Nominations
Sam Hunt; Publicity Photo; Chris Stapleton; Photo courtesy Universal Music Group Nashville

Country music left a solid representation on the 2018 Billboard Music Awards nominations as many artists racked up the acknowledgements alongside their fellow musicians.

Bringing home a huge recognition in the overall categories, Sam Hunt notched a spot in the Billboard Chart Achievement Award next to names like Cardi B, Camila Cabello, Ed Sheeran and Drake. He also got a nod in the Top Selling Song group for his killer success on “Body Like a Back Road.”

Chris Stapleton also landed among many famous faces in the Top Selling Album category for his work on From A Room: Volume 1. Other albums nominated for the same prize include DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar, Beautiful Trauma by Pink, Divide by Ed Sheeran and reputation by Taylor Swift.

As a genre, country stands strong in its own section of categories as well. The Top Country Album noticed Kane Brown for Kane Brown, Luke Combs for This One’s For You, Thomas Rhett for Life Changes, Stapleton for From A Room: Volume 1 and Brett Young for Brett Young. Meanwhile, the Top Country Song showed love to a couple collaborations like Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha’s “Meant to Be” and Brown featuring Lauren Alaina’s “What Ifs.”

Looking at the Top Country Artist set, singers such as Brown, Rhett, Combs, Hunt and Stapleton all snagged the coveted spots. The women representing in the Top Female Artist honor Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and Miranda Lambert, while the guys in Top Male Artist consist of Hunt, Rhett and Stapleton.

More of the nominations for country music and beyond can be found on the Billboard Music Awards website at this time.

The Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 20, at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

Billboard Chart Achievement Award:
Sam Hunt
Camila Cabello
Cardi B
Drake
Ed Sheeran

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Chris Stapleton
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Ed Sheeran
Taylor Swift

Top Selling Album:
Chris Stapleton, From A Room: Volume 1
Kendrick Lamar, DAMN.
P!nk, Beautiful Trauma
Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide)
Taylor Swift, reputation

Top Selling Song:
Sam Hunt “Body Like A Back Road”
Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee ft. Justin Bieber, “Despacito”
Imagine Dragons “Believer”
Imagine Dragons “Thunder”
Ed Sheeran “Perfect”

Top Country Artist:
Kane Brown
Luke Combs
Sam Hunt
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton

Top Country Male Artist:
Sam Hunt
Thomas Rhett
Chris Stapleton

Top Country Female Artist:
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Maren Morris

Top Country Duo/Group Artist:
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band

Top Country Tour:
Luke Bryan
Florida Georgia Line
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill

Top Country Album:
Kane Brown, Kane Brown
Luke Combs, This One’s For You
Thomas Rhett, Life Changes
Chris Stapleton, From A Room: Volume 1
Brett Young, Brett Young

Top Country Song:
Kane Brown ft. Lauren Alaina, “What Ifs”
Sam Hunt, “Body Like A Back Road”
Dustin Lynch, “Small Town Boy”
Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”
Brett Young, “In Case You Didn’t Know”

Top Christian Album:
Alan Jackson, Precious Memories Collection
Elevation Worship, There Is A Cloud
Hillsong UNITED, Wonder
Hillsong Worship, Let There Be Light
MercyMe, Lifer