Who will own country music’s biggest night?

FILE - In this Sept. 9, 2014 file photo, Miranda Lambert performs at Fashion Rocks at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough, of New York. Blake Shelton isn’t the only person Lambert is texting these days - she’s also been chatting it up with breakthrough singer Meghan Trainor. The country star, who will perform with the “All About That Bass” singer at the Country Music Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, said she has yet to meet the newcomer with the year’s biggest hit. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)

By Associated Press November 5, 2014 3 min read

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – When Dierks Bentley readied the release of his seventh album earlier this year, he led with the single “Bourbon in Kentucky.”

But he quickly had to switch up his plans.

“I had to pull it because it was too heavy, too dark,” he said in a recent interview. “It wasn’t working in the radio world.”

He decided to release “I Hold On,” a personal tune that became a hit. “Drunk on a Plane” followed and marked back-to-back successes for the 38-year-old Bentley.

Now, he’s the leading male nominee at Wednesday’s Country Music Association Awards with nominations including album of the year for “Riser,” song of the year for “I Hold On” and single of the year for “Drunk.”