Kane BrownTwo to watch
The Academy of Country Music announces new-artist winners before the awards show, so it’s already known that two nominees with local ties, Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina, both Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School alumni, did not win in their respective categories.Brown was nominated as New Male Vocalist of the Year, won by Jon Pardi. Alaina was nominated as New Female Vocalist of the Year, won by Maren Morris.But both will be presenting awards during the telecast, and both had shows scheduled in Vegas this weekend.Alaina was to play the ACM Party for a Cause with Billy Currington and Dan + Shay at the House of Blues last night. Brown is part of the Official ACM Award After-Party, with Easton Corbin, Clare Dunn, Walker Hayes and Scotty McCreery, among others, tonight at The Joint at Hard Rock Cafe Hotel & Casino.Fans might be hoping for a drop-in performance during each other’s set. Brown’s new single, “What Ifs,” from his self-titled debut album, features his former schoolmate and fellow choir member at LFO.
NASHVILLE – As the television industry deals with overall declines in total viewership, organizers behind the Academy of Country Music Awards are focused on keeping the core country music audience coming back each year to watch the genre’s biggest stars party in Las Vegas.
The ACM Awards, airing live at 8 tonight on CBS, are relying on two likable co-hosts, tried-and-true stars of the format, cross-genre collaborations, a party vibe and new music to keep fans tuned in.
“The audience that CBS draws to it on a weekly basis is right dead smack in the wheel of country music,” says Jack Sussman, the network’s executive vice president of special, music and live events. “Our audience is that audience, and our job is to grow that above and beyond the core whenever we can.”
After decades of hosting the show in Los Angeles, the ACM Awards moved to Las Vegas in 2003, and several days of concerts, pool parties and songwriter showcases lead up to the televised show, which gives it a loose, fun atmosphere that artists enjoy, says R.A. Clark, an executive producer at Dick Cark Productions. “We are the away game,” he says. “It feels more like a party than an awards show.”