CMA Awards give Lainey Wilson six nominations

Country music artist Lainey Wilson vaulted to the front of a long list of A-listers Wednesday when nominations for the CMA Awards were announced.

• She was recognized in six categories — more than anyone else. It's a surprising break for the first-time nominee.

Why it matters: Getting a CMA award, or even a performance slot, can quickly turn an obscure artist into a household name. (See: Chris Stapleton, who rocketed to superstardom after an impressive showing in 2015.)

State of play: Wilson joins an elite club of artists who scored six nominations in their first year at the CMAs.

• The Associated Press reports only three others have hit that mark: Glen Campbell, Brad Paisley and Kacey Musgraves.

Other top contenders this year include Stapleton, Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce and songwriter-producer Shane McAnally, who each received five nominations.

• Stapleton, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood and Morgan Wallen were nominated for entertainer of the year.

Meanwhile: Wallen's nominations for entertainer and male vocalist of the year continued his climb to the top of the country music mountaintop.

• Last year, he was blocked from those categories — and banned from attending the awards ceremony — after he was caught on video using the n-word.

Flashback: Last year's nominations were noteworthy in part because multiple Black artists were recognized as the genre sought to open its doors to a diverse slate of artists who are traditionally overlooked.

Yes, but: This year was a different story.

• The Tennessean notes the only Black artist on the 2022 ballot is BRELAND, who was recognized in the musical event category for his collaboration with Dierks Bentley and HARDY on the song "Beers on Me."

What's next: Winners will be announced during the Nov. 9 awards ceremony.

See the full list of nominees.