Ahead of tonight’s 57th annual CMA Awards, the Country Music Association has announced winners in two categories. “Wait in the Truck,” the revenge rocker collab between Hardy and Lainey Wilson, was named Musical Event of the Year, while the video for the song won Music Video of the Year.
“Wait in the Truck” will also compete for Single of the Year and Song of the Year when the 2023 CMAs air Wednesday night on ABC live from Nashville. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning return to host the show.
Wilson, who just announced her Country’s Cool Again Tour for 2024, enters this year’s CMAs as the most nominated artist, with nine total nominations, including her first nomination in the Entertainer of the Year category. On Tuesday night, she paid tribute to songwriter Matraca Berg at the annual BMI Awards in Nashville by singing “Strawberry Wine,” a 1996 hit for Deana Carter written by Berg.
Wilson recently told RS how that song influenced her own ballad of young romance, “Watermelon Moonshine.” “When I think of my high school days, the song that I think about is Deana Carter’s ‘Strawberry Wine,’” she said. “When we were writing the song, we wanted people to be like, ‘I remember when nothing else mattered.’…I wanted to go back in time and feel all those crazy feelings all over again and bottle them up just for a few minutes.”
The 57th CMA Awards winners list:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Chris Stapleton
Carrie Underwood
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
“Fast Car,” Luke Combs
“Heart Like a Truck,” Lainey Wilson
“Need a Favor,” Jelly Roll
“Next Thing You Know,” Jordan Davis
“Wait in the Truck,” Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville, Ashley McBryde
Bell Bottom Country, Lainey Wilson
Gettin’ Old, Luke Combs
One Thing at a Time, Morgan Wallen
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, Kelsea Ballerini
SONG OF THE YEAR
“Fast Car,” Luke Combs (Songwriter: Tracy Chapman)
“Heart Like a Truck,” Lainey Wilson (Songwriters: Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson)
“Next Thing You Know,” Jordan Davis (Songwriters: Jordan Davis, Greylan James, Chase McGill, Josh Osborne)
“Tennessee Orange,” Megan Moroney (Songwriters: David Fanning, Paul Jenkins, Megan Moroney, Ben Williams)
“Wait in the Truck,” Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson) (Songwriters: Renee Blair, Michael Hardy, Hunter Phelps, Jordan Schmidt)
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde
Carly Pearce
Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Jelly Roll
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady A
Little Big Town
Midland
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks and Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie and Tae
The War and Treaty
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
“Save Me,” Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson)
“She Had Me at Heads Carolina (Remix),” Cole Swindell and Jo Dee Messina
“Thank God,” Kane Brown (with Katelyn Brown)
“Wait in the Truck,” Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson) – WINNER
“We Don’t Fight Anymore,” Carly Pearce (feat. Chris Stapleton)
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
“Light On in the Kitchen,” Ashley McBryde
“Memory Lane,” Old Dominion
“Need a Favor,” Jelly Roll
“Next Thing You Know,” Jordan Davis
“Wait in the Truck,” Hardy (feat. Lainey Wilson) – WINNER
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Zach Bryan
Jelly Roll
Parker McCollum
Megan Moroney
Hailey Whitters
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
Jenee Fleenor
Paul Franklin
Rob McNelley
Derek Wells
Charlie Worsham