Homegirl done good. Born and raised not far from Dallas, country star Miranda Lambert led the way in this morning's announcement of the 50th annual American Country Music Awards nominations as she snagged nods in no fewer than eight categories. That was more than any other artist, including Dierks Bentley (who had the second most with seven), anyone affiliated with bro country and even her own husband, Blake Shelton, who will be co-hosting the awards ceremony this year. It's a victory not only for Dallas but also for women in country. Stick it to the boys, Miranda.
See also: Miranda Lambert Sold Herself Out to Bro Country on New Album, Platinum St. Vincent, Edie Brickell Receive Grammy Nominations
Lambert had a big year in 2014 thanks to the release of her fifth album, Platinum. Released in February, Platinum has already sold more 600,000 copies, after debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. In this morning's announcements, that record earned her nominations in eight categories, including the most prestigious ones: Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year.
Other categories Lambert was nominated in include Best Single and Song of the Year (both for "Automatic"), Video of the Year and Vocal Event of the Year (for "Somethin' Bad"). She received two nods in the Song of the Year category, as both performer and composer. This is also Lambert's ninth consective nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year.
So strike one up for the ladies. After all the hand-wringing that's been done among country music fans (including us) over the seemingly inexorable rise of bro country, it's great to see a strong-voiced female artist leading the way -- and not just because she's from the area. For the record, Florida-Georgia Line -- the top bro-country perpetrator -- picked up six nominations.
Another local making the ballot this year is Kacey Musgraves. She received two nods in the Song of the Year category for performing and writing "Follow Your Arrow."
The ACM Awards are an especially big deal for Dallas country fans this year because the ceremony will take place in Arlington at AT&T Stadium. The awards broadcast on Sunday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Central time on CBS. Shelton co-hosts with Luke Bryan.
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