2024 ACM Awards predictions: Will Lainey Wilson take Entertainer of the Year like she did at the CMAs?

Entertainer of the Year is the biggest prize at the Academy of Country Music Awards, honoring an artist’s incredible year across all metrics, like touring, streaming and radio. While there is no specific formula on how to predict the winner, it’s often someone who dominated the country sphere in more ways than one, and who solidified themselves as the face of country music. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the seven-person race for this year’s award.

If we are going by process of elimination, perhaps the first person out is Kane Brown. He is one of country music’s most popular artists of the past 10 years, undoubtedly so. However, 2023 wasn’t necessarily a standout year for him, evidenced by the fact that he is only nominated in this category. Plus, Brown is surely going to be back in a stronger year, perhaps with an album or hit single out.

Another artist that might not have enough hype to win this award is Cody Johnson, who actually got a really nice nomination package with five total bids. While Johnson might be able to win elsewhere, his year was comparatively weaker than the other nominees here, pretty much riding the wave of his hit single “The Painter.” As such, voters might want to reward the song, not Johnson, to accurately represent that.

The next person out is probably last year’s winner Chris Stapleton. The bluesy country-rock singer had a great year in 2023 with the release of his album “Higher.” It is, admittedly, not his biggest hit or his most acclaimed. However, it still managed to notch the hit single “White Horse,” and it was well reviewed. That said, since he won last year, there might not be any rush to award Stapleton again so soon, especially since it’s not like he’s had a stronger year than when he won.

The remaining four nominees are where it gets tricky; they were arguably the top four biggest country artists of 2023. Morgan Wallen is the most dominant, of course, with his album “One Thing at a Time.” It was a huge hit for Wallen: it ranked as Billboard’s number-one album across all genres in the US in 2023 and scored the massive single “Last Night,” which was also number-one across all genres in the US for the year. That’s certainly hard to beat, especially with so many other hits under his belt in 2023, including “Thinkin Bout Me” and “Thought You Should Know.” Plus, Wallen is currently on tour for the record, which could help boost his chances.

One could argue, though, that Luke Combs has a similar narrative. The artist had multiple hits in 2023, including the crossover smash “Fast Car,” which seems to be on track for wins in Single and Song of the Year categories. While Combs isn’t as popular as Wallen (literally no one is), he is way less divisive. Combs has also never won this award before despite being a consistent tour de force in the genre for more than half a decade now. So perhaps this is the perfect time to award him, especially if ACM voters are not feeling Wallen as other industry award shows like the Country Music Association Awards and Grammys haven’t.

However, one has to consider the possibility of Lainey Wilson taking this. Wilson recently won this same award at the CMAs, sweeping that show with multiple wins. She’s also riding high off a recent Grammy win for Best Country Album too, showing how much industry voters love her. Plus, “Bell Bottom Country,” which won Album of the Year last year at the ACMs, has maintained its status as a hit record, notching even more hits in 2023. Wilson could certainly be the dark horse here, standing out even more as the only female artist in the category. If she wins, she’d join women like Taylor Swift, Loretta Lynn and Carrie Underwood as EOTY champs at these awards. Plus, Wilson beat Wallen, Combs, and Stapleton when she won at the CMAs, which is especially impressive since the CMAs are even less prone to reward women than the ACMs.

Last but not least is Jelly Roll, the rapper-turned-rocker-turned-country-star who has taken the world by storm with his incredible songs and perseverance. His case for a win here is not only fueled by his success, but by his narrative. He is loved because of his inspiring life story of overcoming drugs and jail to become a successful musician, and he has ridden that wave into major nominations at the Grammys and wins at the CMAs and CMTs. Jelly Roll might lack a bit of the star power that Wilson, Wallen and Combs have, but that’s only because they are more established. Then again, perhaps that will help him resonate with voters, who may want to award a fresh country breakout instead of the more familiar faces.

I think I’m going with Wilson for the win here. Award show voters consistently love her; she’s been the country star to beat at most other award shows this year. And Jelly, Wallen, and Combs have likely wins elsewhere, so there’s room to spread the wealth. If she fails to win though, we might be looking at a victory for Wallen, who might be at his peak after such an insanely massive year.

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