So which performer would Brooks like to see become the next reigning Entertainer of the Year?
“Let’s go with Keith [Urban], let’s go with Eric [Church], let’s go with Luke [Bryan], let’s go with Carrie [Underwood]. These bands and crews all deserve that feeling,” he said. “Knowing that someday down the line, they’re all gonna hold that award. Because it is the coolest nod from the industry.”
This Friday, eligible voting members will begin the second round of voting for this year’s CMA Awards nominees. In a statement released by The CMA to Billboard, they said it’s possible Brooks’ name will still appear on the ballot.
“The nominees and winners of the CMA Awards are selected by the vote of eligible members of the Country Music Association and not by CMA,” the statement read in part. “The long-standing CMA Awards rules do not allow individuals to remove themselves from the balloting process at any point… If voters have nominated Garth Brooks in the first round, his name will appear on the second ballot. It will then be up to voters in this second round to select their top finalists. The final 2020 CMA Awards nominees, which will consist of five nominees in each category, will be announced in the coming weeks, with a final round of voting taking place in October.”
