Lipscomb Alumni Kelsea Ballerini and Thomas Rhett nominated for 2015 CMA Awards
Lacey Klotz |
Located in the heart of Music City, Lipscomb University often attracts undeniable talent as a part of its student body.
This year, the Country Music Association has recognized two alumni for their hard work and bright futures ahead.
On Sept. 9, Lipscomb alumna and rising country star, Kelsea Ballerini, who attended Lipscomb University from 2011-2013, joined country-rocker Steven Tyler of Aerosmith on Good Morning America to announce the full-nominee list for the 2015 CMA Awards.
Tyler kicked off the nominations with New Artist of the Year. He named Lipscomb alumni, Ballerini and Thomas Rhett (Akins), who attended Lipscomb University from 2008-2011, as this year’s nominees along with artists Sam Hunt, Maddie & Tae and Chris Stapleton.
Ballerini was elated at this announcement, and her excitement only increased as Steven Tyler continued on to read her name as a nominee for Female Vocalist of the Year. Nominated for the same category as country music superstars Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Lee Ann Womack, Ballerini repeatedly exclaimed, “That’s not real…that is not real.”
The singer-songwriter hit the country music scene December 2013 after signing a record deal with Black River Entertainment, debuting her first single “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Following the release of her hit-single, Ballerini launched her first full-length album titled The First Time this past spring.
Taking the country music industry by storm, Ballerini is the first female to lead the Country Airplay chart with a debut single since 2006 with “Love Me Like You Mean It.” She has also been named one of CMT’s 2014 Next Women of Country, has been featured on several “ones to watch” lists for 2015 including Billboard, Country Weekly, Rolling Stone Country, The Huffington Post and Spotify and was nominated by CMT for Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Love Me Like You Mean It.”
"I am still such a new artist and this has really been my first year getting out there to share my music with people," Ballerini explained. "To have been embraced with a #1 single was insane. I still feel like I'm celebrating that, but now to be nominated for two CMA Awards makes me feel so proud to be a country music artist and makes me so incredibly thankful to everyone in the Country music industry, Country radio and the fans for making this year insanely epic. I don't think it could get any better and I'm excited to sit with the cool kids this year!"
Ballerini has also recently developed a friendship with country-turned-pop superstar Taylor Swift, and was one of her surprise guests along with Tyler and Alison Krauss on her 1989 World Tour that stopped by Music City’s Bridgestone Arena this month.
A native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Ballerini came to Lipscomb University in 2011 where she studied communications, was a Quest Team leader for Lipscomb’s freshman orientation program, served as a hostess in Singarama and participated in several musical events on campus, including the Tau Phi Cowboy Show.
Nominated for CMA’s 2015 New Artist of the Year Award, Akins has also made a name for himself in Music City after signing a record deal with Big Machine Records’ Valory Music Group division in 2011. Following in the footsteps of his father, recording artist, Rhett Akins, Thomas Rhett released his first full-length, debut album It Goes Like This in 2013, following the release of his self-titled EP.
This year, Akins released his second album, Tangled Up, which features his recent hit-single “Crash and Burn” and a special tribute song to his wife, Lauren, titled “Die A Happy Man.”
Rhett will also be teaming up with rock band Fall Out Boy in a one-of-a-kind collaboration performance at the 49th Annual CMA Awards at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
A native of Valdosta, Georgia, Akins studied organizational communications at Lipscomb where he was also a part of the men’s social club Tau Phi. Akins often performed in Tau Phi’s Cowboy Show while he was a student on campus.
The 49th Annual CMA Awards will air live Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. CST on ABC-TV. Country superstars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the awards show for the eighth consecutive year.
Other notable nominations include Luke Bryan, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert up for 2015 CMA Entertainer of the Year.
Photo by Erin Turner - Lumination Network