NASHVILLE, TENN. (AP) - Taylor Swift will be battling the boys at the 2011 Country Music Association Awards.
Swift is one of four country stars with five nominations, including the CMA’s top award, entertainer of the year. She’ll compete with Blake Shelton, Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and last year’s winner, Brad Paisley, in the entertainer category.
Aldean, Shelton and Paisley were the others with five nominations apiece. Zac Brown Band and The Band Perry were next with four.
The nominations marked a breakthrough for Aldean and Shelton, both first-time entertainer nominees and long overlooked at awards shows until recently. Like Paisley, Swift and Urban have each won an entertainer trophy before.
Singer Jake Owen and country trio The Band Perry made the initial announcement of seven categories Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and Jerrod Niemann and two-time nominee Thompson Square announced the remainder of the nominees later at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
Swift is also up for female vocalist of the year with Carrie Underwood, Martina McBride, Sara Evans and Miranda Lambert, who won the honor last year on her 27th birthday.
Lambert’s husband, Shelton, will defend his male vocalist of the year award this year against Paisley, Urban, Aldean and Kenny Chesney, who had three nominations.
The Band Perry will compete with Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Zac Brown Band and Little Big Town in the vocal group category. And the sibling trio is nominated with Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Thompson Square and Chris Young in the new artist of the year category.
Coveted album of the year nominations went to Shelton for “All About Tonight,” Aldean for “My Kinda Party,” Swift’s “Speak Now,” Paisley’s “This is Country Music” and “You Get What You Give” by Zac Brown Band.
Paisley and Carrie Underwood will host the award show for a fourth time live Nov. 9 from Nashville on ABC.
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AP writer Mesfin Fekadu contributed to this report from New York.
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