Thomas Rhett, Jon Pardi, Sam Hunt, Luke Combs Among 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards Nominees

iHeartMedia and Turner Broadcasting have announced the nominees for the upcoming 2018 iHeartRadio Music Awards set for Sunday, March 11 at the Forum in L.A. Thomas Rhett, Jon Pardi, Sam Hunt, and Luke Combs all received multiple nominations for the awards, which are now in their fifth year and celebrate the biggest songs and artists heard throughout 2017 across iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.

For the first time ever, this year iHeartRadio will present seven awards in the seven nights leading up to the Sunday, March 11 telecast. Each night at 8 p.m. ET, an artist will be presented their award and give an acceptance speech. The awards show will be simulcast live on TBS, TNT and truTV at 8 p.m. ET, on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide, and on the iHeartRadio app. TV subscribers can also watch the awards on the truTV, TNT & TBS Apps. The 2018 telecast will feature live performances from today’s superstars, once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, as well as celebrity guest appearances. This is Turner Broadcasting’s third year broadcasting the event.

“We have a guiding principle at iHeartRadio that fans rule,” said John Sykes, President of iHeartMedia Entertainment Enterprises. “In our fifth year we are still holding true to our original vision of staging an awards show that truly reflects the music fans loved listening to on iHeartRadio all year long.”

Artists receiving multiple nominations in other genres include Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, Justin Bieber, DJ Khaled and The Chainsmokers.

iHeart Radio Music Country Nominees:
Country Song of the Year:
–       “Body Like A Back Road” – Sam Hunt
–       “Dirt On My Boots” – Jon Pardi
–       “Hurricane” – Luke Combs
–       “Small Town Boy” – Dustin Lynch
–       “Unforgettable” – Thomas Rhett

Country Artist of the Year:
–       Blake Shelton
–       Jason Aldean
–       Luke Bryan
–       Sam Hunt
–       Thomas Rhett

Best New Country Artist:
–       Brett Young
–       Jon Pardi
–       Kane Brown
–       Lauren Alaina
–       Luke Combs

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Lorie Hollabaugh

Hollabaugh, a staff writer at MusicRow magazine, has over 20 years of music business experience and has written for publications including American Profile, CMA Close Up, Nashville Arts And Entertainment, The Boot and Country Weekly. She has a Broadcast Journalism and Speech Communication degree from Texas Christian University, (go Horned Frogs), and welcomes your feedback or story ideas at lhollabaugh@musicrow.com.

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