Jason Aldean Looking for First CMA Awards Win Since 2011

Jason Aldean isn't likely to take the 2022 CMA Awards stage, but he'll be there in support of his contemporaries, and country music. If things go his way, he'll bring home his first trophy in more than a decade.

"We're nominated for an award, so yeah, can't miss that, man," the "That's What Tequila Does" singer tells Taste of Country ahead of Wednesday night's (Nov. 9) show on ABC.

Aldean and Carrie Underwood are up for Musical Event of the Year for "If I Didn't Love You," a chart-topping song from his Macon album (2021). In years past, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year have been awarded pre-show so — since he's also not scheduled to perform or present — fans likely won't get the chance to see him on television outside of a crowd shot. That doesn't dampen his enthusiasm for the night, however.

Talking to Taste of Country Nights host Evan Paul, Aldean shared the wildest rumor he's ever heard about himself (after the Las Vegas shooting, people thought he was part of the illuminati) and what it would take to get his wife Brittany on a song with him.

"My wife is a great singer, but I don't think she has any desire to do this as a career, at all," he says, dashing hopes that the couple will follow their friends Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown with a radio single soon.

Never say never, however. Aldean has long been opposed to recording Christmas music, and he reiterated that he'll likely never cut a holiday album. However, a chance to cut Alabama's "Christmas in Dixie" was worth a change of heart. He's a big fan, and freaked out a little bit when singer Randy Owen texted him in approval.

"Obviously, I wanted to kind of pay tribute to those guys, and you want them to be proud of it, too," he shares. "Getting that text from Randy that day and getting his stamp of approval on it was really cool. It meant a lot, for sure."

A win in the Musical Event category would give Aldean three lifetime CMA Awards. In 2011, his My Kinda Party album won Album of the Year and "Don't You Wanna Stay," his duet with Kelly Clarkson, won Musical Event of the Year. He's the epitome of an artist who's found much more success with one country music awards show than the other. Underwood (three ACM Entertainer of the Year wins, zero at the CMAs) and Johnny Cash (just one ACM award for music, nine CMAs) are two more examples. Aldean has 11 ACMs, including three Entertainer of the Year wins.

In the weeks leading up to the CMA Awards, attention on Aldean has been focused on his wife's exchange with Maren Morris and others on social media. Morris has wondered aloud if she'd even attend the CMAs this year, but for his part, Aldean sounds like he's not planning on instigating anything before, during or after Wednesday night's show.

"I don't really know if there's beef," he says when asked about Morris, an Album of the Year nominee. "I think she said what she said, we said what we said. We'll see how it goes. I've never really talked to her before, anyways, so I don't really see any reason to do that this year, either."

The 2022 CMA Awards air on ABC at 8PM ET.

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