When it comes to music awards, Luke Combs is already quite experienced. That gives him a good perspective on how 2020 will impact awards in 2021, specifically the Entertainer of the Year Award.

Luke has won ACM, CMA and Billboard Music Awards among others. He has scored wins for New Artist, Male Vocalist, Song of the Year and Album of the Year. Luke has also been nominated for Entertainer of the Year although he has not won that award yet.

Since there really was no touring in 2020 because of the pandemic it makes one wonder how that will impact the Entertainer of the Year awards in 2021?

“I don’t know, I think that’s a really interesting question,” Luke states, adding, “I can’t say that’s the first time I’ve thought about that.”

The singer-songwriter feels like some awards will be as normal, while others will need a new perspective.

“I do think you can still do Song of the Year and Single of the Year will remain pretty normal. But, then when you get into Male Vocalist, Female Vocalist, Entertainer, it is different.”

The music industry found a way to re-invent what they did during the pandemic and that is what Luke thinks will be the factors to consider for Entertainer of the Year and similar awards.

“I think you just take the current criteria and you just kind of morph it and tweak it a little bit. I view Entertainer as whose done the most for the genre in the last year, and I think you can still take that same criteria and apply it to 2020, it’s just going to be different things. It’s going to be releasing music, doing livestreams, people were still out there doing Good Morning America and Jimmy Kimmel, it was all just from the comfort of their homes. I think you take streaming into account and sales, radio, it’s the same kind of thing, just without the massive touring piece that is normally so associated with that particular award.”

With those criteria in mind, Luke still stands in a great place to continue his winning ways with award shows in 2021. Perhaps he will finally win that thus far elusive Entertainer of the Year title.

Luke’s latest single “Better Together” is at #6 on the country radio airplay singles charts and climbing. It will likely become his tenth chart topping single out of ten released pretty early in 2021.

Listen for “Better Together” by Luke Combs and his nine number one singles on Bloomington-Normal’s #1 Country, B104.

By: Buck Stevens