Cody Johnson's CMA journey: from Texas roots to possible Album of the Year Winner
Cody Johnson reflects on his journey from independent artist to CMA award nominee, with a shot at multiple wins
LOS ANGELES -- Cody Johnson is living proof that hard work, dedication and a good ol' cowboy hat can get you to the top of the CMA stage.
Among Johnson's five CMA Awards nominations are Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year for "Dirt Cheap." He's even competing against himself with another nomination for his music video "The Painter."
On The Red Carpet spoke to Johnson about his roots and his journey to success.
"It feels pretty good from a guy that spent over a decade as an independent artist being told that 'you're from Texas and we're not doing that in Nashville, the cowboy hat doesn't work,'" he said. "I would be willing to bet that more than three-quarters of the crowd of the CMAs are going to be wearing Cowboy hats. I think that's a testament to perseverance. I believe God had a plan in it, and here I am."
The songwriters behind "The Painter" and "Dirt Cheap" are also nominated alongside Cody, who could take home the award for Male Vocalist and Album of the Year for the first time.
When asked which category would mean the most, he said, "I guess maybe album of the year. Every time we start this album process... we pick the best songs, I write to the best of my ability... we go in the studio we try to make it the best we can so I think album of the year might mean the most I guess."
See your favorite country stars celebrated when the CMA Awards air Nov. 20 on ABC. Tune in early to see the On The Red Carpet preshow beginning at 6PM ET / 3 PM PT.
You can watch all the red carpet arrivals live from Nashville!
"On The Red Carpet at the CMA Awards" will be streaming live on OnTheRedCarpet.com, CMAAwards.com and YouTube.com/@OnTheRedCarpet.
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