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\n\tThe Country Music Association has revealed the five artists who are competing for new artist of the year, ahead of today\u2019s reveal of the entire list. The new artist nominees are Shaboozey<\/a>, Zach Top<\/a>, Ella Langley<\/a>, Tucker Wetmore<\/a> and Stephen Wilson Jr.<\/a><\/p>\n \n\tThis marks the second year in a row that only one woman has been in the running in this category. (Last year\u2019s sole female nominee, Megan Moroney<\/a>, won the award.)<\/p>\n \n\tShaboozey and Top are both vying for the award for the second year in a row. They lost last year to Moroney. (Moroney was on her second nomination when she won. She had lost the previous year to Jelly Roll<\/a>.) CMA rules allow artists two nominations in this category.<\/p>\n \n\tIf Shaboozey wins, he\u2019ll become the third Black artist to win the category (or a predecessor category, the Horizon Award), following Darius Rucker<\/a> (2009) and Jimmie Allen <\/a>(2021). Charley Pride<\/a>, the most successful Black artist in country music history, landed his first CMA nominations in 1968, 13 years before the inception of the Horizon Award.<\/p>\n \n\tShaboozey, Top and Wetmore have all reached the top five on Billboard<\/em>\u2019s Top Country Albums chart. Shaboozey\u2019s Where I\u2019ve Been, Isn\u2019t Where I\u2019m Going<\/em> hit No. 2 on that chart. Top\u2019s Cold Beer & Country Music<\/em> and Wetmore\u2019s What Not To<\/em> both reached No. 4. Top\u2019s follow-up, Ain\u2019t In It for My Health<\/em>, was released on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n