The 53rd annual CMA Awards don’t air until 8 p.m. tonight, but unlikely nominee Trent Reznor has already picked up an award for his production credit on “Old Town Road.”
The track was nominated in the Musical Event of the Year category, and beat out songs from Maren Morris, Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks and Blake Shelton, and Brantley Gilbert and Lindsay Ell. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus are of course also winners in this category, as are Atticus Ross and YoungKio, who made the beat from a sample of Nine Inch Nails‘ “34 Ghosts IV.”
The win was announced on the CMA Awards’ website.
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Kacey Musgraves also picked up an early CMA Award for her “Rainbow” music video; Golden Hour was the deserving recipient of the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year award in 2018. Candidates for tonight’s top prize include Center Point Road by Thomas Rhett, Cry Pretty from Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay’s self-titled, Desperate Man by Eric Church, and Maren Morris’ Girl.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Reznor broke his long-held silence on “Old Town Road,” calling the track “undeniably hooky.” He also revealed he was offered a cameo in the music video, but turned it down. “I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I don’t feel like it’s my place to shine a light on me for that,” he said. “I say that with complete respect.”
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Nine Inch Nails was also recently nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the third time. Voting ends in January, and the ceremony is set for May 2.
