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ACM Awards 2020 Entertainer of the Year: Is this Eric Church's year? Fans say ‘no idea how he didn't win tonight’

Riding high on the success of 'Stick that in Your Country Song', Church is definitely one of the favorites to win the Entertainer of the Year

The coveted Entertainer of the Year category at the Academy of Country Music Awards is one of the most prestigious awards a country musician can receive. The category, which has previously been won by artists like Garth Brooks, Alabama, Kenny Chesney, Hank Williams Jr., Brooks & Dunn and Jason Aldean, this year features nominees Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Carrie Underwood.

One of the favorites to win the category this year is Eric Church. Riding high on the success of his single 'Stick that in Your Country Song', Church has had a prolific career full of beloved albums and popular country anthems. Best known for chart-topping songs like 'Drink in My Hand', 'Springsteen' and 'Forever Country', Church has been nominated for the Entertainer of the Year category a second time. He was first nominated in 2016 when the category was won by Jason Aldean.

So why should Church win the Entertainer of the Year category at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards? Let's find out!

Authenticity

There's something so raw and easily accessible about Church's music that even a non-fans of country can appreciate it. With brilliant southern humor and charm, Eric Church has been the perfect representative of country music globally. Though Taylor Swift and Keith Urban, both of whom have previously won the Entertainer of the Year award, are more famous than Church, he is the new face — despite him being around for a while — that the country music scene desperately needs to keep things fresh and interesting.

Keeping the feeling of southern hospitality and rural-ness alive, Church's songs have the ability of crossing over to the mainstream without losing the quintessential country sound like Swift did with the release of her 2014 album '1989'.

First-time winner

Two of the five nominated stars — Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood — have earlier won the coveted award. This year, the award should go to a musician who has never won before. And what's a better choice than Eric Church? The singer's last album 'Desperate Man' is modest yet poignant with Church's sound evolving into a much more mature tone. 'Desperate Man', undoubtedly, is one of the best country records in a long time and Church, for his brilliant effort, deserves to be declared the Entertainer of the Year at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards.

Fan-favorite

Church's music has been a fan favorite for a while now. This sentiment was aptly conveyed by actress Kirstie Alley who tweeted, "Have U ever had 1 of those nights that felt like U were in a country song? Tonight I was in my truck w my dogs returning the shotgun my brother-in-law loaned me, drinking a Sonic limeaide, listening to Eric Church. The only thing missing was the lover my daddy tried to run over." Talking further about the music, Alley said, "When I discover an artist it seems like no one else knows them either. Of course probably everyone knows them but for that fleeting moment it feels like im the only one. @ericchurch." Also, fans of Eric Church have been sharing lyrics from his songs on a regular basis, like this one user who wrote, "What really makes you a man, is being true to her until your glass runs out of sand. -Eric Church"

As the awards night concluded, Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rett tied for the Entertainer of the Year trophy. Although many celebrated the moment, several fans were dampened as they felt Eric Church was robbed of the award. "Two winners for EOTY? @ericchurch was robbed! The @ACMawards didn’t need two winners...they just needed to pick CHURCH! #ACMawards," one tweet read."No idea how Eric Church hasn’t won Entertainer of The Year yet or how he didn’t win tonight #ACMawards," one fan posted and another said, "It’s 2020 and @ericchurch is still being under appreciated as an artist AND an entertainer. Just watch one single show and you’ll understand why that man deserves so many awards."