hunter hayes

The 46th annual Country Music Association Awards were presented in Nashville, Tennessee last night.  Blake Shelton was the night's big winner, taking home three awards including Entertainer of the Year.  Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town each took home two awards.  Here's a complete rundown of all the 46th Annual CMA Awards winners:

The five nominees for the 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year award reached their current levels of fame in very different ways. Thompson Square might be the only true "new artist," meaning an act that was previously unheard of before releasing a smash debut album. The others are no less deserving, however. This is an interesting category that will be fun to watch on Nov. 1. Who do you think

It's been a pretty big year for Hunter Hayes, to say the least. In addition to releasing his first No. 1 song, 'Wanted,' Hayes' hit also achieved certified platinum status earlier this fall -- not to mention dozens of accolades he's received. Yesterday (Oct. 22), Hayes appeared on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show' to perform his most popular tune.

What's remarkable about Hunter Hayes's three singles -- including his newest, 'Somebody's Heartbreak' -- is the consistency. There is nothing amateur about this country newcomer. All three fly flat along a bar raised high above the reach of many Nashville singers, both young and old.

There is something oh so sweet about experiencing the very first No. 1 single of your career as an artist. This week, the honor goes to Hunter Hayes, who tops the charts with only his second single, 'Wanted.'

Hunter Hayes is not only celebrating his very first Top 5 hit single this week with ‘Wanted,’ but he is also basking in the joy of having his very first platinum-selling single with the same song. ‘Wanted’ has officially sold over one million copies, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Hunter Hayes‘ latest single, ‘Wanted,’ has obviously been, well, “wanted” by many. It has just been certified gold for digital download sales exceeding 500,000 copies, marking the first gold-selling single in the 20-year-old’s career.

It's fun to watch new artists make their way through the twists and turns of the country music business. Let's face it... some of them get there (wherever 'there' is) and some of them don't. I will say this, it seems like the "American Idol" alumni have a little bit of a head start on everyone else.

You can hear it first at KIXS.com!  Rascal Flatts will be releasing a new song I believe next week to country radio and I'm pretty excited about it.  The song is called Banjo and it's a little more upbeat then what we are used to with Rascal Flatts...