With the 47th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards coming up on April 1st, we’re taking a look back at some of this year’s ACM-nominated projects with comments from Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, and Chris Young. (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Catch all the excitement of the 47th Annual ACM Awards when the show airs Sunday, April 1st, at 8pm, ET, on CBS!
• And a special note of congratulations to Kenny Chesney this week on being named the recipient of the ACM’s Crystal Milestone Award. A four-time ACM Entertainer of the Year, Kenny was recognized with the honor as an artist whose amazing career accomplishments have helped to promote the entire genre of country music.

Hemingway’s Whiskey – Kenny Chesney
ACM nominee: Album of the Year

  Kenny Chesney talks about his album, Hemingway’s Whiskey. (:30)
“I think in this record that there are traces of a lot of different sides of me. I think that I’m totally capable of being two different people, you know, (laughs) in my everyday life and especially as an artist, and…because there is a big part of me that really wants to be on stage and never do a ballad, ever. But there’s also a part of me that wants to write a record like Be as You Are and Lucky Old Sun, because that’s how I live a lot of my life, you know? And so, I think with this album, with Hemingway’s Whiskey, I have kind of combined a little bit of those two worlds.”

  While it’s easy to digitally purchase individual songs rather than buying an entire album, Kenny Chesney hopes that the fans’ desire for the album as an art form never goes away. (:32)
“I mean, I’ve seen the whole change. I mean, I’ve watched it progress, and there’s some things I do like about it, and there’s some things that I don’t. I still believe that makin’ a record — a whole record — for the fans, is important. And I think that that…I hope that never goes away, the…somebody wanting to hear a piece of music. It helps invest the audience into your music and into you, as a person. And I sincerely hope that that doesn’t change.”

“You and Tequila” – Kenny Chesney featuring Grace Potter
ACM nominee: Single Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Vocal Event of the Year

  Kenny Chesney says that things happened fast when it came to recording “You and Tequila” with Grace Potter. (:19)
“On my boat, down in the Virgin Islands, I listen to all kinds of music, and there was this girl…this girl’s voice that I just fell in love with, and I didn’t know really anything about her that much. I just knew that I really loved her singin’ and loved her records. And her name was Grace Potter. And I got in touch with her and played her the song, and literally, three days later, she was in Nashville, and we recorded it.”

  Kenny Chesney talks about Grace Potter, who sings with him on “You and Tequila.” (:23)
“She’s amazing. I mean, she’s really a great singer and great artist and a great songwriter. And to have her a part of ‘You and Tequila’ and to have her on this record, it was just perfect. And we’d never sang before. Never. I met her the day that she came in the studio to sing on the record, but it clicked, and our voices, they were perfect together.”

Four the Record – Miranda Lambert
ACM nominee: Album of the Year

  Miranda Lambert talks about her ACM Album of the Year nominee, Four the Record. (:29)
“Definitely feel like I went into this album, makin’ Four the Record, with just a mind of ‘anything goes’ and just feel my way through it. I mean, honestly, we had a list of songs in the studio that kind of just picked what we want as we went, because I didn’t want to say, ‘Okay, these are the, you know, 12 songs we’re recording or 15 songs we’re recording, and that’s that.’ Whatever the mood was that day, I wanted to be able to be open-minded and fluid, and I definitely think it sounds like that.”

  Miranda Lambert says that her music is definitely country, but her style of country can be tough to describe. (:20)
“I think I twist it all together. There’s not…because you can’t ever pin down what my music is. Nobody ever can. And, you know, it’s definitely country, I know that, but it’s got a rockin’ edge, it’s got a soft side, it’s got, you know, a vintage feel sometimes, and it’s a mixture of everything I’ve ever loved that stuck out in my mind.”

  Miranda Lambert sees her own evolution as a vocalist, and she gives husband Blake Shelton credit for helping her grow. (:42)
“You know, I think years of playin’ on the road and gettin’ used to my voice and learning my voice, and I started out as a little girl, you know — I was 19, 20 years old when Kerosene came out. And I’m 27, I’m married, about to be 28. I’ve worked that muscle, and I’ve learned about myself and about my voice and what I’m capable of, and I hope that I still keep growin’ into a better vocalist, but I also give a lot of the credit to my husband. I mean, Blake has really always said, ‘Quit sayin’ you’re not a singer,’ ’cause I would be like, ‘Oh, I’m not really a singer; I’m a songwriter/stylist.’ And he’s like, ‘You can sing. Whoever told you that, it’s in your brain, and it’s wrong.’ You know? He really encouraged me to open up and just sing. And I’ve done that.”

“Remind Me” – Brad Paisley (duet with Carrie Underwood)
ACM nominee: Vocal Event of the Year

  Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood talk about how Brad came around to the concept of their number-one single, “Remind Me.” (:45)
Brad: “We got the idea from this based on I’m kind of jealous of the way that Kanye or Eminem or…they can take somebody and say, ‘Here’s what I want you to say.’ And they’re a character…”
Carrie: “Mm-hmm.”
Brad: “…in the song. And we don’t…I don’t think we do enough of that kind of creativity in country music, so…but they used to. I mean, Conway and Loretta, their songs were like this.”
Carrie: “Mm-hmm.”
Brad: “‘You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly’ is a fantastic example of two people kind of…or ‘Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man,’ which we’ve sung. It’s like (singing), ‘Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da’ — Kanye: ‘too bad alligator.’ Kanye! Kanye…Twitty!”
Carrie: “I don’t think he ever sang that!”
Brad: (laughs) “Kanye Twitty…”
Carrie: “That’s awesome.”

  Brad Paisley sings Carrie Underwood’s praises over their duet, “Remind Me.” (:38)
Carrie: “It’s not a typical duet either. It’s not like…”
Brad: “No…”
Carrie: “…he sings a verse, and then I come in and sing a verse. And then…”
Brad: “Right…”
Carrie: “…I kind of interject in the middle of the chorus, which is nice. It’s refreshing.”
Brad: “It is. Yeah.”
Carrie: “It’s not your formula duet.”
Brad: “You don’t expect your voice. You’re not expecting to hear this awesome departure from the mediocre singer you’ve gotten used to for a verse and part of a chorus. You hear this person who is the best…”
Carrie: “He doesn’t give himself enough credit.”
Brad: “I’m not kidding. You hear this person who is the best we have come in and lift this song to a height that you didn’t think it was about to reach, and it’s great.”

“Old Alabama” – Brad Paisley (featuring Alabama)
ACM nominee: Vocal Event of the Year

  Brad Paisley talks about singing with Alabama on “Old Alabama.” (:20)
“It’s really an amazing experience to see them back together singin’ like they are and that sound that the three of their voices have. They’re just responsible for so many of us in music now, you know, that were influenced by them. And getting to hear them on the radio right next to me is the thrill of a lifetime.”

  Brad Paisley shares what he feels has made Alabama such an enduring influence on country music. (:43)
“What their music means, really, is not just to me, but I think what you hear on the radio…I said (laughs) to Randy [Owen], I said, ‘I hope you like what’s on the radio because you’re really responsible.’ There’s very few, I would say ‘artists,’ but you know, bands, whatever…country music acts that have influenced the current generation like they have. It had to do with they really tapped into something that became just so timeless. I mean, ‘Mountain Music’ and ‘Dixieland Delight’ and ‘Lady Down on Love’ and ‘Tennessee River’ and ‘Forty Hour Week,’ and just…these things still sound unlike anyone else. They sound just like them. They have that ability and that knack and that talent to write and play and sing and sound unique.”

“Tomorrow” – Chris Young
ACM nominee: Single Record of the Year

  Chris Young’s number-one song “Tomorrow” was one of the first he recorded for his NEON album, and it set the benchmark for the rest of album. (:33)
“To me, the thing that really, I think kind of lit a fire under me, so to speak, and everybody else, is that one of the first songs that I got and that I turned in was ‘Tomorrow.’ And I knew in my head, I hoped in my head, that it was gonna be really big. I’m glad it ended up being a hit (laughs) ‘cause I’d have felt like an idiot if it wasn’t. But it was just so big and this country power ballad and so cool and somethin’ I’d never done before. And I was like, man, I have to live up to this on every other track on the record.”

  Chris Young talks about his album, NEON, and its chart-topping debut single, “Tomorrow.” (:58)
“I think one of the things that makes ‘Tomorrow’ sound a little bit different than some of the other singles that I’ve put out is this is probably the most vocally challenging thing that I’ve sung. And there’s a lot of that on this record. I really did a lot of stuff to kind of stretch my range, and…which I think every singer does. You know, you’re always tryin’ to improve on what you did last time and do somethin’ that’s a little bit different. But I…you know, the sound’s the same. I think we pretty much adhered to what my sound is. I don’t think anybody’s gonna pick up this record and go, ‘Well, this sounds completely different than the last one.’ But there are little things that we did differently on this record, and I think that’s what makes a new record exciting for the fans. They want to go see what you did and what songs are on there and kind of what I wrote and songs that I found. And I really do think that there was a couple times when we were writin’ songs for this record — ‘Tomorrow’ bein’ one of ’em — where I was like, ‘Man, I just hate myself. I’m just makin’ this like really difficult to sing,’ (laughs) but it’s exciting. I mean, I love gettin’ out there and bein’ able to belt out a song like this.”