ACM nominations: Chris Stapleton, Dan + Shay lead

Chris Stapleton performs onstage during the 2018 CMA Music festival at Nissan Stadium on June 9, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Getty)

Chris Stapleton and Dan + Shay lead the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards with six nominations each while Grammy album of the year winner Kacey Musgraves comes in with five nominations.

Reba McEntire, who is hosting the show for a record 16th time, announced the nominees in top categories on "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday.

The top category, entertainer of the year, is all male for the second year in a row, which includes Stapleton, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban. And Musgraves is the sole female artist in the album of the year category along with Stapleton, Dan + Shay, Eric Church and Dierks Bentley.

The ACMs will be aired on CBS on April 7 from the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

Stapleton is nominated twice as producer and artist for album of the year for "From A Room: Volume 2," which he won last year for "From A Room: Volume 1." He also seeks to win his second consecutive male artist of the year trophy and is nominated twice for song of the year for "Broken Halos," for which he is also nominated as a producer.

Dan + Shay could make good on their first Grammy win for country song of the year for "Tequila," which has earned them three nominations as a duo at the ACMs. They are also nominated for vocal duo of the year, album of the year for their self-titled release and musical event of the year for a duet with Kelly Clarkson. Dan Smyers earned four individual nominations for his work as a producer and songwriter.

Musgraves beat out the biggest-selling albums of the year by Cardi B and Drake for album of the year at this year's Grammy Awards, but her lack of airplay meant she missed out on a single of the year nomination at the ACMs. She won four total Grammys this year, including best country album and best country song.

She is nominated twice as producer and artist for album of the year for "Golden Hour," and twice for song of the year for "Space Cowboy," which only reached top 30 on Billboard's Hot Country chart. She's also nominated for female artist of the year.

Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, Bebe Rexha also had four nominations each.