ENCINO, Calif., Feb. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Academy of Country Music and Kohl's Department Stores announced today that Brantley Gilbert, Jana Kramer and Florida Georgia Line have been named nominees for this year's ACM New Artist of the Year Presented By Kohl's Department Stores, which will be given out during the 48^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.  

In the first round of fan voting at GACTV.com, fans helped name Gilbert, Kramer and Florida Georgia Line ACM New Male Vocalist of the Year, ACM New Female Vocalist of the Year and ACM New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year, respectively. The winners of those categories go on to compete for overall ACM New Artist of the Year, which is again a fan-voted category.

"This year's New Artist of the Year nominees show the depth of emerging talent in our industry. We are so pleased to have Kohl's presenting this award, as it's a natural fit with the Academy. Kohl's encourages fans to 'Expect Great Things' and that's exactly what fans can expect from these incredible newcomers," said Bob Romeo, CEO of the Academy of Country Music.

Voting for New Artist of the Year will take place at www.VoteACM.com beginning March 25, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET/12noon PT and will continue until 5:00 PM PT on Sunday, April 7, 2013 (before the LIVE show starts).  The New Artist of the Year final nominees were selected by a combined vote of the fans and professional members of the Academy of Country Music.  Professional member votes will be combined with fan votes to obtain the winner of the category for the ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS.

Leading up to the show, fans can watch interviews and exclusive performances with the three nominees as they receive their trophies for winning their respective categories on GAC's "ACM New Artist of the Year" special, premiering March 25^th at 8:00 PM ET and re-airing multiple times until voting closes on April 7. Additional air times and dates can be found at GACtv.com/ACM. 

The winner of the New Artist of the Year category will be awarded on the 48^th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.

About the ACM New Artist of the Year Nominees
Brantley Gilbert has already earned a striking set of "notches" on his industry belt, including four #1 singles, impressive album sales of over 1 million and multiple award show nominations. He is currently on his first-ever headlining dates – HELL ON WHEELS TOUR. Just last year he played to over 500,000 fans while on the road with Toby Keith and Eric Church. His sophomore project, the GOLD-certified HALFWAY TO HEAVEN DELUXE, debuted at #2 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart and has since produced two GOLD-certified, #1 hits – "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do." As a celebrated songwriter, he has also penned #1 songs – "My Kinda Party," "Dirt Road Anthem," "Country Must Be Country Wide" and "You Don't Know Her Like I Do." In 2011, he garnered the prestigious honor of being the only new artist to have a #1 hit at Country radio.

Jana Kramer is nominated in the New Female Vocalist of the Year category and has also been named one of CMT's "Next Women of Country."  Kramer's new single, "Whiskey," from her highly praised self-titled debut album, is featured on RollingStone.com, where you can also view the music video. "Whiskey," gaining over 30 adds in its' first week at radio, is the follow-up to her debut hit single, "Why Ya Wanna," which reached No. 3 on the charts and has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Kramer has impressively sold over a million tracks, including more than 100,000 of the new single "Whiskey" and over a half million of "Why Ya Wanna." In addition to her debut album premiering at No. 5, the success of "Why Ya Wanna" also earned Kramer the title of highest charting debut single from a new female artist since 2006 (previously held by Taylor Swift), as well as making her one of the fastest rising debut artists of 2012. Kramer will be joining Blake Shelton this summer on his Ten Times Crazier Tour with dates running through the fall.

Since releasing their multi-week #1, PLATINUM debut single, "Cruise," hot duo Florida Georgia Line has been quickly garnering buzz among fans, media and superstars (Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles) alike. To date, the tune has sold over two million copies and was the quickest Top 10 by a new duo since Brooks & Dunn's "Brand New Man" over two decades ago, according to Billboard. Comprised of Tyler Hubbard from Monroe, Georgia and Brian Kelley from Ormond Beach, Florida, the Republic Nashville duo brings a fresh combination of eclectic beats and expressive lyrics to the genre. Producer Joey Moi (Jake Owen, Nickelback) showcases their unique sound throughout their debut album, HERE'S TO THE GOOD TIMES, which earned the highest debut album sales of 2012 for a new Country artist with nearly 63,000 copies in the first week. They have appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, FOX & Friends and secured a presenter spot during the 2012 American Music Awards. FGL's energetic live show and compelling tunes landed them coveted opening slots on the "CMT ON TOUR" with headliner Jake Owen last year and they are currently on the road with Luke Bryan's "DIRT ROAD DIARIES TOUR." In less than two months, FGL's follow-up single, "Get Your Shine On," has sold over 250,000 copies and landed in the Top 25 at Country radio. 

About the Academy of Country Music Awards
The 48^th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry.  The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 7, 2013 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network.  Allen Shapiro, Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers.  Barry Adelman is producer, and Bob Bardo is the executive in charge of production. Bob Romeo is executive producer for the Academy of Country Music. 

About Great American Country (GAC)
Great American Country is the leader in country music entertainment, and delivers to viewers the widest variety of country music, its artists and the lifestyles they influence. GAC broadcasts original country music programming, music performance specials, live concerts and music videos. GAC is available in more than 62 million households and online at http://www.GACTV.com.

GAC is owned by Scripps Networks Interactive, the leading developer of lifestyle-oriented content for television and the Internet, including HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel and Travel Channel. Scripps Networks is based in Knoxville, Tenn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, Chevy Chase, Md. and Nashville, and is a unit of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE:SNI).

SOURCE Academy of Country Music