Alexandra Kay did not hear her name mentioned among the list of nominees for the 2026 CMA Awards. In a heartfelt video shared on social media, Kay acknowledges she was disappointed to not receive her first-ever CMA Awards nomination.
“I just found out that I didn’t get nominated for a CMA Award,” Kay begins. “And I’m not gonna lie to you guys. I didn’t necessarily expect it, because I don’t actually feel like I’ve had a successful enough year, in the back of my brain, to deserve a Best New Artist Award at the CMAs this year. But, with that being said, I did qualify. This is my first year taking a song to country radio. My song ‘Straight For the Heart‘ climbed up the charts to No. 26.”
Adding to the pain of not being nominated for New Artist of the Year at the CMA Awards is the recent news that “Straight For the Heart,” her first single at country radio, was not going to be the No. 1 song she predicted. The song is part of her sophomore Second Wind record.
“I worked my a– off for every single chart position,” Kay says. “So when they called me a few weeks ago and told me, ‘We’re done. We’re not pushing the song anymore. It’s not moving up the chart anymore,’ I was devastated. I had pretty much the same day I had yesterday, when I found out I didn’t get nominated. And what a failure day looks like for me is lots of tears, lots of doubting myself, lots of anger, lots of just feeling so insignificant. Questioning everything.”
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Alexandra Kay Owns Her Disappointment
Kay doesn’t mince words or gloss over her heartbreak. But she does offer wise words for others who might also be facing a big letdown.
“I’m telling you guys this because I only allow myself to feel that for one day,” Kay says. “I tried the whole Tony Robbins thing, where he’s like, ‘You can only feel failure for ten minutes, then you gotta bounce right back.’ That just doesn’t work for me, so you gotta do what works for you. So yesterday, after I didn’t get nominated, I felt it. I felt it hard. Rocko held me in his arms. I didn’t push those feelings down, and I felt them fully. It’s not about how many times you fall. It’s about how many times you get up. It’s about how quickly your response is. Successful people, resilient people, they don’t have fewer problems. They just have a quicker recovery time.”
Alexandra Kay Moves Ahead After Setbacks
Kay might have faced two pretty significant disappontments, but in true Kay fashion, she is already returning even stronger.
“So here I am on my back deck, getting ready to start a session with my trainer,” Kay concludes. “Getting on a flight to go play a show with Brett Young tonight. I’m writing some of the best music I have ever written in my entire career. And I did let it get me down, but I’m not going to let it keep me down. So, I’m gonna come back next year, and I’m gonna get it. And until then, I’m just gonna keep working hard.”
Kay still has plenty to look forward to in 2026. She is already working on her next record, while also opening for Jon Pardi on tour, in addition to headlining her own shows.
Photo Credit: CMA / Katie Kauss