The dust is starting to settle in CMT Country. We weren’t sure if apophenia had set in, but we felt a connection between the results of the CMT Awards and the 2016 Presidential election. Perhaps the stunned expressions on the faces of the usual winners reminded us of those we saw in the Hillary camp after it was announced that President Trump had won.

DailyMail.com, 11/9/16, by AFP, It’s a Nightmare. Horror and disbelief at Clinton HQ as stunned supporters watched Hillary’s humiliating loss.

The Morning Journal, Dscott, 6/7/17, CMT Award Show 2017

Source: Mike Coppola/Getty Images of North America, 6/7/17

Source: Mike Coppola / Getty Images

The plethora of similarities between the two events are certainly somewhat of a paradigm. Republican versus Democrat is like Old Country versus New Country. The ACMs, CMAs and the Grammys are controlled by voting members of “the Establishment” of the music industry, much like the Electoral College, typically carries out the wishes of “the Establishment” of politics in America. In both instances, a grassroots movement of ordinary people shook the “cage of more of the same” and swarmed to the polls to let their voices be heard.

Donald Trump defied all expectations by winning the 2016 Presidential election. So, too, did Keith Urban, with his sweep of the CMT Awards on June 7, 2017. Like certain members of the political establishment continuously got elected, country music celebrities, like Miranda Lambert, repeatedly took home awards. Most assume it’s a pattern, likely even Lambert herself. Lambert has won seven ACM Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year seven years in a row since 2010, and eight CMA Awards for the same category since 2009. If you noticed, Lambert didn’t win at the CMT Awards, a fan-based award show. Two other big winners voted for by “the Establishment,” Chris Stapleton and Jason Aldean, walked away with nothing at the CMT Awards. The usual winners at the ACMs, CMAs and Grammys win very few fan-voted events. Is this because the voting members of the ACMs, CMAs and Grammys have lost touch with who the fans support and like?

Keith Urban, the underdog in country music, received numerous nominations for music awards in 2016 and 2017 with several predicted wins, yet he walked away empty-handed to the dismay of his loyal fans. In 2016, Urban was nominated in four categories at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards. In 2017, Urban was nominated in three categories at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards and he led the 52nd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards with seven nominations. Setting aside Urban’s giant heart, as evidenced by his organization of All 4 the Hall to benefit the Country Music Hall of Fame and his advisory position on the Board of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital to benefit children stricken with cancer and their families, Urban is one of the two country artists whose 2016 album releases have been certified platinum. Urban’s eighth studio album, Ripcord, has produced four number one singles and you can bet that more will follow. Urban had the best track record of the year with most albums sold and highest grossing sold-out tour, yet no awards to show for it. Why is it that others in the industry don’t have to do much to get an award, but Urban and Carrie Underwood, two of the best in the business, have to prove themselves over and over again?

Just like President Trump’s message resonated with a huge number of Americans in key states, Keith Urban’s message through his art resonates with millions of fans. Keith Urban’s sweep at the CMT Awards reveals deep anti-establishment sentiment, much like what was revealed in the 2016 Presidential election. The artists that speak to us as country music fans are the artists that we want to be recognized. When the power to recognize Keith Urban for what he contributes to country music is in the industry’s hands, he gets overlooked. When the voting members of the ACMs, CMAs and the Grammys overlook Urban, they also overlook the vast number of fans he has. Nathan Barlowe, a member of Urban’s band, said it perfectly in a tweet Thursday night

Congrats @keithurban on 4 CMT Award Wins last night! Thanks @cmt and fans for being a TRUE barometer of what people really want. #fanvoted pic.twitter.com/MmMAGfBTgs
— Nathan Barlowe (@bummerman) June 9, 2017

A clear message has been sent through the results of the 2016 Presidential election and the CMT Awards. Both the Democratic and Republican parties took for granted a central piece of America by refusing to listen to the opinions of the people. Voting members of the ACMs, CMAs, and Grammys should learn a lesson from this and set aside special interests and politics and elect artists that reach the masses. Keith Urban not only speaks to his fans through his amazing guitar-playing skills and lyrics that magically come to life, he quite literally speaks to his fans on a personal level through free meet-and-greets and live Facebook chats. Like President Trump, Keith Urban personally connects to his fans. Fans spent hours upon hours voting vigorously for Urban. Several stated they were doing this for him so he could get recognized. Others threw voting parties and those who wouldn’t consider themselves huge fans even voted. Why? Maybe it’s because the fans are seeing something that needs to change. They are realizing that what we have now isn’t working.

Country music is a lot like America. It’s changing and it’s evolving. President Trump connects with Americans who felt overlooked by “the Establishment” and left behind. Just like President Trump is part of a sweeping change in America, Urban is a part of the change in country music. He’s not a Johnny Cash or a Willie Nelson and, in fact, he cannot be compared to any other artist. Why? Because Urban is in a league of his own, and country music fans know this. The biggest reason for his popularity among country music fans is simple and can be said in one word: CONNECTION.

Hillary Clinton lost the election because people did not want more of the same and American voters were tired of “the Establishment” supporting special interests. We saw the same artists winning the awards and the pattern of wins clearly demonstrated there were political and special interests behind who took home the awards. The fans had a voice on Wednesday night, and they let their voices be heard. It’s up to the industry or, dare we say, “the establishment,” to decide whether they will continue with more of the same resulting in loss of hope for country music fans, or, listen to the fans and what they need and want and MAKE MUSIC AWARD SHOWS GREAT AGAIN

This article was written by Kara Johnson and Amy Coryer Miller