The fans have spoken, and country music's chosen Entertainer of the Year is an artist who's deserving, but not yet recognized during televised awards shows. Actually, several of the big winners in the 2018 Taste of Country Fan Choice Awards didn't get to sniff the ACM or CMA podiums.

So we make it right here. Fan vote is the only criteria used to decide the winners of this year's categories, including Song of the Year, Album of the Year and #RelationshipGoals Couple of the Year. Kane Brown didn't win the biggest prize, but he did win the most prizes. Lauren Alaina also had a strong showing with two wins. Brett Young, Cassadee Pope and "Blank Stares" singer Jay Allen took important categories, too, thanks to their fans.

Blake Shelton is this year's Entertainer of the Year. This category was heavily voted-on, but the singer and The Voice coach pulled ahead with one-third of the total votes, topping Brown and Keith Urban.

The most-voted-on category was Album of the Year. It was a close race, but when the clock hit 11:59ET, Brown's Experiment album had edged out Urban's Graffiti U by a very narrow margin. Likewise, Alaina and Alex Hopkins edged Brown and Katelyn Jae in the almost too-close-to-call Couple of 2018 category.

2018 Taste of Country Fan Choice Awards Winners:

#RelationshipGoals Couple of the Year
Brett Young + Taylor Mills
Carly Pearce + Michael Ray
Jason Aldean + Brittany
Kane Brown + Katelyn Jae
Keith Urban + Nicole Kidman
Kelsea Ballerini + Morgan Evans
Lauren Alaina + Alex Hopkins — WINNER!
Thomas Rhett + Lauren Akins

Most Passionate Fanbase of 2018
Scotty McCreery
Kane Brown — WINNER!
Miranda Lambert
Blake Shelton
Carrie Underwood
Luke Combs
Kip Moore
Eric Church

Most Jaw-Dropping Performance of 2018
Morgan Wallen, "Cover Me Up" for RISERS
Lindsay Ell, "Criminal" for RISERS
Kane Brown + Lauren Alaina, "What Ifs" at the ACMs — WINNER! 
Carrie Underwood, "Cry Pretty" at the ACMs
Dan + Shay, "Tequila" at the CMAs
Ricky Skaggs Medley at the CMAs
Garth Brooks, "Stronger Than Me" at the CMAs
Reba McEntire + Kelly Clarkson, "Does He Love You" at the ACMs

Best Country Song of 2018
Brett Young, "Mercy" — WINNER!
Carrie Underwood, "Cry Pretty"
Dan + Shay, "Tequila"
Florida Georgia Line, "Simple"
Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, "Drowns the Whiskey"
Luke Bryan, "Most People are Good"
Morgan Wallen, "Up Down"
Pistol Annies, "Got My Name Changed Back"

Best Country Album of 2018
Ashley McBryde, Girl Going Nowhere
Carrie Underwood, Cry Pretty
Eric Church, Desperate Man
Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour
Kane Brown, Experiment — WINNER!
Keith Urban, Graffiti U
Morgan Wallen, If I Know Me
Pistol Annies, Interstate Gospel

Top Indie Artist of 2018
Aaron Watson
Lucie Silvas
Garth Brooks
Dillon Carmichael
Cassadee Pope — WINNER!
Kelleigh Bannen
Jason Isbell
Margo Price

Viral Star of 2018
Walmart Boy Mason Ramsey
"Parked Out By the Lake" Singer Dean Summerwind
Singing Football Player Jackson Dean
"Blank Stares" Singer "Jay Allen — WINNER
Firefighter Marc Wright

Fan Choice Entertainer of the Year
Blake Shelton — WINNER!
Carrie Underwood
Dan + Shay
Eric Church
Garth Brooks
Kane Brown
Keith Urban
Luke Bryan

18 Best Country Songs of 2018: 

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