Hunter Hayes

Fast-rising star Hunter Hayes threw an interesting twist on announcing the nominees for Pop Vocal Album at Wednesday night's (Dec. 5) Grammy Nominations Concert, which broadcast live from Nashville. Instead of reading them from a list, the enterprising singer-songwriter sang a snippet of each nominated song.

Hunter Hayes' 'Somebody's Heartbreak' lyrics stem from a real-life situation that the 21-year-old CMA New Artist of the Year experienced not that long ago -- an instance which made for a great writing experience with Luke Laird and Andrew Dorff for Hayes' debut album.

The five nominees for the 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year award reached their current levels of fame in very different ways. Thompson Square might be the only true "new artist," meaning an act that was previously unheard of before releasing a smash debut album. The others are no less deserving, however. This is an interesting category that will be fun to watch on Nov. 1. Who do you think

There is something oh so sweet about experiencing the very first No. 1 single of your career as an artist. This week, the honor goes to Hunter Hayes, who tops the charts with only his second single, 'Wanted.'