Decide Country Music’s Hot Summer Song of 2022 in the Taste of Country Summer Hot List Awards
If you were to stack the 10 nominees in Taste of Country's Hot Summer Song category, you'd create the ultimate summer country music playlist. It's a mix of tailgate jams, beach grooves, road trip anthems and fleeting heartbreakers.
Dierks Bentley, Kelsea Ballerini, Jake Owen and Walker Hayes are four artists included in this year's Summer Hot List category that were also listed among the Top 10 Summer Hot List songs of 2021. They've all pressed reset for this new season, however. Bentley's hit song is a literal party, while Ballerini shares her peppiest, pop-country mix in years.
Newcomer Morgan Wade makes the list of 10 for "Wilder Days," a song our staff feels is the No. 1 song you need to hear live this summer. Catching Zac Brown Band live is a good idea every year, and in 2022, they've got a hot new single called "Out in the Middle" that recalls their origin story.
Breland, Cody Johnson, Dustin Lynch and Thomas Rhett round out this category. Vote for one song per day through May 15. At that point, the Top 5 will be chosen, and two more weeks of voting will open up before the awards are handed after Memorial Day weekend.
The best way to help your favorite artist is to share this poll on social media. Once you've voted, find the other Summer Hot List categories to help decide who the inaugural group of Taste of Country Summer Hot List Awards winners will be.
*Note: This poll has now been trimmed to five finalists.