Ella Langley, Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, & Lainey Wilson Lead 2025 ACM Awards Nominations: See the Full List!
See the complete list of nominees.
Ella Langley, Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) have officially unveiled the nominees for the highly anticipated 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, with Ella Langley, Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson leading the pack.
Announced this morning on TODAY, the nominations spotlight some of country music’s biggest stars and rising talents. Ella Langley emerges as the most-nominated artist with eight nods, while Johnson, Wallen, and Wilson each follow closely with seven. Other top contenders include Chris Stapleton with six nominations, as well as Riley Green and Post Malone, who each earned five.
See a complete list of nominees below.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea Ballerini
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
he War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
Flatland Cavalry
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Kassi Ashton
Ashley Cooke
Dasha
Ella Langley
Jessie Murph
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Gavin Adcock
Shaboozey
Zach Top
Tucker Wetmore
Bailey Zimmerman
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
Restless Road
The Red Clay Strays
Treaty Oak Revival
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville
Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
Producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records
Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Record Company-Label: Leo33
F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
A Bar Song (Tipsy) – Shaboozey
Producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry
Record Company-Label: American Dogwood / EMPIRE
Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
White Horse – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
4x4xU – Lainey Wilson
Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
Publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent
The Architect – Kacey Musgraves
Songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing
Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Songwriter: Josh Phillips
Publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing
I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak
Publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation
you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere
Publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Cowboys Cry Too – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
I Had Some Help – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Record Company-Label: Mercury Records / Republic Records
I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producer: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
we don’t fight anymore – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton
Producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce
Record Company-Label: Big Machine Records
you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR
[Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
4x4xU – Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jennifer Ansell
Director: Dano Cerny
Dirt Cheap – Cody Johnson
Producer: Dustin Haney
Director: Dustin Haney
I’m Gonna Love You – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood
Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
Think I’m In Love With You – Chris Stapleton
Producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
you look like you love me – Ella Langley, Riley Green
Producer: Whale Tale Music
Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Luke Combs
ERNEST
HARDY
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jessi Alexander
Jessie Jo Dillon
Ashley Gorley
Chase McGill
Josh Osborne
The first round of performers for the 60th ACM Awards was announced early this week. Six-time ACM Award winner and former ACM Awards host Blake Shelton will hit the stage as his Top 10 single, “Texas,” climbs the charts. Seven-time ACM Award winner Eric Church is set to perform on the heels of the release of his latest album, Evangeline Vs. The Machine, which drops on May 2. Reigning Entertainer of the Year and 12-time ACM Award winner Lainey Wilson will make her return to the ACM Awards stage after securing the Academy’s top honor in 2024.
Country music icon Reba McEntire will return to host the 60th ACM Awards, marking her 18th time hosting or co-hosting the event, more than any other artist in ACM history.
The 60th ACM Awards will stream live exclusively for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys.
This landmark event will honor six decades of country music with unforgettable performances from the genre’s most iconic and award-winning stars. Fans hoping to score tickets to the show are lucky because they are now available at SeatGeek.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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