{"id":10207,"date":"2025-09-08T19:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T19:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/10207\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T19:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T19:43:07","slug":"cmas-nominations-led-by-lainey-wilson-megan-moroney-and-ella-langley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/10207\/","title":{"rendered":"CMAs Nominations Led by Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tIf contemporary country music still has a woman problem \u2014 and many observers would strongly avow that it does \u2014 you wouldn\u2019t know it from the nominations for the 2025 CMA Awards<\/a>. The Country Music Association announced this year\u2019s nominees Monday morning, and at the front of the crop were the bold young stars Lainey Wilson<\/a>, Ella Langley<\/a> and Megan Moroney<\/a>, tied with six nominations apiece.<\/p>\n

\n\tClose behind was the fast-rising star Zach Top<\/a>, who landed five nods from the CMAs\u2019 voters. The country traditionalist has quickly achieved a high level of success in the genre despite only putting out his second major-label album at the end of August, past the end of the eligibility period. <\/p>\n

\n\tEarning four nominations each were Riley Green and Cody Johnson. Following with three apiece were country superstars Morgan Wallen, Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs, along with behind-the-scenes movers and shakers Kristian Bush, Carson Chamberlain and Charlie Handsome. (Scroll down to see the complete list of 2025 nominees.)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 59th Annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville\u2019s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 19 on ABC, with next-day viewing on Hulu.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe nominees this time for Entertainer of the Year are Wallen, Wilson, Stapleton, Combs and Johnson. All of these are holdovers from last year, except for Cody Johnson, who slips into a slot claimed in the 2024 noms by Jelly Roll.<\/p>\n

\n\tMuch will be made of the fact that Wallen\u2019s three nominations may not feel commensurate with his commercial status, as Wallen is not just the biggest reigning star in country but definably the most popular male artist in any genre now. <\/p>\n

\n\tWallen is the CMAs\u2019 reigning Entertainer of the Year, having picked up what is considered the highest honor toward the end of 2024. Only, he didn\u2019t actually pick it up; Wallen passed on attending the telecast, leading to an anticlimactic moment on the show when the genre\u2019s most coveted award went to a no-show. Even with Wallen seeming to snub the awards show last year, voters nonetheless have nominated him for Entertainer of the Year again, along with best male vocalist and best album (for his endlessly chart-topping \u201cI\u2019m the Problem\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tLainey WIlson won Entertainer of the Year just before Wallen, in 2023, and she will be a strong contender against him to reclaim it this year, with a sold-out arena tour currently cementing her bona fides. Besides the top prize, Wilson has her additional five nominations for single of the year and song of the year (both for \u201c4x4xU\u201d), album of the year (for \u201cWhirlwind\u201d), female vocalist of the year and music video of the year (for \u201cSomewhere Over Laredo,\u201d a single off the deluxe version of \u201cWhirlwind\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tMoroney has been following in Wilson\u2019s footsteps as representative of a thrilling new wave of country women \u2014 and freshman artist Langley has been treading in Moroney\u2019s steps just about as quickly.<\/p>\n

\n\tMoroney may still be considered too young to qualify for Entertainer of the Year, but she\u2019s up in just about every other possible category. Her six nominations include female vocalist of the year, album of the year (\u201cAm I Okay?\u201d), musical event of the year (for \u201cYou Had to Be There,\u201d which features Kenny Chesney), and then three noms for the title track of \u201cAm I Okay?\u201d: single of the year, song of the year and music video of the year. <\/p>\n

\n\tLangley\u2019s equally high number of nominations may be the most surprising, given she is still on her first major-label album \u2014 but not so surprising when you recall the rousing reception to her performance on last year\u2019s telecast of \u201cYou Look Like You Love Me,\u201d her breakout duet with Riley Green. Not surprisingly, that hit has multiple nominations now, for single of the year, song of the year and music video of the year. She is also nominated for new artist of the year, female vocalist of the year and musical event of the year (for \u201cDon\u2019t Mind if I Do\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe dominance of Wilson, Langley and Moroney will be welcomed as a signpost for the many who have championed the underdog role of women in country in recent years. But the news outside of these awards continues to be less than encouraging for female artists in the country radio format. (At present, in the top 15 of the Billboard Country Airplay chart, there is not a single female artist represented. Even expanding it to the top 25, the only woman is Wilson, whose \u201cSomewhere Over Laredo\u201d currently stands at No. 16.)<\/p>\n

\n\tZach Top will compete against Langley for new artist of the year, a category that will be hotly contested this year. Top\u2019s other four nominations come for male vocalist of the year, single of the year and song of the year (both for \u201cI Never Lie\u201d) and album of the year (\u201cCold Beer & Country Music\u201d).<\/p>\n

\n\tThe album of the year category pits Post Malone\u2019s \u201cF-1 Trillion\u201d against the aforementioned full-length releases by Moloney, Top, Wallen and Wilson. <\/p>\n

\n\tFemale vocalist of the year finds Langley, Moroney and Wilson up against Kelsea Ballerini and Miranda Lambert, two more veteran artists who have their only nominations this year in that category.<\/p>\n

\n\tMale vocalist is a contest between Wallen, Top, Stapleton, Combs and Johnson.<\/p>\n

\n\tNew artist of the year has Langley and Top facing off against Shaboozey, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson Jr.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe final round of voting for the CMAs will take place from Oct. 1-29 among the organization\u2019s 7,132 voting-eligible CMA Professional members.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEach year, the CMA Awards shine a light on the creativity, passion and dedication of our community,\u201d said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer, in a statement. \u201cThe nominees announced today represent some of the most impactful work happening across country music, and we are deeply appreciative of our voting members for lending their time and expertise to this process. Their commitment helps ensure the CMA Awards remain a true reflection of the genre\u2019s excellence. On behalf of CMA, congratulations to all of this year\u2019s nominees.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHere is a full list of 2025 nominees:<\/p>\n

\n\tENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Luke Combs
\u2022 Cody Johnson
\u2022 Chris Stapleton
\u2022 Morgan Wallen
\u2022 Lainey Wilson<\/p>\n

\n\tSINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)
\u2022 \u201c4x4xU\u201d \u2013 Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
\u2022 \u201cAin\u2019t No Love in Oklahoma\u201d \u2013 Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews
\u2022 \u201cAm I Okay?\u201d \u2013 Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank
\u2022 \u201cI Never Lie\u201d \u2013 Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey
\u2022 \u201cYou Look Like You Love Me\u201d \u2013 Ella Langley & Riley Green
Producer: Will Bundy
Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley<\/p>\n

\n\tALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist, Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)
\u2022 \u201cAm I Okay?\u201d \u2013 Megan Moroney
Producer: Kristian Bush
Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank
\u2022 \u201cCold Beer & Country Music\u201d \u2013 Zach Top
Producer: Carson Chamberlain
Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey
\u2022 \u201cF-1 Trillion\u201d \u2013 Post Malone
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
\u2022 \u201cI\u2019m the Problem\u201d \u2013 Morgan Wallen
Producers: Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi
Mix Engineers: Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi
\u2022 \u201cWhirlwind\u201d \u2013 Lainey Wilson
Producer: Jay Joyce
Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce<\/p>\n

\n\tSONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Songwriter(s)
\u2022 \u201c4x4xU\u201d
Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
\u2022 \u201cAm I Okay?\u201d
Songwriters: Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird, Megan Moroney
\u2022 \u201cI Never Lie\u201d
Songwriters: Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols, Zach Top
\u2022 \u201cTexas\u201d
Songwriters: Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Lalo Guzman, Kyle Sturrock
\u2022 \u201cYou Look Like You Love Me\u201d
Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere<\/p>\n

\n\tFEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Kelsea Ballerini
\u2022 Miranda Lambert
\u2022 Ella Langley
\u2022 Megan Moroney
\u2022 Lainey Wilson<\/p>\n

\n\tMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Luke Combs
\u2022 Cody Johnson
\u2022 Chris Stapleton
\u2022 Zach Top
\u2022 Morgan Wallen<\/p>\n

\n\tVOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Lady A
\u2022 Little Big Town
\u2022 Old Dominion
\u2022 Rascal Flatts
\u2022 The Red Clay Strays<\/p>\n

\n\tVOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Brooks & Dunn
\u2022 Brothers Osborne
\u2022 Dan + Shay
\u2022 Maddie & Tae
\u2022 The War and Treaty<\/p>\n

\n\tMUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)
\u2022 \u201cDon\u2019t Mind if I Do\u201d \u2013 Riley Green (featuring Ella Langley)
Producers: Scott Borchetta, Jimmy Harnen, Dann Huff
\u2022 \u201cHard Fought Hallelujah\u201d \u2013 Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
Producer: Micah Nichols
\u2022 \u201cI\u2019m Gonna Love You\u201d \u2013 Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
Producer: Trent Willmon
\u2022 \u201cPour Me a Drink\u201d \u2013 Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton)
Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome
\u2022 \u201cYou Had to Be There\u201d \u2013 Megan Moroney (feat. Kenny Chesney)
Producer: Kristian Bush<\/p>\n

\n\tMUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Jenee Fleenor \u2013 Fiddle
\u2022 Paul Franklin \u2013 Steel Guitar
\u2022 Brent Mason \u2013 Guitar
\u2022 Rob McNelley \u2013 Guitar
\u2022 Derek Wells \u2013 Guitar<\/p>\n

\n\tMUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s)
\u2022 \u201cAm I Okay?\u201d \u2013 Megan Moroney
Directors: Alexandra Gavillet, Megan Moroney
\u2022 \u201cI\u2019m Gonna Love You\u201d \u2013 Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
Director: Dustin Haney
\u2022 \u201cSomewhere Over Laredo\u201d \u2013 Lainey Wilson
Director: TK McKamy
\u2022 \u201cThink I\u2019m in Love With You\u201d \u2013 Chris Stapleton
Director: Running Bear
\u2022 \u201cYou Look Like You Love Me\u201d \u2013 Ella Langley & Riley Green
Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney<\/p>\n

\n\tNEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
\u2022 Ella Langley
\u2022 Shaboozey
\u2022 Zach Top
\u2022 Tucker Wetmore
\u2022 Stephen Wilson Jr.<\/p>\n

\n\t2025 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS \u2013 FINALISTS FOR BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR (by market size):<\/p>\n

\n\tWeekly National
\u2022 \u201cCountry Countdown USA with Lon Helton\u201d (Lon Helton) \u2013 LH Productions
\u2022 \u201cThe Country Top 40 with Fitz\u201d (Cory \u201cFitz\u201d Fitzner) \u2013 Hubbard Broadcasting
\u2022 \u201cThe Original Country Gold\u201d (Rowdy Yates) \u2013 Syndicated Media
\u2022 \u201cToday\u2019s Country Radio\u201d (Kelleigh Bannen) \u2013 Apple Music Radio
\u2022 \u201cY\u2019all Access with Kelly Sutton\u201d (Kelly Sutton) \u2013 Compass Media Group<\/p>\n

\n\tDaily National
\u2022 \u201cBig D & Bubba\u201d (\u201cBig D\u201d Derek Haskins, \u201cBubba\u201d Sean Powell, Carsen Humphreville, Jonathan Shaffer, and Garrett Freche) \u2013 Silverfish Media
\u2022 \u201cHighway Mornings with Cody Alan\u201d (Cody Alan and Lauryn Snapp) \u2013 SiriusXM
\u2022 \u201cRidin\u2019 With Rowdy\u201d (Rowdy Yates) \u2013 SuiteRadio \/ RFC Media
\u2022 \u201cThe Rob and Holly Show\u201d (Rob Stone and Holly Hutton) \u2013 Audacy
\u2022 \u201cWilhite and Wall Show\u201d (Darren Wilhite and Tim Wall) \u2013 Ebert Productions<\/p>\n

\n\tMajor Market
\u2022 \u201cChris Carr & Company\u201d (Chris Carr, Sam Sansevere, and \u201cDubs\u201d Michael Wilczynski) \u2013 KEEY, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
\u2022 \u201cHawkeye and Michelle\u201d (\u201cHawkeye\u201d Mark Louis Rybczyk and Michelle Rodriguez) \u2013 KSCS, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
\u2022 \u201cThe Lo Show\u201d (Lauren \u201cLo\u201d Barker) \u2013 KKBQ, Houston, Texas
\u2022 \u201cRachel Ryan\u201d (Rachel Ryan) \u2013 KSCS, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
\u2022 \u201cThe Scotty Kay Show\u201d (Scotty Kay) \u2013 WUSN, Chicago, Ill.<\/p>\n

\n\tLarge Market
\u2022 \u201cDeb & Matt in the Morning\u201d (Deborah Honeycutt and Matt Malone) \u2013 WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.
\u2022 \u201cThe Q Morning Crew w\/ Mike & Amanda\u201d (Mike Wheless and Amanda Daughtry) \u2013 WQDR, Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
\u2022 \u201cScott and Shannen\u201d (Scott Dolphin and \u201cShannen O\u201d Oesterreich) \u2013 WMIL, Milwaukee, Wis.
\u2022 \u201cTim & Chelsea\u201d (Tim Leary and Chelsea Taylor) \u2013 WIRK, West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.
\u2022 \u201cWayne D and Tay\u201d (\u201cWayne D\u201d Danielson and Tay Hamilton) \u2013 WSIX, Nashville, Tenn.<\/p>\n

\n\tMedium Market
\u2022 \u201cThe Doc Show with Chewy\u201d (Ken \u201cDoc\u201d Medek and Sean \u201cChewy\u201d Medek) \u2013 WGGY, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa.
\u2022 \u201cEllis and Bradley Show\u201d (Bill Ellis and Beth Bradley) \u2013 WSSL, Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.
\u2022 \u201cJoey & Nancy\u201d (Joey Tack, Nancy Barger, and Karly Duggan) \u2013 WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
\u2022 \u201cMo & StyckMan\u201d (Melissa \u201cMo\u201d Wagner and Greg \u201cStyckMan\u201d Owens) \u2013 WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.
\u2022 \u201cSpencer Graves Show\u201d (Spencer Graves, Megan Terry, and Blair Davis) \u2013 WDXB, Birmingham, Ala.<\/p>\n

\n\tSmall Market
\u2022 \u201cBen & Arnie\u201d (Ben Butler and Arnie Andrews) \u2013 WCOW, La Crosse, Wis.
\u2022 \u201cBrent Lane and The Cat Pak Morning Show\u201d (Brent Lane and Jordan Glass) \u2013 WYCT, Pensacola, Fla.
\u2022 \u201cDan Austin Show\u201d (Dan Austin) \u2013 WQHK, Fort Wayne, Ind.
\u2022 \u201cHilley & Hart\u201d (Kevin Hilley and Erin Hart) \u2013 KATI, Columbia, Mo.
\u2022 \u201cLiz & Scotty in the Morning\u201d (Liz Del Grosso and Scotty Cox) \u2013 KCLR, Columbia, Mo.<\/p>\n

\n\t2025 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS \u2013 FINALISTS FOR RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR (by market size):<\/p>\n

\n\tMajor Market
\u2022 KKBQ \u2013 Houston, Texas
\u2022 KSCS \u2013 Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
\u2022 KYGO \u2013 Denver-Boulder, Colo.
\u2022 WUSN \u2013 Chicago, Ill.
\u2022 WXTU \u2013 Philadelphia, Pa.<\/p>\n

\n\tLarge Market
\u2022 WCTK \u2013 Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I.
\u2022 WMIL \u2013 Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
\u2022 WSIX \u2013 Nashville, Tenn.
\u2022 WUBE \u2013 Cincinnati, Ohio
\u2022 WWKA \u2013 Orlando, Fla.<\/p>\n

\n\tMedium Market
\u2022 KUZZ \u2013 Bakersfield, Calif.
\u2022 WHKO \u2013 Dayton, Ohio
\u2022 WIVK \u2013 Knoxville, Tenn.
\u2022 WLFP \u2013 Memphis, Tenn.
\u2022 WQMX \u2013 Akron, Ohio<\/p>\n

\n\tSmall Market
\u2022 KATI \u2013 Columbia, Mo.
\u2022 KCLR \u2013 Columbia, Mo.
\u2022 WCOW \u2013 La Crosse, Wis.
\u2022 WKML \u2013 Fayetteville, N.C.
\u2022 WXBQ \u2013 Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tLainey Wilson at the Variety Hitmakers Brunch held at nya West on December 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores\/Variety via Getty Images)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tVariety via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tElla Langley at the 60th Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the Ford Center at The Star on May 8, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGilbert Flores for Variety<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tMegan Moroney at the 60th Academy Of Country Music Awards held at the Ford Center at The Star on May 08, 2025 in Frisco, Texas.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Buckner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If contemporary country music still has a woman problem \u2014 and many observers would strongly avow that it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10208,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[430,12732,12733,156,12734,12735,111,139,69,12736],"class_list":{"0":"post-10207","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-celebrities","9":"tag-cma-awards","10":"tag-ella-langley","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-lainey-wilson","13":"tag-megan-moroney","14":"tag-new-zealand","15":"tag-newzealand","16":"tag-nz","17":"tag-zach-top"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10207"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10207\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10208"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10207"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10207"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}