NEW YORK — Rising star Ella Langley has emerged as a leading contender for the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards, securing an impressive eight nominations. As a first-time nominee, Langley is recognized in categories such as female artist of the year and female new artist. Strikingly, Beyoncé’s acclaimed album “Cowboy Carter,” which triumphed at the Grammy Awards for both album of the year and country album of the year, was notably absent from the nominations. Additionally, Miranda Lambert’s “Postcards from Texas” did not receive a nomination.
The nominations for the prestigious 60th annual ACM Awards were announced on Thursday. The highly anticipated event is slated for May 8 at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, just outside of Dallas. Hosting the event once more will be Reba McEntire, known for her dynamic and engaging presence.
A significant portion of Langley’s nominations is attributed to her hit collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green. This song is contending for several awards, including single of the year, song of the year as both an artist and songwriter, music event of the year, and visual media of the year as an artist and director.
Close on Langley’s heels are Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Morgan Wallen, each securing seven nominations. Chris Stapleton garners six nominations, while Riley Green and Post Malone each receive five. Contending for the illustrious entertainer of the year title alongside Langley are Johnson, Wilson, Wallen, Stapleton, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, and Jelly Roll.
Wilson claimed the entertainer of the year honor last year, joining a select group of women who have won the accolade. Miranda Lambert was the recipient in 2022, and the previous year saw a historic tie between Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett. Underwood’s win marked a milestone as she was the first woman to achieve this since Taylor Swift in 2012.
A win for Luke Combs in the entertainer category would mean he achieves the elusive ACMs’ Triple Crown Award, recognizing career wins across entertainer of the year, new artist (male, female, duo, or group), and artist (male, female, duo, or group) categories.
In a notable shift from past controversies, Wallen earned six nominations last year. This marks a significant turn from 2021 when he was declared ineligible following a racial slur incident. Subsequently, he received four nominations in both 2022 and 2023.
Contending for album of the year are Megan Moroney’s “Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine),” Wilson’s “Whirlwind,” Jelly Roll’s “Beautifully Broken,” Zach Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music,” and Post Malone’s “F-1 Trillion.” The single of the year category sees Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” against Johnson’s “Dirt Cheap,” Malone and Wallen’s “I Had Some Help,” Stapleton’s “White Horse,” and Langley and Green’s “You Look Like You Love Me.”
Beyond Langley, this year’s exciting newcomers include first-time nominees Gavin Adcock, Dasha, Noah Kahan, Jessie Murph, Muscadine Bloodline, Shaboozey, Zach Top, The Red Clay Strays, Treaty Oak Revival, and Tucker Wetmore.
The 2025 ACM Awards will be available for live streaming on Prime Video as well as the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 8 p.m. EDT on May 8. This provides fans a chance to witness the celebration of country music’s brightest talents.