59th Annual Country Music Association Awards

59th Annual Country Music Association Awards
Date	November 19, 2025
Location	Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Hosted by	Lainey Wilson
Most nominations	Ella Langley Megan Moroney Lainey Wilson (6 each)
Television/radio coverage
Network	ABC, Hulu
←  58th  · CMA

The 59th Annual Country Music Association Awards will be held today on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The ceremony will be broadcast live on ABC and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu. ^[1] CMA award winner and six-time nominee this year, Lainey Wilson, will host the ceremony. ^{[2] [3]}

The most nominated artists are Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, and Lainey Wilson with six each. ^[4]

Background

On September 30, CMA announced that Wilson will return as host for the ceremony, but for the first time as a solo host. ^[5] It is only the third time that the CMA Awards have had a solo female host, following Dolly Parton in 1988, and Reba McEntire in 1991.

On November 10, the association announced that eighteen-time CMA award winner and country legend, Vince Gill, would receive the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. A statement by the CMA chief executive officer Sarah Trahern read “Vince embodies the very best of what country music stands for,” Sarah Trahern, CMA chief executive officer, said in a statement. “He’s a true trailblazer, one who gives back to the community, honors the roots of our genre, and even now continues to share his talent with fans across the globe. As a Country Music Hall of Fame member, 18-time CMA Award winner, and former 12-time CMA Awards host, he remains a vibrant force in our industry, and we’re honored to celebrate an artist whose influence is so deeply woven into the fabric of our format.” ^[6]

Winners and nominees

Nominations were announced on Monday, September 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM/CT via livestream on CMA's official Facebook and YouTube channel. ^[7] The eligibility period for the nominees was July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. ^[8] The winners and nominees are voted on by "over 7,000 Professional voting members" of the Country Music Association.

Entertainer of the Year	Album of the Year
Lainey Wilson Luke Combs Cody Johnson Chris Stapleton Morgan Wallen	Whirlwind — Lainey Wilson Am I Okay? — Megan Moroney Cold Beer & Country Music — Zach Top F-1 Trillion — Post Malone I'm the Problem — Morgan Wallen
Male Vocalist of the Year	Female Vocalist of the Year
Cody Johnson Luke Combs Chris Stapleton Zach Top Morgan Wallen	Lainey Wilson Kelsea Ballerini Miranda Lambert Ella Langley Megan Moroney
Vocal Group of the Year	Vocal Duo of the Year
The Red Clay Strays Lady A Little Big Town Old Dominion Rascal Flatts	Brooks & Dunn Brothers Osborne Dan + Shay Maddie & Tae The War and Treaty
Single of the Year	Song of the Year
"You Look Like You Love Me" — Ella Langley (ft. Riley Green) "4x4xU" — Lainey Wilson "Ain't No Love In Oklahoma" — Luke Combs "Am I Okay?" — Megan Moroney "I Never Lie" — Zach Top	"You Look Like You Love Me" — Aaron Raitiere, Ella Langley , Riley Green "4x4xU" — Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson "Am I Okay?" — Megan Moroney, Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird "I Never Lie" — Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols, Zach Top "Texas" — Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Kyle Sturrock, Lalo Guzman
New Artist of the Year	Musician of the Year
Zach Top Ella Langley Shaboozey Tucker Wetmore Stephen Wilson Jr.	Paul Franklin, steel guitar Jenee Fleenor, fiddle Brent Mason, guitar Rob McNelley, guitar Derek Wells, guitar
Music Video of the Year	Musical Event of the Year
"You Look Like You Love Me" — Ella Langley (ft. Riley Green) "Am I Okay?" — Megan Moroney "I'm Gonna Love You" — Cody Johnson (ft. Carrie Underwood) "Somewhere Over Laredo" — Lainey Wilson "Think I'm in Love with You" — Chris Stapleton	"Pour Me A Drink" — Post Malone (ft. Blake Shelton) "Don't Mind If I Do" — Riley Green (ft. Ella Langley) "Hard Fought Hallelujah" — Brandon Lake (feat. Jelly Roll) "I'm Gonna Love You" — Cody Johnson (ft. Carrie Underwood) "You Had To Be There" — Megan Moroney (ft. Kenny Chesney)
Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
Vince Gill

International Awards

The international winners were announced on November 14, 2025. ^[9]

International Artist Achievement Award	Global Country Artist Award	Live Music Advancement Award
Morgan Wallen	Cameron Whitcomb	Shannon Saunders

Performances

Performer(s)	Song(s)
Luke Combs	"Back In The Saddle"
Lainey Wilson	Hosting Monologue Medley "White Horse" "Hillbilly Deluxe" "You Look Like You Love Me" "Redneck Woman" "Need You Now" "Gunpowder and Lead" "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" "Girl Crush" (with Little Big Town) "Where The Blacktop Ends" (with Keith Urban)
Zach Top	"Guitar"
Megan Moroney	"6 Months Later"
Chris Stapleton	"Bad As I Used To Be"
Kelsea Ballerini	"I Sit In Parks"
The Red Clay Strays	"People Hatin'"
Stephen Wilson Jr.	"Stand By Me"
Kenny Chesney	"American Kids" "When the Sun Goes Down"
Old Dominion	"Break Up with Him" "Memory Lane" "One Man Band" "Hotel Key" "Snapback"
Shaboozey Stephen Wilson Jr.	"Took A Walk"
Lainey Wilson	"Ring Finger"
Miranda Lambert Chris Stapleton	"A Song to Sing"
Riley Green	"Worst Way"
Ella Langley	"Choosin' Texas"
Tucker Wetmore	"Wind Up Missin' You"
Brandi Carlile Patty Loveless	Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award honoring Vince Gill "When I Call Your Name"
BigXthaPlug Luke Combs	"Pray Hard"

Presenters

Presenter(s)	Notes
Billy Ray Cyrus and Elizabeth Hurley	Presented Single of the Year
Leanne Morgan	Introduced Zach Top
Gretchen Wilson and Ne-Yo	Presented Vocal Duo of the Year
LeAnn Rimes, Chris O’Donnell, and Jessica Capshaw	Presented New Artist of the Year
Billy Bob Thornton	Introduced The Red Clay Strays
Kimberly Perry and Grace Van Patten	Presented Song of The Year
Bailey Zimmerman	Introduced Old Dominion
Steve Martin and Alison Brown	Presented Album of the Year
Bert Kreischer	Introduced Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr.
Jordan Davis and Lauren Daigle	Presented Vocal Group of the Year
Cody Johnson	Introduced Lainey Wilson
Alan Ritchson	Introduced Riley Green
Brandon Lake and Lara Spencer	Presented Male Vocalist of the Year
George Strait	Presented Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award to Vince Gill
Lady A	Presented Female Vocalist of the Year
Keith Urban	Presented Entertainer of the Year

Milestones

• Brooks & Dunn became the most awarded act in CMA history, with their 16th "Vocal Duo of the Year" win, and 20th overall.
• Lainey Wilson became the third woman to win Female Vocalist of the Year four years in a row (previously accomplished by Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire).
• Miranda Lambert and Reba McEntire are tied with the most Female Vocalist of the Year nominations all-time with 18.
• This is only the third ceremony to have multiple women leading the nominations. It happened previously in 2013 (Kacey Musgraves and Taylor Swift) and 1986 (The Judds, Reba McEntire).

References

1. Stace, Madi (2025-05-13). ""The 59th Annual CMA Awards" Returns To Nashville's Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 19". CMA Awards. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
2. mmyers (2025-09-30). "Lainey Wilson Returns To Host "The 59th Annual CMA Awards"". CMA Awards. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
3. Blistein, Jon (2025-09-30). "Lainey Wilson to Host 2025 CMA Awards". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
4. France, Lisa Respers (September 8, 2025). "CMA nominations led by Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson". CNN . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
5. Dowling, Marcus K. "Lainey Wilson to host 2025 CMA Awards as women take country music spotlight". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
6. Willman, Chris (2025-11-10). "Vince Gill to Receive Lifetime Achievement Honor at CMA Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2025-11-10.
7. Newman, Melinda (September 8, 2025). "2025 CMA Awards Nominations: Snubs & Surprises". Billboard . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
8. Nicholson, Jessica (2025-08-05). "Here's When The 2025 CMA Awards Nominations Will Be Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-09-07.
9. "THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION HONORS GLOBAL ARTISTS AND LEADERS WITH 2025 CMA INTERNATIONAL AWARDS". 14 November 2025.