Posted in: ABC, Hulu, TV | Tagged: CMA Awards, CMAs

CMA Awards Viewing Guide: Nominees, Performers, Music Tracks & More

Kicking off at 8 pm ET on ABC, here's your viewing guide to the CMA Awards 2025: nominees, presenters, performers, music tracks, and more.

Tonight, the Country Music Association and ABC roll out the 59th Annual CMA Awards to honor the best and brightest that Country Music has to offer this past year. But before nine-time CMA Award winner Lainey Wilson takes the stage as the host of the star-studded event, we have a complete "pregame" preview waiting for you below. We're talking about when and where you can check out the festivities, info on the red carpet and TikTok coverage, a rundown of the night's presenters, performers, and special guests, a look at the list of nominees, and some cool extras to help set the mood.

UPDATE: Early on Wednesday morning, the winners for "Musical Event of the Year" and "Music Video of the Year" were announced, and we have updated the information in our rundown of nominees below.

How Can I Watch the 59th Annual CMA Awards? Broadcasting live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville tonight from 8-11 pm EST, the awards show will be available to watch on ABC and the next day on Hulu. If you're looking for streaming options, consider DirecTV, Sling TV, Fubo, and Hulu + Live TV.

Who Are the Presenters/Special Guests During the 59th Annual CMA Awards? Lady A, Alison Brown, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Jordan Davis, Elizabeth Hurley, Cody Johnson, Bert Kreischer, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley, Steve Martin, Leanne Morgan, NE-YO, Chris O'Donnell, Kimberly Perry, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Ritchson, Lara Spencer, Billy Bob Thornton, Grace Van Patten, Gretchen Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman.

Who's Set to Perform During the 59th Annual CMA Awards? As of this writing, Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Chris Stapleton, BigXThaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr, Keith Urban, and Little Big Town.

What's the Deal with "CMA Awards Backstage Live"?  CMA Awards Backstage Live is a second-screen experience hosted by Country artist Lauren Alaina (@laurenalaina) and HaleyyBaylee (@haleyybaylee) live on CMA's TikTok channel (@countrymusicassociation). It will take viewers behind the scenes at Bridgestone Arena during the CMA Awards broadcast. CMA will go live multiple times on TikTok, starting at the red carpet and wrapping up after the last trophy is handed out, featuring interviews with artists and celebrities, real-time reactions from winners, and all the action that happens throughout the night.

How Do I Follow the 59th Annual CMA Awards on Social Media? To keep up on what's going down, head on over to CMAawards.com, subscribe to emails, and follow CMA on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, and X (using #CMAawards).

Will There Be a Red Carpet Preshow for the 59th Annual CMA Awards? On the Red Carpet Live at the CMA Awards will feature live pre-show coverage of this year's CMA Awards outside of Nashville's Bridgestone Arena. Streaming on Hulu and OnTheRedCarpet.com, beginning at 5 pm EST, ABC7/WABC-TV New York's Joelle Gargiulo, ABC7/WLS-TV Chicago's Ryan Chiaverini, and fashion expert Roshumba Williams report from the red carpet, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at this year's awards, as well as interviews with many of this year's CMA Awards nominees and hottest stars. Coverage will stream on CMAAwards.com, OnTheRedCarpet.com, and ABC Owned Television Stations' 32 connected TV apps across streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, and Roku (coverage will also be simulcast from 5-8 pm EST of "On The Red Carpet" on linear across ABC affiliates (check local listings).

The 59th Annual CMA Awards: Final Nominees

Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, and Lainey Wilson top the list with six nominations each, while other top nominees include Zach Top with five nominations, and Riley Green and Cody Johnson with four nominations each. Kristian Bush, Carson Chamberlain, Luke Combs, Charlie Handsome, Chris Stapleton, and Morgan Wallen each secure three nominations. Vying for the night's highest honor, CMA Entertainer of the Year, are Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson. First-time CMA Awards nominees include Johnny Clawson, Jon Decious, Jessie Jo Dillon, Josh Dorr, Alexandra Gavillet, Lalo Guzman, Jimmy Harnen, Brandon Lake, Micah Nichols, John Park, Aaron Raitiere, Matt Rovey, Kyle Sturrock, Wales Toney, Tucker Wetmore, and Stephen Wilson Jr.

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR

• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson

SINGLE OF THE YEAR – Award goes to Artist(s), Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)

• "4x4xU" – Lainey Wilson
  • Producer: Jay Joyce
  • Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
• "Ain't No Love In Oklahoma" – Luke Combs
  • Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
  • Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews
• "Am I Okay?" – Megan Moroney
  • Producer: Kristian Bush
  • Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank
• "I Never Lie" – Zach Top
  • Producer: Carson Chamberlain
  • Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey
• "you look like you love me" – Ella Langley & Riley Green
  • Producer: Will Bundy
  • Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley

ALBUM OF THE YEAR – Award goes to Artist, Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s)

• Am I Okay? – Megan Moroney
  • Producer: Kristian Bush
  • Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank
• Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
  • Producer: Carson Chamberlain
  • Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey
• F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
  • Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins
  • Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore
• I'm The Problem – Morgan Wallen
  • Producers: Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi
  • Mix Engineers: Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi
• Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
  • Producer: Jay Joyce
  • Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce

SONG OF THE YEAR – Award goes to Songwriter(s)

• "4x4xU"
  • Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson
• "Am I Okay?"
  • Songwriters: Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird, Megan Moroney
• "I Never Lie"
  • Songwriters: Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols, Zach Top
• "Texas"
  • Songwriters: Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Lalo Guzman, Kyle Sturrock
• "you look like you love me"
  • Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere

FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Kelsea Ballerini
• Miranda Lambert
• Ella Langley
• Megan Moroney
• Lainey Wilson

MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR

• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Chris Stapleton
• Zach Top
• Morgan Wallen

VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR

• Lady A
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• Rascal Flatts
• The Red Clay Strays

VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR

• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Maddie & Tae
• The War And Treaty

MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR – Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)

• "Don't Mind If I Do" – Riley Green (featuring Ella Langley)
  • Producers: Scott Borchetta, Jimmy Harnen, Dann Huff
• "Hard Fought Hallelujah" – Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
  • Producer: Micah Nichols
• "I'm Gonna Love You" – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
  • Producer: Trent Willmon
• "Pour Me A Drink" – Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton)
  • Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome
• "You Had To Be There" – Megan Moroney (feat. Kenny Chesney)
  • Producer: Kristian Bush

MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR

• Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
• Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
• Brent Mason – Guitar
• Rob McNelley – Guitar
• Derek Wells – Guitar

MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR – Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s)

• "Am I Okay?" – Megan Moroney
  • Directors: Alexandra Gavillet, Megan Moroney
• "I'm Gonna Love You" – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
  • Director: Dustin Haney
• "Somewhere Over Laredo" – Lainey Wilson
  • Director: TK McKamy
• "Think I'm In Love With You" – Chris Stapleton
  • Director: Running Bear
• "you look like you love me" – Ella Langley & Riley Green
  • Directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR

• Ella Langley
• Shaboozey
• Zach Top
• Tucker Wetmore
• Stephen Wilson Jr.

2025 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS – FINALISTS FOR BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR:

Weekly National

• "Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton" (Lon Helton) – LH Productions
• "The Country Top 40 with Fitz" (Cory "Fitz" Fitzner) – Hubbard Broadcasting
• "The Original Country Gold" (Rowdy Yates) – Syndicated Media
• "Today's Country Radio" (Kelleigh Bannen) – Apple Music Radio
• "Y'all Access with Kelly Sutton" (Kelly Sutton) – Compass Media Group

Daily National

• "Big D & Bubba" ("Big D" Derek Haskins, "Bubba" Sean Powell, Carsen Humphreville, Jonathan Shaffer, and Garrett Freche) – Silverfish Media
• "Highway Mornings with Cody Alan" (Cody Alan and Lauryn Snapp) – SiriusXM
• "Ridin' With Rowdy" (Rowdy Yates) – SuiteRadio / RFC Media
• "The Rob and Holly Show" (Rob Stone and Holly Hutton) – Audacy
• "Wilhite and Wall Show" (Darren Wilhite and Tim Wall) – Ebert Productions

Major Market

• "Chris Carr & Company" (Chris Carr, Sam Sansevere, and "Dubs" Michael Wilczynski) – KEEY, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
• "Hawkeye and Michelle" ("Hawkeye" Mark Louis Rybczyk and Michelle Rodriguez) – KSCS, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• "The Lo Show" (Lauren "Lo" Barker) – KKBQ, Houston, Texas
• "Rachel Ryan" (Rachel Ryan) – KSCS, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• "The Scotty Kay Show" (Scotty Kay) – WUSN, Chicago, Ill.

Large Market

• "Deb & Matt in the Morning" (Deborah Honeycutt and Matt Malone) – WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.
• "The Q Morning Crew w/ Mike & Amanda" (Mike Wheless and Amanda Daughtry) – WQDR, Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
• "Scott and Shannen" (Scott Dolphin and "Shannen O" Oesterreich) – WMIL, Milwaukee, Wis.
• "Tim & Chelsea" (Tim Leary and Chelsea Taylor) – WIRK, West Palm Beach-Boca Raton, Fla.
• "Wayne D and Tay" ("Wayne D" Danielson and Tay Hamilton) – WSIX, Nashville, Tenn.

Medium Market

• "The Doc Show with Chewy" (Ken "Doc" Medek and Sean "Chewy" Medek) – WGGY, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa.
• "Ellis and Bradley Show" (Bill Ellis and Beth Bradley) – WSSL, Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.
• "Joey & Nancy" (Joey Tack, Nancy Barger, and Karly Duggan) – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
• "Mo & StyckMan" (Melissa "Mo" Wagner and Greg "StyckMan" Owens) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.
• "Spencer Graves Show" (Spencer Graves, Megan Terry, and Blair Davis) – WDXB, Birmingham, Ala.

Small Market

• "Ben & Arnie" (Ben Butler and Arnie Andrews) – WCOW, La Crosse, Wis.
• "Brent Lane and The Cat Pak Morning Show" (Brent Lane and Jordan Glass) – WYCT, Pensacola, Fla.
• "Dan Austin Show" (Dan Austin) – WQHK, Fort Wayne, Ind.
• "Hilley & Hart" (Kevin Hilley and Erin Hart) – KATI, Columbia, Mo.
• "Liz & Scotty in the Morning" (Liz Del Grosso and Scotty Cox) – KCLR, Columbia, Mo.

2025 CMA BROADCAST AWARDS – FINALISTS FOR RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR:

Major Market

• KKBQ – Houston, Texas
• KSCS – Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• KYGO – Denver-Boulder, Colo.
• WUSN – Chicago, Ill.
• WXTU – Philadelphia, Pa.

Large Market

• WCTK – Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I.
• WMIL – Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
• WSIX – Nashville, Tenn.
• WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio
• WWKA – Orlando, Fla.

Medium Market

• KUZZ – Bakersfield, Calif.
• WHKO – Dayton, Ohio
• WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn.
• WLFP – Memphis, Tenn.
• WQMX – Akron, Ohio

Small Market

• KATI – Columbia, Mo.
• KCLR – Columbia, Mo.
• WCOW – La Crosse, Wis.
• WKML – Fayetteville, N.C.
• WXBQ – Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, Tenn.-Va.

What Can You Tell Me About the CMA Awards? First held in 1967, the CMA Awards is the longest-running, annual music awards program on network television. Each year, the show honors outstanding achievement in Country Music—celebrating the artists, songwriters, musicians, and industry professionals whose work has shaped the genre. Winners and nominees are determined by CMA's Professional voting membership, reflecting the voices of their peers across the industry. The professional services organization, Deloitte, tabulates all balloting.

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