One of the biggest nights in country music is just around the corner.
The Academy of Country Music Awards will return for their 60th annual ceremony on May 8, honoring the accomplishments of the year’s top country music artists.
The show will take place live from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas and stream on Prime Video.
Ella Langley leads the pack with eight nominations and is followed by Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Riley Green, Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini and Luke Combs.
The night’s top honor is the entertainer of the year, but we’re here to break down who could take another coveted award, the female artist of the year.
Who is nominated for ACM female artist of the year?
2025 ACM female artist of the year nominees include Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney.
Last year, Lainey Wilson took home the award.
Here’s who could take home the award this year and their accomplishments throughout 2024.
Lainey Wilson
Last year, the 32-year-old Louisiana native released her Grammy-nominated album “Whirlwind,” embarked on worldwide tour, and appeared on the fifth season of “Yellowstone.”
It’s been a big year for the “Watermelon Moonshine” singer personally, too. She got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, Devlin “Duck” Hodges, and opened her Nashville bar, Bell Bottoms Up.
At last year’s ACM’s, Wilson took home both the female artist of the year award and the night’s top honor, entertainer of the year.
Kacey Musgraves
In 2024, the “Golden Hour” singer released her sixth studio album, “Deeper Well.“
The 36-year-old Texas-born artist embarked on her “Deeper Well World Tour” in April, hitting the road with acts including Madi Diaz, Father John Misty, Nickel Creek, and Lord Huron.
She performed her song “The Architect” at the 2024 CMA Awards, which won her a Grammy for best country song at the 67th annual awards ceremony.
Ella Langley
Ella Langley, this year’s top ACM-nominated performer, had a breakout 2024.
Her song “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green climbed the charts and earned the 25-year-old Alabama artist her first CMA Award for musical event of the year.
She released her debut record “Hungover” in August and embarked on her very first headlining tour, “The Hungover Tour.” In November, Langley released “Still Hungover,” an extended version of her first record.
Megan Moroney
Over the past year, Megan Moroney’s climb to country stardom has only gained momentum.
The 27-year-old Georgia native released her second album “Am I Okay?” and opened for Kenny Chesney on tour.
She earned a CMA Award for the new artist of the year and hit the stage at both the CMA Awards and the Billboard Music Awards. Moroney kicked off her “Am I Okay? Tour” in March, which brought her to Nashville’s The Pinnacle for two nights in April.
Kelsea Ballerini
Last year, Kelsea Ballerini released “Patterns,” her fifth studio album. The record included her hit with singer-songwriter Noah Kahan, “Cowboys Don’t Cry,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award.
The 31-year-old Tennessee artist hosted the CMT Music Awards and performed at the 2024 CMA Awards, where she was nominated in the female vocalist of the year category.
In November, Ballerini made her acting debut on the ABC TV show “Doctor Odyssey,” where she played a “bridezilla.”
In January, Ballerini hit the stage at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on her “Patterns Tour.” Ballerini also recently joined the vocal competition show “The Voice” as a coach.
To stay up to date with the ACM Awards, visit acmcountry.com.
Audrey Gibbs is a music reporter with The Tennessean. You can reach her at agibbs@tennessean.com.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content
