The 59th Annual ACM Awards will take place Thursday (May 11th) with a star-studded cast of nominees, performers and presenters.
Presenters include Jordan Davis (who has four nominations), as well as Little Big Town, Alabama, BRELAND, Tyler Cameron, Sara Evans, Carin León, Ashley McBryde, Dion and Rozene Pride, Noah Reid, Richard Sherman, Charissa Thompson, Randy Travis and Clay Walker
Previously announced performers include Chris Stapleton, Parker McCollum, host Reba McEntire, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Kane Brown and Jason Aldean. Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne, Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani will also perform.
The reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Chris Stapleton has five nods, including one for Entertainer of the Year, as well as his ninth consecutive nomination for Male Artist of the Year, an award he’s won three times in the past. Chris is also up for Album of the Year (Higher – Artist & Producer nominations) and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Morgane Stapleton receives her first nomination as a producer on her husband Chris Stapleton’s album Higher.
Jordan Davis earns four nominations, including Single of the Year (“Next Thing You Know”), Song of the Year (“Next Thing You Know” – Artist & Songwriter nominations) and Visual Media of the Year (“Next Thing You Know”).
Parker McCollum is nominated for a pair of awards, including Single of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “Burn It Down.”
Brothers Osborne’s nomination for Duo of the Year marks their 17th ACM nomination and the tenth year in a row being nominated for ACM Duo of the Year, an award the pair has brought home four times, including last year.
Kacey Musgraves’ two nominations this year brings her total nominations count to 27, including eight nominations for Female Artist of the Year. She won the award in 2018, the same year she won Album of the Year for Golden Hour. She is nominated for Female Artist of the Year and Music Event of the Year (“I Remember Everything” w/ Zach Bryan).
Little Big Town receives its 18th nomination for Group of the Year, which ties the group for the all-time record of 18 nominations for Group of the Year held by Alabama. Little Big Town has been nominated in the category every year since 2005, with the exception of 2011.
Maddie & Tae are nominated for Duo of the Year, along with Brothers Osborne and The War And Treaty.
Kassi Ashton and Kylie Morgan have earned their first ACM nomination, which is for New Female Artist of the Year.
Eric Church is nominated for Music Event of the Year for “Man Made A Bar,” along with Morgan Wallen.
The ACM Country Kickoff at The Star features performances from nearly every ACM New Artist nominee this year, including Kassi Ashton, Kylie Morgan, Ashley Cooke, Hannah Ellis, Kameron Marlowe, Megan Moroney, Neon Union, Restless Road, Dylan Scott, Conner Smith, Nate Smith, and Tigirlily Gold. More artists are set to hit the Carhartt Stage in Frisco on Tuesday (May 14th) and Wednesday (May 15th), including Chayce Beckham, Annie Bosko, Tyler Braden, Tiera Kennedy, Jenna Paulette, Alana Springsteen, Matt Stell, and more.
There will also be special performances on Tuesday (May 14th) night starting at 8pm CT for Live From the ACM Awards: ACM New Artist Winners Celebration, where the New Artists of the Year category winners for the ACM Awards will be revealed. Country Heat Weekly Podcast hosts Kelly Sutton and Amber Anderson will emcee the show, which will air live on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
Another event leading up to Thursday night’s (May 16th) ACM Awards, Parker McCollum will serve as the headliner for the ACM Lifting Lives LIVE, presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, the tentpole fundraising event of ACM Awards Week, which brings together artists, industry members, and fans for an all-star concert. The event will take place on the golfing green at Topgolf The Colony on May 15th.
In its second year in Texas, Parker McCollum and Friends: ACM Lifting Lives LIVE, which will also feature performances by Jordan Davis, among others, will raise money and awareness for ACM Lifting Lives, which works to improve lives through the power of music with a specific focus on health-related initiatives that use music therapy as a way of healing.
The 59th Annual ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will stream live from Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas on May 16th at 8pm ET/7pm CT/5pm PT on Prime Video. You can also catch the official red carpet coverage on Prime Video, the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch and P, the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch and Amazon Live, starting at 7pm ET/6pm CT/4pm PT.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Kane Brown
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Ashley McBryde
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Maddie & Tae
- The War And Treaty
GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Flatland Cavalry
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Old Dominion
- Zac Brown Band
NEW FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Kassi Ashton
- Ashley Cooke
- Hannah Ellis
- Kylie Morgan
- Megan Moroney
NEW MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- ERNEST
- Kameron Marlowe
- Dylan Scott
- Conner Smith
- Nate Smith
NEW DUO OR GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Neon Union
- Restless Road
- Tigirlily Gold
ALBUM OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Gettin’ Old – Luke Combs
Producer: Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs
Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
Higher – Chris Stapleton
Producer: Chris Stapleton, Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton
Record Company-Label: Mercury Nashville
Leather – Cody Johnson
Producers: Trent Willmon
Record Company-Label: CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville LLC
One Thing At A Time – Morgan Wallen
Producers: Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good) – Kelsea Ballerini
Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym
Record Company-Label: Black River Entertainment
SINGLE OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Burn It Down – Parker McCollum
Producer: Jon Randall
Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
Fast Car – Luke Combs
Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton
Record Company-Label: River House Artists / Columbia Nashville
Last Night – Morgan Wallen
Producer: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Republic Records / Mercury Records
Need A Favor – Jelly Roll
Producer: Austin Nivarel
Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Producer: Paul DiGiovanni
Record Company-Label: MCA Nashville
SONG OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Songwriter(s)/Publisher(s)/Artist(s)]
Fast Car – Luke Combs
Songwriters: Tracy Chapman
Publishers: Purple Rabbit
Heart Like A Truck – Lainey Wilson
Songwriters: Dallas Wilson, Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson
Publishers: Sony / ATV Countryside; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music
Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Songwriters: Chase McGill, Greylan James, Jordan Davis, Josh Osborne
Publishers: Family Farm Songs; Hold On Can I Get A Number 1 Music; Songs of Universal Inc.
The Painter – Cody Johnson
Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins
Publishers: Big Music Machine; BMG Platinum Songs US; Nashblonde Music; Pompano Run Music; Songs for Ellie May; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Group; Well That Was Awkward Music
Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney
Songwriters: Ben Williams, David Fanning, Megan Moroney, Paul Jenkins
Publishers: 33 Creative; Bone Bone Creative; Sony / ATV Tree Publishing
MUSIC EVENT OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Artist(s)/Producer(s)/Record Company–Label(s)]
Can’t Break Up Now – Old Dominion, Megan Moroney
Producers: Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Ross Copperman, Kristian Bush
Record Company-Label: Three Up Three Down, LLC / Columbia Nashville
Different ‘Round Here – Riley Green (Ft. Luke Combs)
Producer: Dann Huff
Record Company-Label: BMLG Records
I Remember Everything – Zach Bryan (feat. Kacey Musgraves)
Producer: Zach Bryan
Record Company-Label: Belting Bronco Records / Warner Records, Inc
Man Made A Bar – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church)
Producer: Joey Moi
Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records / Mercury Records / Republic Records
Save Me – Jelly Roll (with Lainey Wilson)
Producers: Zach Crowell, David Ray Stevens
Record Company-Label: Stoney Creek Records / BMG Nashville
VISUAL MEDIA OF THE YEAR [Awarded to Producer(s)/Director(s)/Artist(s)]
Burn It Down – Parker McCollum
Producers: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
Human – Cody Johnson
Producer: Christen Pinkston &Wesley Stebbins-Perry
Director: Dustin Haney
In Your Love – Tyler Childers
Producer: Kacie Barton, Whitney Wolanin, Nicholas Robespierre, Ian Thorton, Silas House
Director: Bryan Schlam
Next Thing You Know – Jordan Davis
Producer: Jamie Stratakis
Director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
Tennessee Orange – Megan Moroney
Producer: Lauren Starr, Saul Levitz, Laura Burhenn
Director: Jason Lester
ARTIST-SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR
- Zach Bryan
- ERNEST
- HARDY
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
Chris Stapleton (Higher album) OC: …on this record. :56
“One thing that’s probably notable about the record to me is it’s the first one that we’ve put out that doesn’t contain a cover, so there’s no covers on this record. So, in that way, I guess you could say it should be more intrinsically whatever we do. So, there’s definitely some exploration of the edges of what that is, and certainly some moments of stretching out vocally and trying to see what that is. There’s some different stuff on this record, I think, and I think it’s really great. I think it’s something that people will enjoy. I think there’s something on it for everybody, which is kind of always my goal. If you’re a kind of a hardcore traditional country person, there’s a song on there for that somewhere. If you leaned into more of the R&B side of what we do, there’s stuff on there for that. If you like the rock side of things that we do, there’s stuff on there for that. And there’s some really great songs on here. I’m excited about the songs on this record.”
Jordan Davis (2024) OC: …shakes out. :32
“So, when I actually found out that I was nominated, I was driving to rehearsals and I totally forgot that the nominations were coming out that morning, and I looked down and I had 18 text messages, and I was like, ‘Oh, I must’ve gotten nominated.’ (laughs) So, I wasn’t expecting it, I really wasn’t. I mean, I love that song to death. There’s a lot of amazing songs out this year, so I truly just started calling people and saying thank you and already looking forward to being down in Dallas and seeing how this thing shakes out.”
Jordan Davis (awards nominations) OC: …a song acknowledged. :38
“Nominations are truly wins. I don’t think any of us really do it for awards. They’re definitely special, but yeah, to be acknowledged by the ACMs for having a song up for Song of the Year, to me, I just go back to watching the ACMs with my family and seeing that award every year and now here I am for a chance to be up there, and I don’t know. It’s just kind of full circle. So, for me, it shows how special country music is, these award shows, but also too, it makes you feel like you’re doing something right enough to get a song acknowledged.”
Jordan Davis (WMWSA song) OC: …any faster. :47
“It’s special because of what the song means to me. A lot of the messages, a lot of the comments I get on this are that there’s a spot for everybody on this – married, unmarried, engaged, grandparent, expecting a baby for the first time – there’s a spot for you in it. I’m hoping, that in all honesty, I think where I wrote the song from was you know being a touring musician and being gone for half the year and even in four years of having a kid, I’ve already missed a lot of stuff. I hope that that slows down, or at least I’m able to kinda really cherish some of the moments that I’m at home. So, aybe that’s it. Maybe it’s just seeing people slow down a little bit and realize that time’s moving fast and we don’t need to make it move any faster.”
Brothers Osborne (ACM 2023 win) OC: …very grateful for that. :52
JOHN: “You know, it’s absolutely crazy. I mean, the best way for us to stay grounded is when it happens…it’s a blur on stage. You know, you have an idea of what you’re going to say, it never comes out right. And then, I walked backstage, and we get a million texts from friends, my wife, from family and stuff like that, and it reminds you constantly of where you came from and the journey that you took. There will be a day where we won’t even be nominated, and that’s okay. The reality is nothing is permanent, and we’re fortunately in a position now where we can kind of swim and bask in the glory of something, and that being this country music community has lifted us on their shoulders for years now, and we’d be nothing without them and I’m very grateful for that.”
Parker McCollum (Burn It Down video) OC: …turned out great. :38
“Man, the video was pretty easy, actually. I talked to Dustin, the director, and I was like, ‘Man, I feel like wherever we are, we’re just blowing stuff up and so let’s go blow some stuff up and burn it down.’ And he had a great vision out there in New Mexico. We were in the desert, I mean, the desert, desert. You couldn’t, it was like the ocean, but sand; the middle of the ocean but sand. And it was actually really cold in the morning, then it got really hot at night and then the smoke and the fire and they’re wanting me to walk through it over and over, take after take after take. I’m walking through like this chemical burning black smoke. I’m like this is really risking it for a music video, but it turned out great.”
Maddie & Tae (Duo nomination) OC: (MADDIE) …super fun. :24
“Having that nomination was like, ‘Oh, wow, our peers still feel like we’re doing something special and do still believe in us.’ And that was like a really nice like spirit lifter where we were like, ‘Omigosh. We are doing something right, and we’re making music that people are enjoying,’ and that was just a huge, huge compliment. And we’re nominated with some of our favorite people in the industry, so super fun.”
LBT (ACM first award) OC: (KAREN) …so much fun. :24
JIMI: “The ACM Awards – is that the first?” KAREN: “The first award we ever won? Yeah. We won New Vocal Group. (KIMBERLY: “Yup.”) I can’t even remember what year that was.” KIMBERLY: “I was pregnant. It was 2007.” KAREN: “That’s right. That’s right ‘cause you bounced all the way up. We were like, don’t go into labor.” (LAUGHS) KIMBERLY: “That was our first award ever!” KAREN: “Very special, and this awards show is always like so much fun.”
The War and Treaty (ACM 2023 nomination) OC: (Tanya) …country music. 1:13
“Hey everybody! I’m Tanya, and I’m Michael, and we’re The War and Treaty. (Michael) This morning, April 13th, we woke up and to be able to see Bobby Bones do the nominations for the ACMS ad get to the category of Duo of the Year, and we were just callin’ ‘em out. We were like, ‘Brooks & Dunn,’ ‘Dan + Shay,’ and we were like ‘Brothers Osborne,’ Brothers Osborne, yes! Dan + Shay, Dan + Shay, and we was like, ‘Yes.’ We were like, ‘Maddie & Tae,’ we was like ‘Yes,’ and then time slowed down. They were like The War and Treaty. And honestly, we burst into tears, we screamed, we yelled, we high-fived, we hugged our manager, Christina. In our minds then traveled back in time and forward. We traveled to Charly Pride, DeFord Bailey and Ray Charles, and we were like, ‘I hope they’re seeing this wherever they are, and I hope they’re dancing and high-fiving as well. Thank you, ACMs.” TANYA: “Thank you so much to the ACMs and everybody who’s nominated and all of our peers in country music.”
Kylie Morgan (ACM 2024 reaction) OC: …so excited. :19
“I truly still can’t believe that this is actually happening. I’ve been watching the ACMs since I was a little girl, just watching all of my heroes win awards and walk down the red carpet. And the fact that I am now one of those people just absolutely blows my mind and I’m just so thankful and so excited.”