ACM Awards

Heading into Thursday night’s (May 8) 2025 ACM Awards, country rookie Ella Langley leads the nominations pack with a whopping eight nods — and she picked up three prizes before the show even started. But we’ll have to wait and see who will emerge from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, the night’s biggest winner after tonight’s Prime Video livestream, starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Langley is followed by Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson with seven nominations; Chris Stapleton with six; Langley’s “you look like you love me” duet partner Riley Green and Post Malone with five; and Kelsea Ballerini with four, including her first nod for entertainer of the year.

You can follow along with Billboard all night as we update our ACM Awards winners list live below:

Entertainer of the Year

    Kelsea Ballerini

    Luke Combs

    Cody Johnson

    Jelly Roll

    Chris Stapleton

    Morgan Wallen

    Lainey Wilson

Female Artist of the Year

    Kelsea Ballerini

    Ella Langley

    Megan Moroney

    Kacey Musgraves

    Lainey Wilson

Male Artist of the Year

    Luke Combs

    Cody Johnson

    Jelly Roll

    Chris Stapleton

    Morgan Wallen

Duo of the Year

    Brooks & Dunn 

    Brothers Osborne 

    Dan + Shay 

    Muscadine Bloodline

    The War and Treaty

Group of the Year

    Flatland Cavalry

    Little Big Town 

    Old Dominion 

    Rascal Flatts

    The Red Clay Strays

New Female Artist of the Year

    Kassi Ashton

    Ashley Cooke

    Dasha

    WINNER: Ella Langley

    Jessie Murph

New Male Artist of the Year

    Gavin Adcock

    Shaboozey

    WINNER: Zach Top

    Tucker Wetmore

    Bailey Zimmerman

New Duo or Group of the Year

    Restless Road

    WINNER: The Red Clay Strays

    Treaty Oak Revival

Album of the Year

Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)

    Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney; producer: Kristian Bush; Columbia Records / Sony Music Nashville

    Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll; producers: BazeXX, Brock Berryhill, Zach Crowell, Devin Dawson, Charlie Handsome, Ben Johnson, mgk, The Monsters & Strangerz, Austin Nivarel, SlimXX, Ryan Tedder, Isaiah Tejada, Alysa Vanderheym; BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Republic Records

    Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top; producer: Carson Chamberlain; Leo33

    F-1 Trillion – Post Malone; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records

    Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jay Joyce; BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville

Single of the Year

Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)

    “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey; producers: Sean Cook, Nevin Sastry; American Dogwood / EMPIRE

    “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; producer: Trent Willmon; CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville

    “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records

    “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton; producers: Dave Cobb, Chris Stapleton, Morgane Stapleton; Mercury Nashville

    “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Will Bundy; SAWGOD / Columbia Records

Song of the Year

Awarded to songwriter(s)/publisher(s)/artist(s)

    “4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson; songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson; publishers: Louisiana Lady; One Tooth Productions; Reservoir 416; Songs of One Riot Music; Sony/ATV Accent

    “The Architect” – Kacey Musgraves; songwriters: Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne; publishers: Songs for Indy and Owl; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing

    “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; songwriter: Josh Phillips; publishers: Warner-Tamerlane Publishing; Write or Die Music; Write the Lightning Publishing

    “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters, Ryan Vojtesak; publishers: Bell Ear Publishing; Master of my Domain Music; Poppy’s Picks; Sony/ATV Cross Keys Publishing; Universal Music Corporation

    “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere; publishers: Back 40 Publishing International; Langley Publishing; One Tooth Productions; Sony/ATV Tree; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp

Music Event of the Year

Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)

    “Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan; producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym; Black River Entertainment

    “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records

    “I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producer: Trent Willmon; CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville

    “we don’t fight anymore” – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton; producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce; Big Machine Records

    “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Will Bundy; SAWGOD / Columbia Records

Visual Media of the Year

Awarded to producer(s)/director(s)/artist(s)

    “4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jennifer Ansell; director: Dano Cerny

    “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson; producer: Dustin Haney; director: Dustin Haney

    “I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; director: Dustin Haney

    “Think I’m In Love With You” – Chris Stapleton; producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis; director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)

    WINNER: “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Alex Pescosta; directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney

Artist-Songwriter of the Year

    Luke Combs

    ERNEST

    HARDY

    Morgan Wallen

    WINNER: Lainey Wilson

Songwriter of the Year

    Jessi Alexander

    WINNER: Jessie Jo Dillon

    Ashley Gorley

    Chase McGill

    Josh Osborne

Producer of the Year

    Dave Cobb

    Ian Fitchuk

    Charlie Handsome

    Jon Randall

    Alysa Vanderheym

Audio Engineer of the Year

    Brandon Bell

    Drew Bollman

    Josh Ditty

    Buckley Miller

    F. Reid Shippen

Bass Player of the Year

    J.T. Cure

    Mark Hill

    Rachel Loy

    Tony Lucido

    Craig Young

Drummer of the Year

    Fred Eltringham

    Tommy Harden

    Evan Hutchings

    Aaron Sterling

    Nir Z

Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year

    Tim Galloway

    Todd Lombardo

    Mac McAnally

    Bryan Sutton

    Ilya Toshinskiy

Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year

    Dave Cohen

    Ian Fitchuk

    Billy Justineau

    Gordon Mote

    Alex Wright

Specialty Instrument Player of the Year

    Dan Dugmore

    Jenee Fleenor

    Josh Matheny

    Justin Schipper

    Kristin Wilkinson

Electric Guitar Player of the Year

    Kris Donegan

    Jedd Hughes

    Brent Mason

    Sol Philcox-Littlefield

    Derek Wells

Casino of the Year – Theater

    Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, S.D.

    Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, Conn.

    Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee, N.C.

    The Theater at Virgin Hotels – Las Vegas, Nev.

    Yaamava’ Theater – Highland, Calif.

Casino of the Year – Arena

    Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, La.

    Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, N.J.

    Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, Nev.

    Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, Minn.

    Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, N.Y.

Festival of the Year

    C2C Country to Country – London

    CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland

    Stagecoach Festival – Indio, Calif.

    Two Step Inn – Georgetown, Tex.

    Windy City Smokeout – Chicago

Fair/Rodeo of the Year

    Calgary Stampede – Calgary, Alberta

    California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, Calif.

    Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, Wy.

    Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, Minn.

    Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston

Club of the Year

    Billy Bob’s Texas – Fort Worth, Tex.

    Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville

    Cain’s Ballroom – Tulsa, Okla.

    Georgia Theatre – Athens, Ga.

    Joe’s on Weed St. – Chicago

Theater of the Year

    The Caverns – Pelham, Tenn.

    MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston

    The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia

    The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, Wisc.

    Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, Tenn.

Outdoor Venue of the Year

    BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, N.H.

    CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center – Canandaigua, N.Y.

    Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, Fla.

    The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, Ala.

    Whitewater Amphitheater – New Braunfels, Tex.

Arena of the Year

    Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Tex.

    Moody Center – Austin, Tex.

    TD Garden – Boston

    Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center – Knoxville, Tenn.

    Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mich.

Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year

    Deana Baker

    Bobby Clay

    Gil Cunningham

    Weston Hebert

    Stacy Vee

    Taylor Williamson

Promoter of the Year

    Brent Fedrizzi

    Alex Maxwell

    Patrick McDill

    Anna-Sophie Mertens

    Rich Schaefer

    Aaron Spalding

The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

When Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys hit the stage at the ACM Awards on Thursday night, look for their medley to contain a few surprises. “We close out with ‘Thriller,’” bassist/singer Jay DeMarcus jokes to Billboard.
Maybe not, but they will sing a combo of BSB and Rascal Flatts hits with the two groups relying on their trademark harmonies. Rascal Flatts guitarist/vocalist Joe Don Rooney had nothing but praise for their new duet partners following rehearsal.

“They’re just such great singers and their melodies are so good,” he tells Billboard. “They know how to stack them. It’s like a wall of vocals. It’s really, really cool and really an amazing, powerful sound.”

Trending on Billboard

The medley will include “What Hurts the Most,” Rascal Flatts’ 2006 Hot Country Songs No. 1 that the Backstreet Boys perform with the trio on Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets, a June 6 collection of remakes of Rascal Flatts’ most-loved hits that pairs the trio with such artists as Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, as well as Jonas Brothers on their new single “I Dare You.”

Rascal Flatts came back following a five-year hiatus for their 25th-anniversary tour, which kicked off a few months ago and lasts through the summer. Following the break, they admit it took them a little while to get their sea legs back. “It took me a couple of weekends,” DeMarcus says. “Definitely the first weekend I got out there, I was winded, and I was like, ‘I gotta get my show legs back.’ My back hurt.”

“He’s like, ‘Are you guys sore at all?’” lead singer Gary LeVox adds.

As the trio revisits their hits in concert, some have taken on new meaning as the years have passed.  “When we cut ‘My Wish,’ I didn’t have kids, so now that my kids are 13 and 15, it means a whole different thing to me now when I sing that song,” DeMarcus says. “I think that for all of us, different seasons of life make different songs mean different things.”

“I think what really did it for me was ‘Bless the Broken Road,’” LeVox says. “It’s a moment in the show where just the three of us are up there. It’s a special moment in the show.”

For Rooney, it’s “I’m Moving On.” “It’s very special to me and has taken on a new life in my life. I’ve been through a lot the last five years,” says Rooney, who has been sober for three years after being arrested for DUI in 2021 and going through a contentious divorce. “These guys said, ‘Get out there and sing “I’m Moving On” by yourself.’ It’s been tough. The first couple of weekends, I was extremely nervous, but it’s very heartfelt. I mean everything I say and I just really thank God so much for my life I have right now.”

Their Backstreet Boy pals are set for a Las Vegas residency at Sphere coming up in July, and Rascal Flatts admit that sounds pretty sweet to them. “We’ve had a couple of [Las Vegas] residencies. We were three years at the Hard Rock, two at the Venetian,” LeVox says. “Setting up one time is really nice. That’s really convenient.”

“I wasn’t allowed back in Vegas for a couple of years. I think they’ve lifted that now,” jokes DeMarcus before seriously adding of Sphere dates, “I think anybody would want to play there, you know. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s a whole other thing for us. You have to spend so much time putting creative into building the show and making sure all the content fits. It’s very expensive to build all the content.”

Rascal Flatts, who are up for group of the year at the ACM Awards for the first time since 2017, are coy when it comes to saying if they plan to release an album of new music.

“We’re trying to take it a step at a time,” DeMarcus says. “We’ve just kind of been thrown back into the deep end, but we really loved being on tour. We really loved cutting the duets record. We’re going to do some more shows this summer, and we’re still talking about what the future looks like. We’re really excited about what lies ahead for us, but we really haven’t made any definite plans yet. I would hate to say never. If we find the right kind of song and we feel compelled to cut it, we have the freedom to do that. So you never know what’s gonna happen.”