Awards

Reba McEntire brought the house down — and almost burnt it down, too — with the final performance of the night at the 2024 ACM Awards Thursday night (May 16), singing a blazing rendition of her new single “I Can’t.”

Joined by a stunning choir of gospel singers, the 69-year-old singer — who also served as the night’s host — passionately belted the lyrics to her latest track while staring down the camera, her red hair matching the curtain of pyrotechnic flames that sprung to life behind her. “I can’t row you across right now, I’m too busy building a bridge,” she sang. “I can’t throw a line right now, I’m too busy trying to live.”

The performance earned a standing ovation from Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton and more stars in the audience at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. Before exiting the stage, the country icon also announced that she’d be returning to host the 2025 ACMs.

The show comes just over a week after McEntire debuted “I Can’t” on The Voice, on which she’s currently serving her second season as a coach.

This year’s ceremony was produced by Dick Clark Productions and streamed live by Prime Video. Its other performers included Lainey Wilson — who later on won entertainer of the year — Jelly Roll, Post Malone, Dua Lipa with Chris Stapleton, Thomas Rhett, Jason Aldean and more.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

Nate Smith brought his latest hit, “Bulletproof,” the 2024 ACM Awards stage on Thursday night (May 16), calling on Avril Lavigne to join him on the live debut of their remix.

“Been takin’ these shots, shots, shots/ 80, 90, everything they’ve got/ But the whiskey don’t kill like it’s supposed to do/ Baby, your memory must be bulletproof,” the duo sang in the chorus of the high-energy track, as they were backed by a full live band.

“She’s my absolute home slice,” Smith told Billboard of Lavigne on the red carpet ahead of the event, which was produced by Dick Clark Productions. “Avril has amazing energy. Both of our energies are really great. We’re really great friends, we like to drink white wine, we like to attempt to skateboard.”

He continued that the duo are also working on original music together: “She’s just the coolest person and so real, and she lives in the moment in every way. I love that about her.”

It was an exciting evening for Smith, who also took home new male artist of the year at the ceremony. Earlier this week, he received the rookie of the year honor at Billboard‘s Country Power Players event.

Other performers for this year’s 2024 ACM Awards included Jason Aldean; Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; Kane Brown; Jelly Roll; Cody Johnson; Miranda Lambert; Post Malone; Parker McCollum; Reba McEntire; Thomas Rhett; Nate Smith featuring Avril Lavigne; Chris Stapleton; and Lainey Wilson.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

Lainey Wilson took home the prestigious entertainer of the year honors at the 2024 ACM Awards, produced by Dick Clark, which took place at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, TX on Thursday night (May 16).

After enjoying a laugh at their own expense by noting that they had won the award 40 years earlier, country greats Alabama presented the award to an overwhelmed-looking Wilson. “These past few years for us has just been a complete whirlwind,” raved the Billboard cover star, clearly choking back tears. “I’ve been in Nashville 13 years doing this.”

She want on to tell the crowd about a memory from her childhood: “I remember being a little girl, and climbing out on the top of the roof,” she began. “I’d count all the stars, and I’d see the planes flying over our town of 200 people, and I’d dream of being up in one of those planes.” She continued: “The funny thing is I still feel like that little girl … I still look at the stars, but I’m a little more eye-level with them now.”

The win was Wilson’s third of the night, after she also took home female artist of the year and event of the year earlier in the evening, the latter for her Jelly Roll duet “Save Me.” She also kicked off the awards with a cover of Little Texas’ “God Blessed Texas” that transitioned into her own “Hang Tight Honey.”

It was Wilson’s first time ever being nominated in the entertainer of the year category — making her the first winner to triumph in their first nomination since Thomas Rhett, when he shared the honors with Carrie Underwood in 2020.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

Post Malone‘s country era is in full swing. At Thursday night’s Dick Clark Productions-produced ACM Awards (May 16), the pop superstar fully immersed himself in the country world with a double-header performance of his new country music.

Posty began his set with the live performance debut of a currently unreleased song that will presumably appear on his forthcoming country album. “It’s a long lost highway,” he forlornly crooned over somber guitars and percussion. At the end of the song, Posty noted that no one had ever heard the song before.

As soon as he made that remark, he launched into a rendition of his current smash hit “I Had Some Help.” Although the track features an assist from country music superstar Morgan Wallen, the “Last Night” singer elected to sit out tonight’s performance. Regardless, Posty rocked the crowd, offering up both a ballad and a party song for the ACM Awards audience.

“I Had Some Help” is expected to make its Billboard Hot 100 debut next week. The jaunty duet has already reached No. 18 on Country Airplay and No. 40 on Adult Top 40. Posty and Wallen’s link-up is the latest top-shelf collaboration for the “Circles” singer. Earlier this year he joined forces with Beyoncé for Cowboy Carter fan-favorite “Levii’s Jeans,” which reached No. 16 on the Hot 100. A few weeks later, he debuted atop the chart with his new Taylor Swift duet “Fortnight,” which served as the lead single from her chart-smashing Tortured Poets Department LP.

Malone’s performance undoubtedly enamored the crowd, with host Reba McEntire inviting him to join her in an impromptu duet of The Allman Brothers Band‘s “Ramblin’ Man” in honor of the late Dickey Betts.

Though Posty is still awaiting his first ACM Awards nomination, his “I Had Some Help” duet partner boasts the most nominations at this year’s ceremony. At the 2024 ACM Awards, Wallen notched six bids, including entertainer of the year.

Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson don’t need any saving, ’cause they just took home music event of the year at the 2024 ACM Awards. The duo accepted the prize together Thursday night (May 16) onstage at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, with the “Son of a Sinner” singer giving one of his signature emotional speeches as his duet partner looked on with pride.

Wilson kicked off the acceptance speech by promising to keep it short and simple, as she knew that Jelly was about “to preach” when it came to his turn at the microphone. But she did take a moment to thank the Tennessee native for featuring her on the track, which appears on Jelly’s 2023 album Whitsitt Chapel, and peaked at No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November.

As the “Need a Favor” artist stepped up to the mic, his wife, podcaster Bunnie XO, was visibly emotional as she watched him from her seat in the audience. “This song saved me,” he told the crowd with tears in his eyes. “I was in a dark place. I thought I would die and go to jail, and I’m standing here today an ACM Awards winner.”

Wilson and Jelly first premiered “Save Me” at the 2023 ACM Awards. This year, they both performed separately, with the former opening the show with her new song “Hang Tight Honey” shortly before the latter brought the heat with “Liar.”

Both stars are also nominated for entertainer of the year at the 2024 awards, which are hosted by Reba McEntire and produced by Dick Clark Productions.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

After being named Record Breaker Award at Billboard‘s Country Power Players, Lainey Wilson notched another win on Thursday night (May 16) at the 2024 ACM Awards for female artist of the year.

Jumping on the stage at The Star in Frisco, Texas, Lainey Wilson — dressed head-to-toe in an all-red cowboy getup — immediately shared her joy at receiving the award from country music icon Reba McEntire. “Reba just gave me this thing!” she exclaimed.

In accepting the award, the recent Billboard cover star took the time to give flowers to her fellow nominees Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley McBryde, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves, as well as all of the other pioneering women in the country genre who helped her get to where she is today. “I just wanna take a minute and talk about the women in country music,” she said. “A lot of the women who were in the category specifically are some of my best friends.”

Along with thanking her label, Wilson thanked Wynona Judd, who she said “gives me devotionals every week,” before calling on the women in the audience to continue supporting one another. “We gotta do this more for each other,” she said. “Iron sharpens iron.”

The singer was also nominated for entertainer of the year, song of the year and music event of the year, which she won shortly after for her collaboration with Jelly Roll, “Save Me.”

The show was produced by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.

There goes Chris Stapleton riding off into the sunset with yet another addition to his awards mantle. At Thursday night’s ACM Awards (May 16), which are produced by Dick Clark Productions, the country superstar took home male artist of the year.

Nominated alongside fellow country hitmakers Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson and Morgan Wallen, Stapleton earned his third career triumph in this category. He boasts nine total nominations for male artist of the year, including victories in 2016, 2018 and 2022. In his acceptance speech, Stapleton gave a sweet shoutout to his mother, who is unfortunately “under the weather.”

On Wednesday (May 15), Stapleton was announced as the winner of artist-songwriter of the year, beating out Wallen, Zach Bryan, Ernest and HARDY. The “Tennesee Whiskey” singer is nominated in two other categories at the 2024 ACM Awards: album of the year for 2023’s Higher and entertainer of the year. Stapleton won the latter category last year.

Higher debuted atop Country Albums late last year (chart dated Nob. 25, 2023), marking his fifth consecutive chart-topper on that ranking. Stapleton introduced the set with Grammy-winning lead single “White Horse,” which reached No. 5 on Hot Country Songs and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, his highest peak as a lead artist. Follow-up single “I Think I’m In Love With You” reached No. 20 on Hot Country Songs.

With his triumph this year, a different artist has won male artist of the year each year of the 2020s. Combs triumphed in 2020, Thomas Rhett followed in 2021, Stapleton reigned in 2022 and Wallen took home the trophy in 2023.

DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a Penske Media Corporation (PMC) subsidiary and joint venture between PMC and Eldridge. PMC is the parent company of Billboard.