Awards
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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.”
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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.”
Who will be the big winner at Thursday night’s (May 8) 60th annual ACM Awards in Frisco, Texas?
Ella Langley leads the pack this year with eight nominations, and she’s already picked up two wins prior to the ceremony, earning new female artist of the year and visual media of the year (for the music video clip for “You Look Like You Love Me,” her hit collab with Riley Green).
Cody Johnson, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson follow with seven nominations apiece, while Chris Stapleton earned six. Green and Post Malone earned five nominations each.
Kelsea Ballerini, who has four total nominations, aims to earn her first entertainer of the year win. Elsewhere, Rascal Flatts returns to the group of the year category, after last being nominated in 2017. Meanwhile, Muscadine Bloodline picked up their first nomination in the duo of the year category, while Flatland Cavalry and The Red Clay Strays both vie for the group of the year honor.
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Zach Top and The Red Clay Strays are two other early winners, with Top earning new male artist of the year, and The Red Clay Strays picking up the new duo/group of the year accolade.
Reba McEntire will host the ACM Awards for an 18th time, with the show streaming live on Prime Video from the Ford Center at The Star. The ACM Awards will stream beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The eligibility period for the 60th ACM Awards was Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2024.
Below, Billboard offers picks on who will likely take home this year’s trophies in key categories:
Entertainer of the year
Kelsea Ballerini
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
Wilson is the reigning ACM EOY winner and looks to defend her crown this year, while every artist nominated in this category has had a stellar year marked by No. 1 hits, sold-out tours (either domestically or internationally), and/or numerous media looks. Alongside Wilson, Combs, Ballerini and Johnson all released new albums, with Ballerini celebrating her first project to debut atop Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart. Over the past year, Jelly Roll not only spearheaded a sold-out arena tour, but also earned his first all-genre Billboard 200 chart-topping album (Beautifully Broken), while releasing hits including “Liar” and “I Am Not Okay,” and continuing to charm fans and fellow artists alike with his charismatic personality. And Stapleton continued on his headlining All-American Roadshow tour and earned a top 15 Country Airplay hit with “Think I’m in Love With You.”
Meanwhile, Wallen wrapped his massive One Night at a Time Tour — a stadium-headlining trek that drew audiences both domestically and internationally — in 2024, as he continued to send hits (“Love Somebody,” Post Malone collab “I Had Some Help”) to the Hot 100’s pinnacle. All of those achievements could be enough to push Wallen into the winner’s circle.
Winner Prediction: Morgan Wallen
Female artist of the year
Kelsea Ballerini
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Kacey Musgraves
Lainey Wilson
Wilson looks to extend her current two-year reign as the winner in this field, while Musgraves could earn her second W in the category (she previously won in 2019). Ballerini, Langley and Moroney are each hoping to earn their first win in the category, as each has seen her career soar to new heights this year. With a headlining arena tour and a debut atop the Top Country Albums chart this year with Patterns, it is likely Ballerini could notch a win in this category.
Winner Prediction: Kelsea Ballerini
Male artist of the year
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Stapleton is a four-time winner in this category, while his fellow stadium headliners Wallen and Combs are each looking to earn a second win (Wallen previously won in 2023, while Combs won in 2020). Johnson and Jelly Roll each could pick up their first wins in the category. While Jelly Roll’s reputation as a multi-faceted star continues to surge, and Johnson continues earning top hits with neo-traditional songs such as “Dirt Cheap,” Stapleton is a long-time favorite in the category and could emerge triumphant again this year.
Winner Prediction: Chris Stapleton
Duo of the Year
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Muscadine Bloodline
The War and Treaty
Brooks & Dunn have been on a roll this year thanks to their headlining Neon Moon Tour, and their 2024 project Reboot II, which teamed the duo with fellow country hitmakers like Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll. Brothers Osborne released the EP Break Mine, The War and Treaty issued the Plus One project and reigning category winners Dan+Shay released their first Christmas album over the past year. Meanwhile, indie duo Muscadine Bloodline earns its first ACM nomination. Still, it will be hard to beat out Brooks & Dunn, who are vying for a record-extending 17th win in the category.
Winner Prediction: Brooks & Dunn
Group of the Year
Flatland Cavalry
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
Rascal Flatts came roaring back into the spotlight this year, reuniting for a headlining tour and announcing its collaborations album, which finds the group teaming with artists including Kelly Clarkson and The Backstreet Boys. Little Big Town celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and also issued a Christmas album last year and teamed with Sugarland for a co-headlining tour. Reigning category winners Old Dominion also embarked upon its How Good Is That World Tour. Meanwhile, Flatland Cavalry picks up its second nomination in the category, and “Wondering Why” hitmakers The Red Clay Strays earn its first. Despite the newer blood in the field, look for Rascal Flatts to potentially return to the winners circle.
Winner prediction: Rascal Flatts
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
Each of the albums nominated for album of the year embodies the artistic vision of the artist and fellow creatives who crafted them, each with their own unique sound. “Emo cowgirl” Moroney continued issuing signature songs such as “Am I Okay?” and “No Caller ID,” while Zach Top played a key role in bringing ’80s and ’90s-inspired country music back into vogue with his debut album. Post Malone teamed with numerous fellow country artists for his debut country set F-1 Trillion, earning a Billboard 200 No. 1 debut with the project. Jelly Roll scored his own Billboard 200 chart-topper with his latest album, Beautifully Broken, spearheaded by songs including “I Am Not Okay” and “Liar,” while Wilson kept her Whirlwind career swirling with her Jay Joyce-produced album, which featured “Hang Tight Honey” and “4x4xU.”
Still, Jelly Roll’s project has further spurred his reputation as a genre-fluid hitmaker who has proven an inspiration for scores of fans — and likely makes him the favorite in this category.
Winner Prediction: Beautifully Broken
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
This category has tender ballads and chart-dominating hits, as well as enduring collabs. Johnson released one of the most endearing songs of the year with “Dirt Cheap,” while Stapleton offered a potent reminder of his country-rock bona fides with “White Horse.” Meanwhile, Langley and Green gave their careers a mighty boost with their flirty collab “You Look Like You Love Me.” Wallen and Post Malone combined their star power for a four-week Country Airplay chart-topper, which became a ubiquitous 2024 summer anthem. Meanwhile, Shaboozey’s runaway smash became a record-tying 19-week Billboard Hot 100-topper, while also spending 43 weeks atop the Hot Country Songs chart and seven weeks atop Country Airplay.
Winner prediction: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
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
The song of the year category has a mix of hit collabs and heart-tugging, introspective ballads. This category tends to honor songcraft over hit status. Johnson’s Leather album picked up album of the year at November’s CMA Awards, so look for the album’s “Dirt Cheap” to likely pick up a song of the year win.
Winner prediction: “Dirt Cheap”
The first time Reba McEntire heard “Trailblazer,” she cried. So did Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert as they wrote it.
The star trio are debuting the emotional, mid-tempo ballad about thanking those who came before them — and lifting up those who come after — at the ACM Awards tomorrow (May 8). The song will be available on all streaming services at 8 p.m. E.T. Thursday.
Wilson and Lambert wrote the song with Brandy Clark on Lambert’s back porch, specifically as a song that the pair and McEntire could sing together.
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“We were like, ‘OK, we’re going to do a song with Reba — what kind of song do we write?” recalls Lambert on Wednesday after rehearsals at The Star in Frisco, Texas, in the only interview the three artists are doing together. “We were calling her on the set [of sitcom Happy’s Place] and trying to figure out, ‘What’s the right message for this trio? What do we really want to say in three minutes?’”
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They decided they wanted a country song that talked about influences —the song namechecks “Dolly and Loretta, Patsy and Tammy, too”— and how to pass it down. “We were just having a conversation about how both [Lambert and McEntire] have influenced me and [about] passing the torch and blazing trails for each other,” says Wilson, who came up with the title. “Generation after generation, it’s going to continue, but we got to keep blazing those trails for the next one.”
It was also important to drop some Easter eggs into the song that tied back to each artist. For example, the lyrics include “Kerosene,” the title of one of Lambert’s biggest hits, and also talk about being from Louisiana, Wilson’s home state, and Oklahoma, where McEntire grew up.
“We wanted to lean in pretty hard to paying tribute to each person,” Lambert says. “We had to do it strategically though, because we didn’t want it to be so blatant — but more like a secret thing that you would have to listen to it twice.”
But they still needed to keep the song’s appeal universal and beyond music. “I remember thinking that this could be a song that a grandmother and a daughter and a grandchild could listen to,” Wilson says. “And not just about the history of country music… If we’re not thinking about the people that we’re singing to then they’re not going to be able to relate.”
The song came together quickly and felt, Wilson says, divinely inspired. “When you’re writing a song and you get that like feeling, it’s like the Holy Spirit feeling. And you just feel it all over your body. Definitely had that.”
Wilson, Lambert and Clark had butterflies when they sent it to McEntire, but they needn’t have worried. “I remember listening to it in the dressing room. I couldn’t find a flaw in it, not a word,” McEntire says. “It was that great. I was very emotional when I heard it.” The three recorded it together in Nashville with McEntire and her longtime producer Tony Brown co-producing.
Another overarching theme in the song is friendship and the three have clearly cultivated close ties. They giggle conspiratorially when they talk about their group text. “We can’t tell you what’s in it,” Lambert says. “It’s off-color.”
Their relationship exists in a way that McEntire says couldn’t have when she was coming up, in part because of technology.
“There’s something different totally in these generations than the earlier generations, mainly because of the social aspect,” McEntire says. “We’ve got texting, we’ve got emails, communication at our fingertips, and we didn’t have that starting out. And I like it that things are more approachable. When I was getting started, I wouldn’t have even thought about talking to Dolly when she walked by me in 1977. I was brand new. She was a huge, mega, beautiful star. And I don’t know if it’s confidence that’s totally different, but I had [my musical heroes] all up on this pedestal where you can’t touch, you can’t talk. Now, we’re more friends and it’s a family. It’s totally different, and I like it this way.”
The three stress their friendship and McEntire says that is another big takeaway from “Trailblazer.” “We’ve got that camaraderie; we’ve got that helpful nature. If somebody needs something, the others come in to help. That’s very important. A lot of people think it’s backstabbing and so competitive. There’s enough room in this business — and all businesses — for everybody to be successful. We’ve just got to help each other and share what we’ve gone through and say what didn’t work. ‘Now here’s what did work. Maybe it will work for you.’”
There’s a line in the song about paying tribute to those who “gave me a seat at the table.” “One of the very first people to give me a seat at the table was that one right over there,” Wilson says, looking at Lambert. “She made me feel like I was welcome, and like she was my cheerleader. I think a lot of times people like to pit women against each other, and I think we’re just proving otherwise.”
That group text isn’t all about jokes: It provides a tremendous support system. “Sometimes you need someone to talk to when you’re so exhausted,” Wilson says, looking at McEntire. “I know I texted you one timem and you told me, ‘Sometimes I have to get up [on stage] and sing for a different reason. Sing for my sister. Sing for whomever it is.’ I remember those things when I’m on stage and feel like I can’t do it anymore.”
“I remember at the end of one of my long Vegas runs, I texted you,” Lambert says also looking at McEntire. “I was like, ‘I’m crying getting ready. Just wanted to let you know. It’s one of those tiring days.’ And I feel like I’m not alone in that, because they’ve been there.”
When they sing “Trailblazer” tomorrow on the ACM Awards, they will be singing it for more than themselves. “It’s not about us,” Lambert says. “It’s about what the song means to little girls out there watching, or anyone out there watching that really has a dream or needs to be surrounded by people they love, and needs a little nudge to know they’re not alone.”
And there will hopefully be more coming. When asked if “Trailblazer” is their last collaboration, McEntire says “No, ma’am” before the question is even finished. “I love singing with these gals. They’re a lot of fun. They’re great singers. Our harmonies blend so well. So why not?”
The ACM Awards stream live on Amazon Prime Video May 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The 2025 ACM Awards are almost upon us. Hosted by 16-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire, the show will stream live for a global audience on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT/5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. The show will be expanded from two to two-and-a-half hours.
The show will open with 12 straight minutes of music highlighting ACM Award-winning song of the year winners from across six decades. The segment will feature Clint Black, Dan + Shay, LeAnn Rimes, McEntire, Sugarland and Wynonna Judd. Four of those artists popularized songs that won ACM Awards for song of the year, so you’re very likely to hear these songs in that medley: Dan + Shay’s “Tequila,” The Judds’ “Why Not Me,” Rimes’ “Blue” and Sugarland’s “Stay.”
The show will also feature collaborative performances by Jelly Roll & Shaboozey; Backstreet Boys & Rascal Flatts; and Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson. Jelly and Shaboozey performed together at last month’s Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. Backstreet Boys were also on the bill for the three-day country festival.
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Keith Urban will finally receive the ACM Triple Crown Award, which he clinched in 2019 when he was named entertainer of the year (having won new male artist of the year in 2001 and male artist of the year in 2005-06). The ACM had somehow never actually presented him with the award, and it is going all out this year. Chris Stapleton, Megan Moroney and Brothers Osborne will perform Urban hits in the segment.
This will be the 18th time McEntire has hosted or co-hosted the ACM Awards. She first co-hosted the show in 1986 with John Schneider and the late Mac Davis. McEntire is fast closing in on Bob Hope’s record as the most frequent host of any major awards show. Hope hosted or co-hosted the Oscars 19 times between 1940 and 1978.
Other performers include Ella Langley and Zach Top, who have already been announced as the winners of new female and male artist of the year.
The ACM also announced presenters on the show, most of whom are top country stars past and present. Other presenters include music legend and American Idol judge Lionel Richie, actress/singer Rita Wilson, NASCAR driver Chase Elliott and Amazon Music’s co-hosts of the Country Heat Weekly podcast Amber Anderson and Kelly Sutton.
Broadcaster Bobby Bones has also been added to the program. The five-time ACM winner will have multiple moments throughout the show in which he conducts artist interviews.
Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner of the 2025 ACM Awards, with Patrick Menton as co-executive producer. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for Dick Clark Productions. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
Established in 1966, the Academy of Country Music Awards is the longest-running country music awards show. The ACMs made history in 2022 as the first major awards ceremony to exclusively livestream, in collaboration with Prime Video. Carnival Cruise Line is the presenting sponsor of this year’s show.
Here’s the full list of performers and presenters for the 2025 ACM Awards
Opening Segment
Clint Black
Dan + Shay
LeAnn Rimes
Sugarland
Reba McEntire
Wynonna Judd
Keith Urban Triple Crown Award Segment
Brothers Osborne
Chris Stapleton
Megan Moroney
Collaborations
Backstreet Boys & Rascal Flatts
Brooks & Dunn with Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll & Shaboozey
Other Performers
Alan Jackson
Blake Shelton
Brothers Osborne
Chris Stapleton
Ella Langley
Eric Church
Kelsea Ballerini
Lainey Wilson
Megan Moroney
Miranda Lambert
Zach Top
Amber Anderson & Kelly Sutton
Blake Shelton
Carly Pearce
Chase Elliott
Clint Black
Crystal Gayle
ERNEST
Gabby Barrett
Gretchen Wilson
Lee Ann Womack
Jordan Davis
Lionel Richie
Little Big Town
Martina McBride
Parker McCollum
Riley Green
Rita Wilson
Sara Evans
Sugarland
The Oak Ridge Boys
Wynonna Judd
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.
The U.K.’s Mercury Prize is planning a major shake-up for 2025’s ceremony with a new location and date.
The 2025 ceremony will take place in Newcastle, England, at the city’s Utilita Arena; it will be the first time that the awards have ever taken place outside of London. The event will take place on Oct. 16 at the 15,800-capacity venue, a month later than its traditional spot in mid-September.
The Mercury Prize was first held in 1992 and is annually awarded to what its judging panel deems the best album by an act from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Primal Scream’s Screamadelica was the event’s first winner, and in the subsequent years, it was collected by a number of huge acts such as Pulp (1995), PJ Harvey (2001, 2011), Arctic Monkeys (2006), The xx (2010), Dave (2019) and more. The most recent winners were Leeds indie band English Teacher, who scooped the prize with debut album This Could Be Texas in 2024.
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The event has traditionally been held at London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith with an array of performances from the shortlisted artists. 2024’s event, however, was relatively pared back and did not feature a public ceremony or performances; the winner was announced at the capital’s Abbey Road Studios. In 2022, the ceremony was postponed just hours before the event was due to take place due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
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The Mercury Prize will partner with Newcastle City Council and The North East Combined Authority to host the event, and tickets will be available to the general public via AXS.
Albums released between July 13, 2024 and Aug. 29, 2025 (inclusive), will be considered eligible for entry, with submissions due to open on June 4 and close on June 25. The 12-strong shortlist will be announced on Sept. 10 and selected by a panel of industry figures; 2024’s judging committee included Billboard U.K.’s Sophie Williams.
The award show will be broadcast across BBC Music, and a number of fringe events will take place around the event in conjunction with Newcastle’s Generator music festival. A press release says that the award show will feature live performances from “many of the 12 shortlisted artists” prior to the winner being announced.
It’s the latest awards event to favor hosting its ceremony in the north east of England, following on from the 2025 MOBOs (Music of Black Origin), which also took place at the Utilita Arena back in February. The city’s Mayor Kim McGuinness said, “Bringing the Mercury Prize to the north east is yet another fantastic accolade that builds on our proud cultural history and strengthens our reputation as a region of culture.”
“The success of artists like Sam Fender shows what is possible for young musicians in our region and hosting the Mercury Prize in the north east gives us the opportunity to showcase our homegrown talent.”
The Golden Globes will have a new category at its 2026 show: best podcast of the year. The top 25 podcasts will qualify for the award; there will be six nominees in the category. Full eligibility criteria and additional details will be announced in coming weeks. The 83rd Golden Globes are set for Sunday, Jan. […]
The Latin Alternative Music Conference will honor a group of 20 women in the 2025 LAMC Wonder Women of Latin Music program. The list features a wide-ranging group, including journalists, publicists and executives from multiple areas of the music business that will be recognized in partnership with Amazon Music. Now in its sixth edition, the […]
He’s here to answer all your questions about how the Rock Hall works.
If the Academy of Country Music Awards were a game show, the music event of the year honor would be the bonus round.
Appearing in that category on the ballot can make a huge difference in the top nomination totals, and the 60th annual awards — slated to be presented May 8 in Frisco, Texas — are a prime example. Three of the top four nominees — Ella Langley, with eight nominations; Cody Johnson, with seven; and Morgan Wallen, also with seven — had their totals boosted as finalists for music event. That’s also true for seven of the top eight nominees.
In fact, the only artist among the top eight who’s absent from music event is seven-time nominee Lainey Wilson, whose ACM experiences were eventful each of the last two years.
“I think she has done her due diligence on music event,” ACM head of artist relations and awards Haley Montgomery says. “She won for ‘Save Me’ with Jelly Roll. She won for ‘wait in the truck’ with HARDY.So I think she’s just giving us a one-year break.”
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In another era, music event felt a little gimmicky. The category often contained songs that were non-singles or charted tracks that never made the upper reaches of the list. But in the current era, hit collaborations are more plentiful, in great part because there is a larger volume of titles from which voters can pick.
Collaborations “used to be a lot tougher to do,” recalls Brad Paisley, who won vocal event (as it was then called) with three titles: “Whiskey Lullaby,” with Alison Krauss, in 2004; “When I Get Where I’m Going,” with Dolly Parton, in 2005; and “Start a Band,” with Keith Urban, in 2008.”We used to scream at the top of our lungs to labels, ‘Please let us do these things.’ “
Now that streaming has expanded the ways in which music is consumed, former concerns about disturbing marketing plans for two or more acts at radio are far less an issue, Paisley reasons. So artists work together more. Backing Paisley’s point, he appears on Kane Brown‘s The High Road album and Post Malone‘sACM-nominated F-1 Trillion. He has at least two other collaborations in the works, and Chris Young sent him a song recently with hopes that Paisley would play guitar on it.
“Whether or not that ever comes out, I don’t know,” Paisley says. “But that’s what music should be.”
In some ways, the music event field represents the heart and soul of the current awards-show ideal. Producers of every televised awards ceremony look for artist matchups that they can promote as special events that may not happen anywhere else. Chris Stapleton‘s collaboration with Justin Timberlake at the 2015 Country Music Association Awards is perhaps the most impactful example.
“The audience just really loves seeing different artists collaborate together,” says Fusion Music founder Daniel Miller, who co-manages five-time ACM nominee Riley Green with Red Light artist manager Zach Sutton. “Certainly this category has been around for a long time, and some of the most historic songs come from that category. But I think more than ever, they just love the collaboration.”
The total impact of a collaboration goes beyond the music event category. Three of this year’s five music event nominees — Langley & Green’s “you look like you love me,” Post Malone & Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” and Johnson & Carrie Underwood‘s “I’m Gonna Love You” — scored additional nods for single, song and/or visual media of the year. In fact, four of Wallen and Post Malone’s nominations are tied to “I Had Some Help,” while six of Langley’s eight nods and all five of Riley’s derive from “you look like you love me.”
“Riley’s career was certainly taking off in a big way [already], and Ella was starting to be discovered,” Miller says, “but [the duet] was exponentially beneficial to both of them when you add them together.”
With that potential impact, aiming intentionally for a music event award might seem like a good strategy on the surface. But Paisley, Miller, Montgomery and Johnson all caution that collaborating for creative reasons is more likely to succeed than targeting trophies. Johnson, in fact, took issue when his team started sketching out a marketing plan for a possible collaboration with Wilson even before the song had been finalized.
“Everybody’s like, ‘Well, we need to get with her camp about when we’re going to release this,’ ” Johnson recalls. “I said, ‘Hey, I just want to record this. Let me record the song, and then y’all can do all that later.’ “
Landing a music event nomination has an extra bonus for artists who produce their own work at the ACMs, since the organization gives those acts separate trophies for the performance and the production. Carly Pearce, who co–produced her Stapleton collaboration “we don’t fight anymore,” and Kelsea Ballerini, who co-produced the Noah Kahan music event “Cowboys Cry Too,” both doubled up on nominations in the category. Not every awards show provides a second trophy for artist-producers.
“Overall, it’s really important to recognize who we think are pivotal in the background of what caused these moments to happen,” Montgomery says. “And when you’re talking about a music event, bringing two people together, producing that collaboration — speaking as someone who does a very small scale of that, just trying to put together honors compilations or small performances at after-parties — it can be really complicated, so we see value in recognizing the subcredits of who made this magic moment happen.”
The right music event can certainly help an artist pile up nominations, but ideally the nomination isn’t the goal. It’s the result of a performance developed for creative, or collaborative, purposes.
“You could point to this category and say, ‘This is the reason awards shows are watched, because of music events,’” Montgomery says. “So it’s a really interesting one. I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon.”
Keith Urban will be honored at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday (May 8) with the prestigious Triple Crown Award.
The award signifies an achievement that only 11 previous artists have reached by winning new artist of the year and artist of the year in their respective genre or designation and entertainer of the year. Urban qualified by winning top new male vocalist in 2001, male vocalist of the year in 2005 and 2006, and entertainer of the year in 2019. He is the first artist to receive this honor on the ACM Awards telecast since Carrie Underwood in 2010 at the 45th ACM Awards. (The award is generally given at the ACM Honors in August now as it was to Lainey Wilson last year).
Urban will be celebrated by Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton and Megan Moroney at the show.
Urban’s 18-year span between top new artist and entertainer of the year is the longest of any recipient and is a testament to his enduring career. He is also the first non-American to win the award: Urban was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia.
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“I came halfway around the world to live in Nashville,” says Urban who moved to Music City permanently in 1992. “It was my dream since I was seven years old. All I ever wanted to do was write songs, try and get them recorded, try and get them on the radio, and now get them on streaming. And hopefully people like them and want to come and see me live. That’s never changed.”
Urban recalls his first win for top new male and how unreal it felt even to be nominated.
“I remember the first time seeing my name in the nominees and it felt like when you go to the theme park and you can get your picture taken and put on the front of a fake Time Magazine as a souvenir. I felt like that,” he says. “It wasn’t real. It had that surreal quality.”
But it was real, and Urban has been on a winning streak ever since, landing 20 No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart and selling out arenas around the world.
When he won entertainer of the year, he’d been nominated and lost eight times before and was expecting the same result.
“I would just celebrate the nomination, not really thinking I’m going to win and I’m good with that. I was very content and grateful,” he says. “And so [to win]— and in hindsight, now, for it to happen the year before COVID— was particularly a wonderful blessing because it was a big night, an arena full of people celebrating.”
He will soon be joined by people celebrating in full arenas later this month when his first tour in three years, the High and Alive world tour, kicks off May 22 in Orange Beach, Alabama.
He hopes that his Triple Crown victory can encourage other artists from outside the U.S. to come to Nashville and pursue their musical dreams as well.
“In particular, if it inspires some people from other countries who have a dream of coming to America, then that’s a good thing,” he says. “It took a lot of years of living in [Nashville] and becoming part of the community. But it’s absolutely achievable if you’re willing to put in the hard work and the time.”
The ACM Awards, hosted by Reba McEntire, will stream live for a global audience across 240+ countries and territories on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on May 8, at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.
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.