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The BMI Country Awards celebrated the top songwriters and music publishers driving the past year’s 50 most-performed songs in the country music genre during a star-studded celebration held Nov. 18 at BMI’s Nashville office. The evening was led by BMI president/CEO Mike O’Neill and hosted by BMI’s chief revenue and creative officer Mike Steinberg, as well as BMI Nashville vice president of creative Clay Bradley, who called the evening “the greatest parking lot party in the world.”
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Clint Black was celebrated for more than three decades of crafting songs that have considerably impacted country music, when he was presented with the BMI Icon Award.
Black has been affiliated with BMI since 1993 and has earned 20 BMI Country Awards during his career. He’s also earned 13 No. 1 Billboard Hot Country Songs chart hits, among them “Summer’s Comin’,” “Walkin’ Away,” “A Good Run of Back Luck,” and “When My Ship Comes In.” Black has been a writer on the majority of his biggest hits, while also etching a multi-faceted career that has included roles as a musician, actor and producer. He’s earned five ACM Awards, four CMA Awards and a Grammy.
An illustrious lineup of artists took part to honor Black throughout the night with their renditions of his songs. Midland performed “A Better Man,” while Jamey Johnson performed “Untanglin’ My Mind.”
“Thank you for such an indelible mark that you’ve left on music,” Johnson told Black.
Jamey Johnson performs onstage at the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI
Riley Green performed a rendition of “Killin’ Time,” while Randy Houser and Wynonna earned a standing ovation for their performance of “A Bad Goodbye,” which Wynonna and Black originally released in 1993.
Beyond the performances, other artists and music executives feted Black through video segments, including acclaimed journalist/author Robert K. Oermann, Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston, artists Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Darius Rucker, Bill Anderson, Luke Combs, late night television host Conan O’Brien and actors Billy Bob Thornton and Matthew McConaughey.
In a video tribute, Bryan said of Black’s 1989 Killin’ Time album, “It never left my stereo, my speakers… that album changed my life.”
Black attended the awards with his wife of 34 years, Lisa Hartman-Black, and their daughter Lily Pearl Black, who is following in her father’s footsteps as a singer-songwriter.
In accepting his BMI Icon Award, Black recalled how songwriting was a formative part of his childhood, and how his father showed him the liner notes on a Merle Haggard record. “He taught me how to read the liner notes. He’d say, ‘There’s the artist, there’s the songwriter, there’s the producer…’ He said, ‘It’s usually Billy Sherrill, if it’s good.’ From that point on, I wanted to be a songwriter. Being up here, standing up here, I can tell you, it’s the best job. I’m so grateful. To all of you who sang my songs to me tonight, it was a real treat and a real honor… I’m in such great company here tonight.”
Black also added, “You don’t do what we do without a long train of people behind you, pushing you up the hill. There have been a lot of people in my life who are as much responsible for this moment as I am…Seeing how many of my friends and fellow artists pitched in to make this special is truly humbling. It’s unexpected and that makes it twice as good.”
Charlie Handsome speaks onstage during the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI
The evening also celebrated 38 first-time award winners, among them Seth Ennis (for the Dylan Marlowe/Dylan Scott collab “Boys Back Home”), MacKenzie Carpenter (for Megan Moroney’s “I’m Not Pretty”), Thomas Eriksen (for Kane Brown’s “Miles On It”), Zach Top for his own hit “I Never Lie,” Tucker Wetmore for his hit “Wind Up Missin’ You,” Chase Matthew for his hit “Love You Again,” and Nevin Sastry for Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
Charlie Handsome took home BMI country songwriter of the year honors, for his work in crafting hit songs including “I Had Some Help,” “Love Somebody,” “Guy for That,” “This Town’s Been Too Good to Us,” and “Pour Me a Drink.”
“This is probably the first time a rap/hip-hop producer won songwriter of the year in country,” Handsome said, drawing cheers from the crowd. He later added, “I started keeping this circle around me. If you stick with the best writers you know, and work with people who are better than you, you can win.” He also praised many of his musical and industry cohorts, including Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, ERNEST and HARDY.
The Wallen/Post Malone collaboration “I Had Some Help,” which spent six weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, was named song of the year. Co-writers on the song Ernest Keith Smith, Handsome, Hoskins, Wallen and Chandler Paul Walters were honored, as were the song’s publishers, Big Loud Mountain, Sony/ATV Songs LLC and Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
For a third consecutive year, Warner-Tamerlane was named BMI country publisher of the year. The company published 32 of the 50 most-performed songs of the year, among them Luke Bryan’s “Love You, Miss You, Mean It,” Zach Bryan’s “28,” “Tourniquet” and “Pink Skies,” the Ella Langley/Riley Green collaboration “You Look Like You Love Me,” Cody Johnson’s “Dirt Cheap,” Jelly Roll’s “Halfway to Hell,” “I Am Not Okay” and “Liar,” and Bailey Zimmerman’s “Holy Smokes.”
Randy Houser and Wynonna Judd perform onstage at the 2025 BMI Country Awards at BMI on Nov. 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Erika Goldring/Getty Images for BMI
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Prepare to feel old, even if you’re young: Movies about classic rockers are now contenders for AARP Movies for Grownups Awards.
Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, the biopic about a pivotal period in the life of Bruce Springsteen, is nominated for best period film, while its director, Scott Cooper, is up for best director. Becoming Led Zeppelin, a doc about Led Zeppelin, hard rock gods of the late ‘60s and ‘70s, is nominated for best documentary.
The Movies for Grownups Awards honor films and television projects that celebrate the voices and stories of those who are 50-plus. This year’s contenders for the top award, best picture/best movie for grownups, are Hamnet, A House of Dynamite, One Battle After Another, Sinners and Train Dreams.
Kathryn Bigelow, director of A House of Dynamite, and Paul Thomas Anderson, director of One Battle After Another, are up for best director, along with Cooper, director of the aforementioned Springsteen biopic, Guillermo del Toro (Frankenstein) and Spike Lee (Highest 2 Lowest).
Ethan Hawke is nominated for best actor for playing lyricist Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. The film is set on the night of the opening of the groundbreaking musical Oklahoma!, which was created by Hart’s former collaborator Richard Rodgers and his new lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.
Other nominees include Helen Mirren, recently announced as the 2026 recipient of the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award; two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn; and Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock.
Two documentaries directed by current stars that look at the lives of their parent(s) are also nominated for best documentary. They are Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost, Ben Stiller’s film about his parents, the great 1960s comedy duo Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, and My Mom Jayne, actress Mariska Hargitay’s look at her mother, 1960s sex symbol Jayne Mansfield. The remaining nominees for best documentary are Cover Up, a look at investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, and Riefenstahl, about controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl.
In the best TV series or limited series category, nominations go to Adolescence, Hacks, The Pitt, The Studio, and The White Lotus.
“These nominees prove that powerful storytelling transcends age,” Myechia Minter-Jordan, CEO of AARP, said in a statement. “At AARP, we believe representation matters—not just for audiences, but for the industry itself. By honoring these actors and creators, we’re shining a light on the richness, depth, and diversity of experience that deserves to be seen and celebrated.”
The annual Movies for Grownups Awards ceremony will take place on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills, California. Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Emmy Award-winning host of TV’s The Traitors, will return to host the show, which will be broadcast by PBS’ Great Performances on Sunday, Feb. 22 at 7/6c.
The annual awards show raises funds for AARP Foundation, which works to strengthen older adults’ financial resilience.
Here’s the complete list of 2025 nominees for the Movies for Grownups Awards:
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups
Hamnet
A House of Dynamite
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actress
Laura Dern, Is This Thing On?
Jodie Foster, A Private Life
Lucy Liu, Rosemead
Julia Roberts, After the Hunt
June Squibb, Eleanor the Great
Best Actor
George Clooney, Jay Kelly
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another
Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine
Best Supporting Actress
Regina Hall, One Battle After Another
Amy Madigan, Weapons
Helen Mirren, Goodbye June
Gwyneth Paltrow, Marty Supreme
Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another
Delroy Lindo, Sinners
Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Michael Shannon, Nuremberg
Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Kathryn Bigelow, A House of Dynamite
Scott Cooper, Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein
Spike Lee, Highest 2 Lowest
Best Screenwriter
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Noah Baumbach and Emily Mortimer, Jay Kelly
Bradley Cooper, Will Arnett, and Mark Chappell, Is This Thing On?
Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
James Vanderbilt, Nuremberg
Best Ensemble
A House of Dynamite
Jay Kelly
Nuremberg
One Battle After Another
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Best Intergenerational Film
Eleanor the Great
The Lost Bus
Rental Family
Rosemead
Sentimental Value
Best Period Film
Dead Man’s Wire
Marty Supreme
Nuremberg
Sinners
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Best Documentary
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Cover Up
My Mom Jayne
Riefenstahl
Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost
Best Foreign-Language Film
It Was Just an Accident
No Other Choi
Nouvelle Vague
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Best TV Series or Limited Series
Adolescence
Hacks
The Pitt
The Studio
The White Lotus
Best Actor (TV)
Walton Goggins, The White Lotus
Stephen Graham, Adolescence
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us
Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Best Actress (TV)
Kathy Bates, Matlock
Kathryn Hahn, The Studio
Catherine O’Hara, The Studio
Parker Posey, The White Lotus
Jean Smart, Hacks
Trending on Billboard Post Malone has earned his first CMA Awards win. The singer-songwriter was among the artists named in an early round of CMA Awards wins announcements in two categories on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Post Malone and Blake Shelton won for CMA musical event of the year for their collaboration “Pour Me a Drink,” […]
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The 2026 edition of the O2 Silver Clef Awards will take place at London’s Royal Albert Hall in celebration of its 50th anniversary. Scheduled for July 9, the event will be held at the prestigious venue for the first time, having been held at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in recent years.
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The O2 Silver Clef Awards are Nordoff and Robbins’ largest annual fundraising event. Since 1976, they have raised over £17 million ($23.5 million) for the British music therapy charity, fueling its growth and helping it deliver sessions to vulnerable people in need across the country.
Recipients of the 2025 awards included Rick Astley, IDLES, Noah Kahan, Chase & Status and The Last Dinner Party. The ceremony raised £715,00 ($937,425) for Nordoff and Robbins, who is also a key beneficiary of the BRIT Trust, a music industry charity that receives proceeds from the annual BRIT Awards.
Other acts who have been honoured at the O2 Silver Clef Awards over the years include David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir Paul McCartney, George Michael, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay.
“We are so immensely proud to be hosting the 50th anniversary of the O2 Silver Clef Awards at the Royal Albert Hall,” Joe Munns, chair of the O2 Silver Clef Awards Committee, said in a statement. “We’ve had the great privilege of giving these prestigious awards to many legendary artists over the years, and what better place to celebrate even more superstars than a venue that’s equally as iconic.”
“The current fundraising climate is challenging for us all and costs continue to increase across the board, so this amazing event is now more important than ever for the charity,” he added.
In addition to hosting the 2026 ceremony, the Royal Albert Hall has announced Nordoff and Robbins as its official charity partner for the year. The partnership will involve raising awareness and funds to expand music therapy delivery across the U.K., as well as promoting Nordoff and Robbins’ research into how their work can support recovery.
James Ainscough OBE, chief executive of the Royal Albert Hall, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be announcing Nordoff and Robbins as our official charity partner for 2026. We will be collaborating with their brilliant team across a number of projects and events throughout the year, to ensure that the joy and healing power of music reaches far beyond the stage, and making music therapy as accessible as possible.
“It is a real honour to be hosting the O2 Silver Clef Awards on such a landmark anniversary. It is always a monumental night in the music industry calendar, and certain to be even more memorable as we celebrate the wonderful work of Nordoff and Robbins and the 50th year of the awards.”
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Great minds, we’ve been led to believe, think alike. And cracking young artists, it would appear, hail from New South Wales’ Central Coast.
Ninajirachi and Boy Soda are two of those cracking artists who, on the eve of the ARIA Awards, enjoyed a full circle moment.
Both are poised to play a big part at the ARIAs, with Ninajirachi (real name: Nina Wilson), the rising EDM star, leading the pack with eight nominations, and Boy Soda (Brae Luafalealo), a vocal talent, chasing best soul/R&B release and set to perform.
On Tuesday morning, Nov. 18, the pair shared their respective journeys with a packed room of special guests for a pre-ARIAs gathering near Centennial Park, a short stroll from Hordern Pavilion, the site of the recording industry’s flagship awards night.
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Both are alumni of Gosford High School, where they were separated by a year. They found each other through their mutual love of music, and even collaborated in the school grounds. Australia, a small world of 25 million folks.
Ninajirachi has won the Australian Music Prize and the triple j J Award for album of the year in quick succession, and could clean up at the ARIA Awards with her debut album I Love My Computer (via NLV Records).
https://open.spotify.com/album/77CZUF57sYqgtznUe3OikQ?si=XIPuJ-qtSlWJAF0EEgU9uw
“I actually finished most of it this year,” she said of her LP, which dropped Aug. 8. “I had at least half the songs at the end of last year,” including the title, “but I really kind of did most of the work between maybe April and June (of 2025). It that was definitely the most dense work period on the album. I feel like since it’s come out I’ve lived 100 lives and done a lot of shows, it’s definitely been a different year to any other before.”
Speaking with New York-based Australian music journalist Sam Murphy, Ninajirachi confirmed she’s the type of artist who loves setting her personal bar high, and clearing it each time.
“I’m actually never really thinking about moving the needle forward in terms of the world. That’s such a crazy undertaking. If I was holding myself to that, I would just never make a song again,” she responded with a laugh. “But I am always trying to impress myself and outdo myself and think, what have I not done?” She added, “I’m just trying to make my favorite music.”
Where I Love My Computer is themed around Ninajirachi’s connection with her device, Boy Soda’s Soulstar LP is a sonic plate of healing, and self-expression.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3oSHew9KClPrhpUNfqUcfs?si=nUDcznL4SNy-hUwmgtvNEw
“It’s been that big process of catharsis. There’s 13 songs on there and they all kind of fix or address a certain thing within myself. They all represent different moments in my life or just different places that I’ve found myself on this kind of emotional spectrum in the last year of wanting to talk about that,” he remarked. “About not feeling like you have to change the world, just take the pressure off this.” Those songs capture “what my mornings sound like to me, what like a bad day sounded like for me, what a sexy day sounds like to me.”
Boy Soda completed the brunch event with a four-song showcase, closed out with album track “Lil’ Obsession,” a song that “has changed my life this past year,” he enthused.
He’ll get another chance so show off those caramel-smooth tones at the ARIAs, when he performs alongside his fellow best soul/R&B release nominees Larissa Lambert, PANIA, Jerome Farah, Jacotene and a 15-piece band, for a special salute to Australia’s soul and R&B community.
Sponsored by Spotify, the 2025 ARIA Awards ceremony streams live from 5 p.m. AEDT on Nov. 19 via Paramount+, with additional coverage across ARIA’s official social channels.
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Dom Dolla will cash-in at the ARIA Awards on Wednesday, No. 19 in Sydney, where he scores another piece of history with the inaugural global impact honor.
If there was an award for stamina, he’d win that too.
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After another massive, record-busting run of live shows, awards and bucket-list releases, Dom finds himself at the table of the biggest electronic music artists, anywhere.
“My head’s definitely spinning a bit, but I’m having so much fun along the way,” Dolla (real name: Dom Matheson) tells Billboard. “I feel really lucky to be able to try new things creatively and share those moments with everyone who’s been along for the ride. I think if I didn’t genuinely love the process, none of this would be possible. I try to stay surrounded by like-minded people and other creatives who push you in the right ways .“
It’s been some ride.
As last year came to a close, he completed a four-date tour of Australia’s open-air venues, shifting 170,000 tickets en route to setting a new mark for a local electronic music artist.
And in the final stretch of this year, on Dec. 20, he’ll achieve another dream when he plays at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium, becoming the first DJ to do.
Along the circuit, he played sellouts at MSG; released his first soundtrack anthem, with “No Room For a Saint” from F1: The Movie; completed residences in Ibiza and Las Vegas; earned a Grammy Award nomination for his remix of Gorillaz’s featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown’s “New Gold”; lorded over some of the world’s best-known festivals, and much more.
With at least one guaranteed award at the 39th annual ARIA Awards, Dom can boast an ARIAs three-peat. He’s the two-time reigning champion in the category for best dance/electronic release with “Rhyme Dust” (with MK) in 2023, and “Saving Up” in 2024. He also won for “San Frandisco” in 2020.
There’s a good chance Dom will fill his boots. He has seven more ARIA Award nominations, behind only Ninajirachi with eight.
Announced Monday, Nov. 17 the ARIA Global Impact Award recognizes homegrown recording artists who have “demonstrated outstanding breakthrough international success and cultural influence,” according to a statement from ARIA, and celebrates Australia’s standouts through artistry, innovation, and global connection in the 12 months leading up to the big night.
“I was honestly shocked,” he says of the latest ARIA honor, and being the first tapped to win it. “It felt a bit surreal. But I really love this award for what I think it stands for – representing Australian music, and especially Aussie dance music, on the global stage. There are so many incredible artists from past years who would’ve deserved this, and so many who’ll keep flying the flag in the future. So to be the first is really special and I can’t wait to see who picks it up in the years to come.”
The ARIA Global Impact Award presented by Spotify will be handed out during the 2025 ARIA Awards ceremony, which is presented at the Hordern Pavilion and streams live from 5 p.m. AEDT on Nov. 19 via Paramount+, with additional coverage across ARIA’s official social channels.
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Descendants: The Rise of Red, a Disney+ show, and Spellbound, on Netflix, received multiple nominations in the music categories for the fourth annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards. And Sesame Street, which has been turning out memorable songs for more than half a century, including “Sing,” “Bein’ Green” and “Rubber Duckie,” has a nominee for outstanding original song for a preschool program with “Music, Music.”
The nominations were announced on Tuesday (Nov. 18) by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). Nominations were announced live on NATAS social platforms, plus in-person in a NATAS membership event in partnership with the Children’s Media Association New York chapter. The nomination announcement featured video messages from stars across the children’s programming landscape including Ms. Rachel and Mr. Aron (Ms. Rachel), Bob Bergen (Looney Tunes), John Tartaglia (Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock), Josh Dela Cruz (Blue’s Clues & You!), Gobo Fraggle (Fraggle Rock), and Donkey Hodie (Donkey Hodie). This presentation will be available to stream on watch.theemmys.tv and via The Emmys app on Wednesday (Nov 19).
The awards ceremony is set to take place in New York City for the first time on March 1 and 2 at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall.
Here’s a full list of the nominees in the four music categories. The complete nominations list is available on the NATAS website.
Outstanding music direction and composition for a live action program
Descendants: The Rise of Red, Disney+ [Disney Branded Television]
Henry Danger: The Movie, Nickelodeon
Love in the Forest “A Real Bug’s Life,” National Geographic [Plimsoll Productions]
Open Your Mind a Little, “Secrets at Red Rocks,” BYUtv [Libertine Pictures]
Welcome to Camp Nightmare, “Goosebumps: The Vanishing,” Disney+ [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding music direction and composition for an animated program
Heart, “WondLa,” Apple TV+ [Skydance Animation]
Part 4: A Night to Remember, “Dream Productions,” Disney+ [Pixar Animation Studios]
Spellbound, Netflix [Skydance Animation]
That Christmas, Netflix [Locksmith Animation]
There’s Always a Fortune in the Cookie Factory, “Gremlins: The Wild Batch,” HBO | Max [Warner Bros. Animation]
Outstanding original song for a preschool program
“Grow Your World,” Rise Up, Sing Out, Disney+ I Disney Jr.
“I’m on My Way,” Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, PBS Kids [GBH Kids | Global Mechanic]
“I Want To Go Home,” Kindergarten: The Musical!, Disney+ I Disney Jr. [Oddbot Inc]
“Music, Music,” Sesame Street, HBO Max [Sesame Workshop]
“One Colorful Ocean,” Disney Jr.’s Ariel, Disney+ I Disney Jr. [Wild Canary]
“The Show Will Go On,” RoboGobo, Disney+ I Disney Jr. [Brown Bag Films]
Outstanding original song for a children’s or young teen program
“It’s Okay,” Zombies: The Re-Animated Series, Disney+ I Disney Channel
“No Better,” Ultraman: Rising, Netflix [Tsuburaya Productions]
“Red,” Descendants: The Rise of Red, Disney+ [Disney Branded Television]
“Red Christmas,” Descendants: The Rise of Red, Disney+
“Still Haunted By You,” Girl Haunts Boy, Fifth Season [Wonder Worldwide]
“The Way It Was Before,” Spellbound, Netflix [Skydance Animation]
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Will it be ladies’ night at the 59th Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 19): For the first time, three women solo artists — Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson — share the lead with six nominations each.
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Wilson will also host the show, which will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET, making her only the third woman to solo host, following Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire.
The men then follow with strong showings for Zach Top landing five nominations and Riley Green and Cody Johnson with four each.
Morgan Wallen, who received three nominations, will look to repeat as entertainer of the year.
He’s not the only one looking to keep their winning streaks going: Wilson has a three-year run as female vocalist of the year, while Chris Stapleton has won male vocalist four years straight. Old Dominion has taken home the vocal group of the year seven years in a row.
The eligibility period for nominated releases runs July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025, with the song, album or video having to be released within that period or reach national prominence.
The evening will also include performances from BigXThaPlug with Luke Combs, Stapleton with Miranda Lambert and Shaboozey with Stephen Wilson Jr., as well as Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Green, Langley, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Moroney, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Top, Keith Urban, Tucker Wetmore and Lainey Wilson
Here are Billboard’s predictions on who will emerge victorious in select categories, from Melinda Newman (executive editor, West Coast and Nashville) and Jessica Nicholson (associate editor, Nashville).
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Luke CombsCody JohnsonChris StapletonMorgan WallenLainey Wilson
Newman: Cody Johnson, who lands his first nomination, takes Jelly Roll’s spot this year, with the other four nominees repeating from last year. Wilson, reigning champ Wallen and Combs have all captured the evening’s biggest award before, while Stapleton is looking for his first win here with his ninth nomination. All five artists had great years with sold-out tours, but Wilson was the one who spread her wings the most, completing her first international tour (to be fair, Wallen and Combs both toured internationally in 2024 and will again in 2026), and she’s hosting the show, which feels perfect to have her emerge from backstage to win. Wallen is the genre’s biggest star right now, but his unwillingness to show up at the awards last year may have unfairly left a bad taste in voters’ mouths.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
Nicholson: Wilson, reigning CMA entertainer of the year Wallen and Luke Combs are all previous winners in the category and are vying for the title again this year. Meanwhile, Stapleton has proven himself to be one of country music’s steadiest headlining touring draws, while Cody Johnson’s hitmaking, hard-touring ways have earned him a spot in the category this year. This marks Wilson’s first year as a solo host of the CMA Awards, while she’s also embarked on her Whirlwind World Tour this year, in addition to building on her reputation as a multi-media star. Look for Lainey to reclaim her entertainer of the year title this year.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Award goes to artist, producer(s) and mix engineer(s)
Am I Okay? – Megan Moroney (Producer: Kristian Bush; Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank)Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top (Producer: Carson Chamberlain ;Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey)F-1 Trillion – Post Malone (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mix Engineer: Ryan Gore)I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen (Producers: Jacob Durrett, Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi; Mix Engineers: Charlie Handsome, Joey Moi)Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)
Newman: Newcomers Moroney and Top are taking the genre by storm, with Moroney also bringing a raft of young girls into the country tent, similar to how Taylor Swift did nearly 20 (!!) years ago… just go to one of her concerts and you’ll see. Top is leading a neo-traditionalist movement that has endearing him to the industry who likes his pure country stance, similar to last year’s winner, Cody Johnson (with his Leather album). Even though it came out too late to be eligible last year, it feels like Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion’s time has come and gone. Wallen clearly had the most commercially successfully album and Wilson continues to do excellent work, but it feels like Top’s year.
Will win: Cold Beer and Country Music
Nicholson: Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay? has propelled her career to new heights thanks to hits like the title track and “No Caller ID.” Meanwhile, Whirlwind saw Wilson drop new hits including the romantic “4x4xU” and “Somewhere Over Laredo,” and Wallen’s I’m The Problem spent 12 nonconsecutive weeks atop the all-genre Billboard 200. Post Malone’s collaborative-heavy F-1 Trillion also proved a favorite with country fans, while Zac Top’s Cold Beer & Country Music declared the talented country newcomer has arrived in a major way. However, Wilson previously won in this category for her album Bell Bottom Country, and her music has surged even more in depth and popularity since then, so look for Wilson to take home the win here.
Will win: Whirlwind
SONG OF THE YEAR
Award goes to songwriter(s)
“4x4xU” (Songwriters: Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere, Lainey Wilson)“Am I Okay?” (Songwriters: Jessie Jo Dillon, Luke Laird, Megan Moroney)“I Never Lie” (Songwriters: Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols, Zach Top)“Texas” (Songwriters: Johnny Clawson, Josh Dorr, Lalo Guzman, Kyle Sturrock)“you look like you love me” (Songwriters: Riley Green, Ella Langley, Aaron Raitiere)
Newman: Each one of these songs feels like it took the artist, whether established superstar or newbie or somewhere in between, to a new level, becoming an important part of their identity. “Texas,” the only entry not co-written by the performing artist, gave Blake Shelton one of his biggest hits in five years (and his first on new label home, BBR/BMG Nashville), while “Am I Okay” and “I Never Lie” helped solidify Moroney and Top as artists who look like they’ll be here a while. Wilson just keeps getting stronger and stronger with the creative “4X4XU,” while Green and Langley have already shown that “you look like you love me” is a career song for them. But again, Top should have the inside track here.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
Nicholson: The song of the year category places more weight on top-shelf songcraft rather than commercial success, and each of these songs has become a signature hit for the artist that recorded it (or, for four out of five of this year’s nominees, also co-wrote it). Country fans were treated to the dreaminess of “4x4xU,” the bewildered romance of “Am I Okay?,” the flirty “You Look Like You Love Me,” and the slow-burn yearning of “Texas.” But Zach Top’s neo-traditional “I Never Lie,” with its sing-along charm and sly hook, has taken the Washington native to new career heights and will be a tough competitor in this category.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Award goes to artist(s), producer(s) and mix engineer(s)
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson (Producer: Jay Joyce; Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce)“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” – Luke Combs (Producers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton; Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews)“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney (Producer: Kristian Bush; Mix Engineer: Justin Niebank)“I Never Lie” – Zach Top (Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey)“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green (Producer: Will Bundy; Mix Engineer: Jim Cooley)
Newman: There’s not a lot of difference between this category and song of the year, other than “Texas” is replaced by “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma,” Combs’ tune from Twisters. Each song resonated with listeners, with all at least reaching the top five on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, but there are some notable omissions, including Jelly Roll’s emotional “Liar” and Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem.” Of this batch, Top’s delivery on “I Never Lie,” combined with the neo-traditionalist production, was the best-sounding song of the batch.
Will win: “I Never Lie”
Nicholson: Each of the songs nominated here made an indelible impact on the Billboard charts this year, but the double-shot charisma of Langley and Green, plus the song’s old-school charm and flirty talking verses, was inescapable over the past year. Look for “You Look Like You Love Me” to take the win here.
Will win: “You Look Like You Love Me”
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Kelsea BalleriniMiranda LambertElla LangleyMegan MoroneyLainey Wilson
Newman: With her eighth nomination, inconceivably Ballerini is still looking for her first win here — while Wilson has created her own mini-dynasty, winning the past three years. The OG is Lambert, with seven wins, and she returns to the category after not being nominated last year. Langley and Moroney are the newcomers who are blazing paths with their big voices. It feels almost impossible to choose, and it may be a little too early for Langley and Moroney (though Wilson won both best new artist and this category in 2022). Still, feels like Wilson has the momentum behind her.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
Nicholson: Lainey Wilson has emerged as the winner in this category for the past three consecutive years, and with another entertainer of the year nomination and her role as host this year, she is a strong contender to maintain her winning streak. But she also has stiff competition, thanks to Megan Moroney, whose Am I Okay? album and accompanying singles have further propelled her career. Ella Langley has lobbed hits at the charts including “Weren’t For The Wind” and “You Look Like You Love Me,” while Kelsea Ballerini had one of her biggest years to date, hitting new chart milestones and launching her successful headlining arena tour. Miranda Lambert also keeps cementing her status as a legendary artist, thanks to touring and her album Postcards From Texas. Still, this category will likely see the multi-talented Wilson continue her winning ways.
Will win: Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
Luke CombsCody JohnsonChris StapletonZach TopMorgan Wallen
Newman: Stapleton has won eight of the last 10 years, with a brief punctuation when Combs took home the award twice. All are repeat nominees from last year, except Top, who replaces Jelly Roll. Stapleton hasn’t put out a full new album since 2023, but he just feels unbeatable… and with that voice, who is going to say he isn’t deserving? Zach Top has come on so strong, it wouldn’t be surprising it voters to decide it’s time to anoint a new king. But it still feels like Stapleton has a lock on this category.
Will win: Chris Stapleton
Nicholson: While Stapleton is the perennial favorite in this category, he has plenty of competition this year from fellow stadium tour headliners Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen, while Cody Johnson has proven himself to be a steady hitmaker and concert headliner, and neo-traditional artist Zach Top’s star continues to surge. But Stapleton has had a stranglehold on this category for good reason, so look for him to continue his reign.
Will win: Chris Stapleton
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
Lady ALittle Big TownOld DominionRascal FlattsThe Red Clay Strays
Newman: This category repeats from last year other than Rascal Flatts, who takes Zac Brown Band’s spot, returning for the first time since 2020. Acts tend to start winning in this category and just keep winning: Old Dominion has won the past seven years, Little Big Town for the six consecutive years before that, Lady A for three years in a row before that and Rascal Flatts for six years before that. Old Dominion has a good chance to prevail again — and is more than deserving — but the Red Clay Strays are bringing an exciting energy and new audience into the genre. Time to pass the torch, even if for just one year.
Will win: The Red Clay Strays
Nicholson: Old Dominion, who released its latest project Barbara this year, is looking to pick up an eighth consecutive win in this category, and is up against other previous category winners Little Big Town, Lady A and Rascal Flatts. The Red Clay Strays pick up their second nomination in the category, thanks to impactful songs like “Drowning,” as well as treks both as openers on The Rolling Stones’ Hackney Diamonds Tour and as headliners at some pretty big venues. The Red Clay Strays are carving their own path and steadily gaining fans with their electrifying performances, while Old Dominion has also stayed consistent in touring and recording, while showcasing an ever-deeping songcraft.
Will win: Old Dominion
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
Brooks & DunnBrothers OsborneDan + ShayMaddie & TaeThe War and Treaty
Newman: This category has been among the most static, with the same contenders for the third year in a row. Brooks & Dunn are the reigning champs, winning last year for the first time since 2006 and breaking Brothers Osbornes’ three-year streak. Maddie & Tae are looking for their first win with their 11th nomination. Dan + Shay are gearing up for a second act — but this is a contest between Brooks & Dunn, who continue to enjoy their revival more than 30 years into their career, and Brothers Osborne.
Will win: Brooks & Dunn
Nicholson: Last year, Brooks & Dunn made a major comeback in this category, after winning their 15th vocal duo of the accolade and first trophy in the category since 2006. In late 2024, they also issued their Reboot II project, teaming again with many of their country music colleagues to record versions of B&D classics. Brothers Osborne is a longtime favorite in this category with six total wins, while Dan + Shay previously won this category twice. Maddie & Tae have earned their 11th nomination in the category, while The War and Treaty have picked up three total nominations in the category. Look for Brooks & Dunn to reclaim their winner status in this category again this year.
Will win: Brooks & Dunn
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ella LangleyShaboozeyZach TopTucker WetmoreStephen Wilson Jr.
Newman: One of this year’s most competitive categories features five acts, all of whom have had breakthrough years. The CMA Awards allow artists to be nominated up to two times in this category and Shaboozey and Top return after losing to Megan Moroney last year. Though he hasn’t had the radio success that the other four nominees have, Stephen Wilson Jr. continues to increase his critical acclaim and has a deeply passionate fan base within the voting body. Langley is the only previous CMA Awards winner, having snagged the musical event trophy last year for “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green. It’s almost impossible to choose between Langley, Shaboozey and Top, all of whom are leaving their marks already on country music.
Will win: Zach Top
Nicholson: Each of the artists in this category had incredible years, including the first-timers in this category, Langley, Wetmore and Wilson Jr. Langley followed her Country Airplay chart-topper, the Riley Green collab “You Look Like You Love Me,” with the top five hit “Weren’t For The Wind,” embarked on a headlining tour, as well as opening some shows on Morgan Wallen’s stadium tour. Shaboozey headlined his Great American Roadshow Tour, and followed his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” with another Country Airplay chart-topper, “Good News.”
Meanwhile, Top followed his breakthrough album with his sophomore set Ain’t In It For My Health, and continued headlining his own shows, in addition to opening for Dierks Bentley’s Broken Branches Tour and earned a top 10 Country Airplay hit with “I Never Lie.” Wetmore issued his debut album What Not To, which included his Country Airplay top 5 hit “Wind Up Missin’ You.” Wilson Jr. continued building his fanbase and issued the critically acclaimed album søn of dad, while releasing collabs with Shaboozey and Noah Cyrus. Still, as one of the evening’s overall top nominees, look for Langley to pull off the win here.
Will win: Ella Langley
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR Award goes to Artists and Producer(s)
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green (featuring Ella Langley) (Producers: Scott Borchetta, Jimmy Harnen, Dann Huff)“Hard Fought Hallelujah” – Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll (Producer: Micah Nichols)“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood) (Producer: Trent Willmon)“Pour Me A Drink” – Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton) (Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome)“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney (feat. Kenny Chesney) (Producer: Kristian Bush)
Newman: Green and Langley won this award last year for “You Look Like You Love Me,” and they face stiff competition again for their follow up, “Don’t Mind If I Do.” All five songs are strong, and feature partnerships that feel like great, natural fits, as opposed to sounding Frankensteined together for commercial effect. For example, Moroney and Chesney’s ode to her rise sounds organic given her time opening for him, while Jelly Roll and Brandon Lake take Lake’s song to a new level, given Jelly Roll’s public struggles. Not a clear leader here, but a slight edge goes to Jelly Roll and Lake — especially given how, oddly, this is the only award that Jelly Roll is up for this year.
Will win: “”Hard Fought Hallelujah”
Nicholson: Riley Green and Ella Langley took this category last year with their hit collab “You Look Like You Love Me,” and their latest collab again showcases their musical chemistry. They also have tough competition, as the Jelly Roll/Brandon Lake collaboration “Hard Fought Hallelujah” found success on both the Hot Country Songs and Hot Christian Songs charts, while “I’m Gonna Love You,” “Pour Me a Drink” and “You Had to Be There” also each found country chart success. Still, the multi-genre juggernaut duet between the charismatic Jelly Roll and top CCM artist Brandon Lake is likely to take the lead here.
Will win: “Hard Fought Hallelujah”
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Nelson Riddle was one of the finest arrangers in music history. He received Grammy nominations for arranging Frank Sinatra’s “Witchcraft,” “Nice ‘n’ Easy” and “Call Me Irresponsible” and won two Grammys for arranging the title tracks of Linda Ronstadt’s albums What’s New and Lush Life, in which she explored the Great American Songbook. And that just scratches the surface of Riddle’s vast discography. Riddle died in October 1985 at age 64, amid his career resurgence working with Ronstadt.
So, the fact that Riddle was nominated for a Grammy on Nov. 7 was surprising, to say the least. He’s up for best arrangement, instruments and vocals for his arrangement of “How Did She Look?” from Seth MacFarlane’s Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements.
The Recording Academy doesn’t allow recordings by artists who have been dead for more than five years on the grounds that those recordings aren’t, by definition, “new recordings.” (From the academy’s Rules & Guidelines handbook: “New recordings’ is defined as material that has been recorded within five years of the release date and not previously released.”)
So, an unearthed recording by, say, Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald could not be nominated for a Grammy. Here’s how seriously the Recording Academy takes this five-year rule: When The Beatles’ “Now and Then” won a Grammy for best rock performance in 2024, only Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr received Grammys. John Lennon and George Harrison, who died in 1980 and 2001, respectively, did not. Lennon and Harrison had both worked on the track – Lennon wrote and recorded the original version in 1977; Harrison added overdubs and guitar tracks when the surviving Beatles worked on it in 1995 (only to shelve it until 2003).
But that five-year rule doesn’t specify that arrangements must have been written within the last five years. So, Riddle’s old arrangements qualify – on a technicality.
In answer to our question about why Riddle was eligible, an academy spokesperson said “The arrangement was recorded for the first time on a newly recorded album released this year, making him eligible.”
MacFarlane’s Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements consists of a dozen arrangements that Sinatra had planned to perform but never got around to. The arrangements were written by Riddle and two other top-flight arrangers of that era, Billy May (who died in 2004) and Don Costa (who died in 1983).
The Recording Academy’s interpretation of its five-year rule seems inconsistent. Lennon and Harrison were not nominated for their contributions to “Now and Then” because their contributions to the recording were more than five years in the past. By the same token, Riddle’s contribution to MacFarlane’s recording (his arrangement) was more than five years in the past. The fact that it was recorded and released for the first time in 2025, while interesting, seems beside the point.
Nonetheless, the nomination allows Riddle to set a new record for the longest span of Grammy nominations. He received two nominations at the very first Grammy ceremony in 1959 — best arrangement for his stylish work on Sinatra’s “Witchcraft” and best musical composition first recorded and released in 1958 (over 5 minutes duration) for “Cross Country Suite.” He won in the latter category.
John Williams and Barbra Streisand are runners-up to Riddle for the longest span of Grammy nominations. Both are nominated again this year. Williams is nominated for best music film for Music by John Williams, 64 years after he received his first nod for best sound track album or recording of score from motion picture or television for Checkmate. Streisand is nominated for best traditional pop vocal album for The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2, 62 years after she received her first three nods for The Barbra Streisand Album and its standout track, “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
The other nominees for best arrangement, instruments and vocals are Jacob Collier for his own track “Keep an Eye on Summer”; Cody Fry for his own track “What a Wonderful World”; Clyde Lawrence, Gracie Lawrence & Linus Lawrence for Lawrence’s “Something in the Water (Acoustic-Ish)” (the eight-piece band features Clyde and Gracie; Linus is their younger brother); and Eric Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Nate Smith (not the country hitmaker) and Amanda Taylor for “Big Fish,” which they recorded as Nate Smith featuring säje (säje being the other four names here).
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Ashley Gorley and Shaboozey won top honors at the 2025 ASCAP Nashville Songwriters Celebration, with Gorley winning ASCAP country music songwriter of the year for a record 12th time. That’s more times than anyone has won songwriter of the year at an ASCAP awards celebration in any genre.
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ASCAP celebrated the winners at an invitation-only party on Monday (Nov. 17) in Nashville. ASCAP chairman of the board and president Paul Williams, ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews, ASCAP executive vp and head of creative membership Nicole George-Middleton and ASCAP vp of Nashville membership Mike Sistad handed out awards.
Among ASCAP’s most-performed country songs of the year, penned by Gorley, are “Fix What You Didn’t Break” (Nate Smith), “I Am Not Okay” (Jelly Roll), “Liar” (Jelly Roll) and “Park” (Tyler Hubbard). In June, Gorley was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Shaboozey received the ASCAP country music songwriter/artist of the year honor. In addition to his “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” earning ASCAP’s country music song of the year, his “Good News” (co-written by Sean Cook) is also among ASCAP’s most-performed country songs of the year.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was co-written by Sean Cook, Jerrell “J-Kwon” Jones, Joe Capo Kent and Mark “Tarboy” Williams. It was published by Sony Music Publishing, Essancy Music, Seeker Music, Range Music Publishing, Tarpo Music Publishing, Hood Hop Music, Kreshendo and Warner Chappell Music. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 19 weeks, tying Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (featuring Billy Ray Cyrus) as the longest-running No. 1 song in Hot 100 history (which dates to 1958).
Additionally, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” won a CMA Award for single of the year, a Billboard Music Award for top country song and top-selling song, and a Brit Award for international song of the year. Shaboozey is nominated for new artist of the year at Wednesday’s CMA Awards and recently received Grammy nominations for best country solo performance, best country duo/group performance and best country song.
Sony Music Publishing is the ASCAP country music publisher of the year. Among their awarded titles are “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for the second consecutive year, “Fix What You Didn’t Break” (Nate Smith), “Hard Fought Hallelujah” (Brandon Lake, Jelly Roll), “Good News” (Shaboozey), “Cowboys Cry Too” (Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan), “Coming Home” (Old Dominion), “Country House” (Sam Hunt), “I Am Not Okay” (Jelly Roll), “4x4xU” (Lainey Wilson) and “Love You, Miss You, Mean It” (Luke Bryan).
The ASCAP writers and publishers of the most-performed Christian music songs also received their awards at the celebration.
A complete list of ASCAP country music winners can be found at the ASCAP site.
