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Brooks & Dunn remember the first two ACM Awards they won in 1992, when they snagged both top new duo of the year and duo of the year.
“It felt like we were in the game,” said Kix Brooks. “Those were our first major awards.”
“I remember we were walking the off the stage, I was looking this way, and [Kix] was looking that way, and we were both fighting back tears,” Ronnie Dunn added.
Twenty-five ACM awards later, including winning the coveted entertainer of the year three times, the acclaimed duo received another award Wednesday night (May 7): the ACM Diamond Chairman’s Award. The honor, presented at the ACM Lifting Lives Gala at the Omni PGA Hotel in Frisco, Texas, goes to an artist who has left a mark on the academy and on the country music industry as a whole through their artistry and humanitarian efforts.
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The evening, held the night before the 60th ACM Awards, raised more than $1.3 million for ACM Lifting Lives, the philanthropic arm of the academy, which provides aid to people in need through health-related initiatives, including national music therapy programs, mental and physical health organizations, children’s hospitals and more.
The pair, talking to Billboard at the start of the evening, were more than happy to lend their name to raise money for a good cause. “If we can find something that somebody can attach anything that’s worthwhile and good for something, then we’re good to go,” Dunn says.
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They were feted by a number of artists who had grown up on their music and many of whom had developed deep personal ties with the most successful duo in the history of country music.
Keith Urban remember shortly after moving to America from Australia hearing the duo’s music, when songs like “Brand New Man” and “Hard Workin’ Man” “were just leaping out of the radio with so much energy,” Urban told Billboard. “They weren’t just great songs, they were great records.”
Urban, who performing a smoking version of “Brand New Man,” first met Brooks when Urban and his then band, The Ranch, were playing in a dive bar called Jack’s Guitar Bar that held around 80 people, “with wretched shag carpet everywhere that was beer soaked and just dreadful.” Brooks had heard of the band and after a formal event one evening came into the bar with his wife. “Kix is dressed to the nines and so is Barbara in this absolute sh-thole pub,” he says with a laugh. After finding the last seat for his wife, Brooks sat on the carpet in his tuxedo “and watched our whole set.” Even though The Ranch didn’t have a record deal, Brooks extended an offer to have the band open for Brooks & Dunn, which they did in 1997.
Similarly, Brooks & Dunn took Megan Moroney, who performed a sultry version of “Ain’t Nothin ‘Bout You,” out on her first arena tour in 2023. “They kind of took me under their wing. I would come out and sing ‘Cowgirls Don’t Cry’ with them every night, and I remember being really nervous to do that. Their confidence kind of [rubbed] off on me a little bit, and made me feel more comfortable,” she says. “I thought that that was really sweet of them to take a chance on me and let me open up for them. It was like a dream come true for me and my parents, so anytime I’m asked to do anything for Brooks and Dunn, I’m there.”
After growing up on Brooks & Dunn’s music, Cody Johnson first met them when he performed “Red Dirt Road” with the duo on 2019’s Reboot collection, which reimagined some of the pair’s greatest hits with other artists. The first line of the song, “I was raised off of Rural Route 3,” always resonated with Johnson because he actually was raised off a Rural Route 3 in Texas, just as Dunn was in Arkansas. “We just hit it off. I think that they figured out that they were my heroes, but also, I didn’t treat them any different,” he said. “And even though I was a young aspiring artist, they didn’t treat me any different either.” Johnson performed “Red Dirt Road” to open the gala’s entertainment portion and will perform the song with the duo on the ACM Awards on Thursday.
Lainey Wilson electrified the crowd with a soaring version of “My Maria,” and called the duo on stage with her to sing the last half of the song. “I was not expecting you to get up here with me,” Wilson said with a laugh after they finished the song to great applause.
“They truly are the soundtrack of my childhood,” she said backstage. “We used to steal my daddy’s hunting spotlight, and we’d turn all the lights out in the house, and my sister would follow me around the living room with [my singing into] a hairbrush. ‘My Maria’ was one of the ones that I would belt out. It is pretty wild to think that I actually really know them now.” As Dunn once again proved as he hit “My Maria’s” sky-high notes, “he is one of the best singers on the face of the earth,” Wilson said. “It’s like how is this even coming out of [his mouth?]”
Also performing in honor of the duo were Zach Top, who played “My Next Broken Heart” and Eric Church, who sang “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.”
The evening closed with a singalong on “Play Something Country” with Brooks & Dunn, Church, Wilson, Urban, Top and Moroney.
Brooks & Dunn, who released Reboot 2 in 2024, are inching toward recording an album of new material, which would be their first since 2007’s Cowboy Town. “We’re kicking along,” Brooks says. “We’re working on it, we’re pushing that row,” Dunn says, adding that their new label chiefs at Sony Nashville—chairman/CEO Hilary Lindsey and president/COO Ken Robold—are also encouraging them to progress. “We’ve got a label that we had a really great meeting with. They can’t make us make a record, but they would love to see us do it,” Brooks says. “They don’t want to put out a record that’s not a great record.”
The pair also acknowledge they are among the top tier league of acts who have been so successful that they are competing with their own legacy.
“He’s not a country artist, but I love quoting Billy Joel,” Brooks says, “He said ‘I haven’t made a new record in [32] years and it’s working quite well.’”
But they admit there’s the nagging feeling that they have more left to say. “I still think we have the juice to be able to sell a new one,” Dunn says. “I just want to put one more through the goal posts.”
Lainey Wilson, Reba McEntire & Miranda Lambert sit down ahead of the ACM’s and share how they came together to create their new collab, “Trailblazer.” They share how Brandy Clark, Dolly Parton and more influenced the song, producing and recording together and more!
Are you excited for “Trailblazer?” Let us know in the comments!
Melinda Newman:
I wanna start by just asking how the song came together.
Miranda Lambert:
The first conversation was an idea that we could write a song for all of us to sing together, right?
And you brought up Brandy because we all love her so much.
Reba McEntire:
Love Brandy Clark.
Miranda Lambert:
Yes.
Reba McEntire:
Her writing, her singing, everything about her.
Miranda Lambert:
Yeah, so we went to my back porch and-
Lainey Wilson:
Yeah, we were like, okay, we’re gonna get to do a song with Reba. So what kind of song do you think that like, what do we write, you know?
Miranda Lambert:
And she was on set, so we were calling her and trying to FaceTime and figure out, like, what’s the right message for this, this trio, like, what do we really want to say in a three minute song? Because it felt really important to all of us, I think.
Reba McEntire:
And I had texted with Brandy the day before, giving her some ideas, and then when I finally got to hear it, I was ecstatic. Thrilled to pieces, and Brandy said that was the fastest she’s ever written a song because they gelled so well together.
Lainey Wilson:
We were just having a conversation about how both of y’all have influenced me, and how it’s just it’s kind of like passing the torch and blazing trails for each other. And so it’s just like, you know, generation after generation it’s going to continue. Well, we got to keep blazing those trails for the next ones.
Keep watching for more!
[Spoiler alert: This story contains the identity of the winner and runners-up revealed on Wednesday night’s (May 7) season 13 finale of The Masked Singer.]
In a season that has featured the unmasking of a mess of music stars — including Edwin McCain (Nessy), Method Man (Stud Muffin) and Flavor Flav (Space Ranger), plus actors Matthew Lawrence (Paparazzo), Candace Cameron Bure (Cherry Blossom) and James Van Der Beek (Griffin) and boxer Oscar De La Hoya (Fuzzy Peas), among others — when the confetti rained down on Wednesday night’s (May 7) Masked Singer finale, it was no surprise who came out on top.
Pearl shone the brightest on a night when she reigned supreme over the other three finalists — Boogie Woogie, Coral and Mad Scientist — after a season of dominating the competition with a perfectly executed mix of pop, R&B, rock, Latin and soul songs.
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If you were really paying attention to the clues this season, Pearl’s identity was plain to see. There was talk of a “tough exterior” you had to break through to find the treasure inside, making her own way by playing shows in discount stores and dive bars, Elvis, a bowl of cherries and Aphrodite, goddess of love. She also noted she grew up in a tiny town, split before finishing high school to work in a bar and said that when she started doing what she does, it launched a movement that opened the doors for many others.
The guesses were all over the place, with judge Robin Thicke thinking Melissa Etheridge, to Rita Orr tossing out rockers Pat Benatar and Joan Jett and always-wrong Ken Jeong wildly swinging with certainty that Madonna was under the mask (she wasn’t). Meanwhile, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg’s guesses over the season leaned country, including Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Kacey Musgraves — which turned out to be the right kind of lean.
There’s a very good reason Pearl came out on top, beginning with her gritty, emotional cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 empowerment anthem “You Don’t Own Me,” which Thicke praised for being “sultry and swaggy,” with a touch of soul and grit. Proving her versatility, she also spread that grit on The Outfield’s 1986 rock anthem “Your Love,” then pivoted again with a hip-swiveling take on Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine’s 1985 classic “Conga.” Other highlights included a killer cover of Dolly Parton’s 1977 pop country No. 3 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Here You Come Again,” a rock pivot for Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” and an impressive run through the Whitney Houston ballad “Saving All My Love For You.”
She secured the win with Wednesday night’s cover of KT Tunstall’s 2004 rocker “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” which sounded so much like it could have been one of her own songs that Jeong called her the “Meryl Streep of Masked Singer.” Her final song, The Pretenders’ epic ballad “I’ll Stand By You,” soared and, seemingly, locked in the season 13 crown for none other than country star Gretchen Wilson.
Her victory came over Boogie Woogie (Andy Grammer), Coral (Zombies‘ Meg Donnelly) and Mad Scientist (Florida Georgia Line country star and solo singer Brian Kelley).
The singer — whose breakthrough, Grammy-winning 2004 single “Redneck Woman” sat at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart for five weeks — spoke to Billboard before her win about why now was the right time to do the show, how the flashy costume switched up her public persona and why she didn’t sing a song from her all-time favorite rock band.
This show had you doing more choreo than I imagine you’re used to, so much hip shaking and gyrating. Was that weird to you, or did the costume help alleviate any nerves?
The costume helped with everything. When I stepped into the costume, I was transformed, I became Pearl. All of the different sides of Gretchen Wilson that I’ve never felt comfortable enough to show just took the forefront in the costume. I saw it as an opportunity to show the world there’s a lot more to me than this redneck y’all keep talking about.
What as it about that sparkly costume that appealed to you? You usually are a black T-shirt and jeans kind of woman, and it’s so girly. [For the record, Wilson was wearing a black T-shirt and one sparkly, rhinestone-studded blue glove during our Zoom.]
It was just all of the things I’ve never felt comfortable to do as a grown woman. I took it and ran with it. It’s an uncomfortable costume. You don’t feel all that pretty in it because you’re mostly just sweating. But when you happen by a mirror and see it you’re like, “ooh!,” you just can’t help yourself. I thought it was really good exactly because of that: Everybody just thinks of a plain Jane, girl next door type of thing, and I thought this costume was perfect because it was so opposite of what anybody would ever think they’d see me behind.
You’ve had a wild ride in the music biz, scoring five top 10 singles on the Billboard country charts and then jumping to your own label, so I’m curious: What did you want to prove on the show?
I had some post-COVID health stuff, I’m a long-hauler. I’ve got medications I’ll have to take for the rest of my life — high blood pressure, asthma — these are all things I didn’t have right before COVID. I also was dancing with a 6-year-old boy at a wedding, spinning, spinning, spinning, then I lost myself and I shattered my ankle and my leg, so I spent eight months in a wheelchair in a cast. So all of this was happening to me the last couple of years and it really got me to the point where, health-wise, my weight, I was thinking, “I might be done. It could be over for me because I’m not sure I’ll be able to breathe out there and do this thing as a living anymore.” So when this opportunity came, it was a moment for me to go, “All right, I’ve struggled, I’ve got the weight down, the medication is helping and if I say yes to this and I can go do this then I can do anything.” If I can do this, I can do a 75-minute show in Yuma, Arizona, in August outside.
Your sound was so versatile on the show, from rock to country, pop, Latin and R&B. Why was that a priority for you?
First of all, because I could. I grew up in bar bands. When I was 16, I was in three to four bands all at once, and it was always covers, so I got my start like, “How much can I sound like this one?” That was sort of a hidden gem in my pocket that I had, being able to transform my voice.
You didn’t do a song by your favorite band Heart, though. Why not?
Like any show, only a certain number of songs they have clearance for, so it wasn’t like I could go in there and say, “I want to sing ‘Barracuda’ by Heart.” There was a very good chance they wouldn’t have been able to clear it. Also, had they brought me a Heart song, I would have said no because it would have been a dead giveaway. I felt we got really close with show opener [Big & Rich’s] “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” — those are two of my very best friends. How do they not know that that’s me? I tried to pick songs I love, but also songs my audience would not typically think it would be me singing.
Speaking of which, was it fun to sing “Pink Pony Club” with Rita Ora on the finale?
There’s a song I’ve never heard! Never heard it [before I sang it] and never heard it since. Let me just say [throws up prayer hands]: Nothing against the song, it’s just not my thing.
How cool was it to get that message from your daughter on the last night? Did she know it was you on the show?
In the beginning, I told almost no one. I told my publicist, I had to tell my mom because I have four dogs and she had to come take care of them. The show decided to involve my daughter and her new husband, so that’s how she got on it, otherwise she wouldn’t have known. I’m really glad they did because keeping this secret from her felt wrong not having her involved in the moment.
Your Pretenders cover tonight made Ken cry! That must have felt good, right?
I didn’t remember that! I haven’t seen the final episode yet. I don’t know what my favorite performance is because I haven’t seen them all yet. I was impressed with the “Conga” because that was so far outside of what I normally do, but my friends are all liking “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” and that was my least favorite. I was thinking, “What did I just do? I just chose a song that is going to lose me the competition. Where do I go with this vocal?” I had to be creative and jump an octave, or two, because this song doesn’t go anywhere! I think I did go three octaves in that song.
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.
Drew Afualo gives Megan Moroney her flowers, and she shares that she won Miss Sorority Girl during college, her admiration for Kacey Musgraves and more at Billboard Women in Music 2025.
Drew Afualo:
All right, here we are with the iconic, the legendary, the unbelievably beautiful Megan Moroney. How do you feel being here at Billboard Women in Music?
I’m so excited. I mean, we’re just celebrating the girls tonight. So I love it.
Love, and you’re persevering — you don’t feel that great?
Yeah, I got a shot in my butt, my left butt cheek.
She shared that with me.
So now I shared with everyone.
And she’s still here serving. And what are you doing?
Because, Mama ain’t raise no…
Exactly. You fill in the blank, exactly. Well, I’m so excited to have you here. I’m gonna do a little fun thing for you. So I’m gonna give you some flowers. These are for you.
Thanks!
So I want to give you your flowers-
Are they real?
They are real.
Cool!
Isn’t that so funny. OK, so who do you give your flowers to for getting you where you are now?
My mom.
That’s so common tonight. I love that. Moms, shout ’em out.
No, my mom, I feel like, at a very young age, gave me the confidence to be exactly who I am, and she gave me an attitude to match.
Love. I got one for my mom too, period. I love that. OK, so who do you give your flowers to for inspiring your music?
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Morgan Wallen is set to return to London later this month for a one-night-only show at Roundhouse on Wednesday, May 28. The show, which follows his 2024 BST Hyde Park headlining show, will mark Wallen’s only concert announced outside of North America thus far in 2025.
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Fans can access the exclusive ticket presale by pre-ordering Wallen’s new album I’m the Problem through any format from the Morgan Wallen UK store prior to 10 a.m. BST on Tuesday, May 13.
Wallen’s I’m the Problem is set to release May 16 and will feature collaborations with Post Malone, Tate McRae, Eric Church, ERNEST and HARDY. Wallen co-wrote 22 songs on the album, but also brought in the talents of 49 fellow writers, creating a track list that includes songs such as “Love Somebody,” “Lies Lies Lies” and “Superman,” which is set to release Friday (May 9).
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“A lot of the concepts and things we said were a little more difficult with this album,” Wallen said in a statement. “We were trying to dig deep on things and trying to find new angles. And I feel like we did that. I feel like there’s a lot of stuff that I haven’t said in this record, which I’m really, really proud of.”
In North America, Wallen will launch his 2025 I’m The Problem Tour on June 20 at NRG Stadium in Houston. The 20-show tour will find Wallen playing shows in cities including Seattle, Toronto, and Madison, Wisconsin. Joining Wallen on the tour will be a rotating lineup of guest artists, including Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Koe Wetzel as direct support, with Gavin Adcock, Corey Kent, Ella Langley and Anne Wilson as first-of-three on select dates.
In addition to the North American tour dates and his upcoming London show, Wallen will also perform at his own Sand in My Boots Festival, which is slated for May 16-18 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
Whiskey Myers talk about their favorite things about Stagecoach, their new album, being on ‘Yellowstone’ and more at Stagecoach 2025.
Tetris KellyWell Whiskey Myers has decided to come kick it with Billboard before they’re set at stagecoach. How’s it going? Fellas?
Whiskey MyersYes, it’s going good man. How are you I’m good man. But like, you guys are pros at this. You’ve had your own festival for seven years, which is crazy. So how do you bring in that energy to stagecoach for the second time?
Whiskey MyersOh, man, it’s just, we’re just happy to be here, man, and to win the weather. You know, it’s always great to get out here, so we’ll just bring whatever we usually just try to bring to it. And
Tetris KellyI mean, you guys clearly love festivals, because you’re bringing a new one, even to Florida. So why Florida? And what’s that festival gonna be all about?
Whiskey MyersYou know, the weather we’ve done, you know, we’ve done festivals around our home. We’ve done festivals around, I guess, Kansas, and some other stuff. So, I mean, we’d never done went to beach, so it seemed like a pretty good idea.
Tetris KellyWhat do you enjoy about stagecoach specifically?
Whiskey MyersI mean, it’s cool. It’s good setup. You know, they ain’t messing around. I mean, we’ll play music wherever. You know, that’s always been our MO we always been a touring band. So we’re just happy to be here and play music for the people.
Tetris KellyAnd I mean, you guys are fresh off an announcement new album coming out in September. So tell me about the album. First of all, you got to explain the name of the album to me. And what does it mean?
Whiskey Myers‘Whomp Whack Thunder.’ Yeah, we went on there. We went in there and whomped on things, whacked on things, and made some thunder, I guess. But it just kind of came out like that. It’s a cool record. Man, it’s a real rocking, kind of high energy record. We did it in Nashville with Jay Joyce and proud of it comes out this fall.
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