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Luke Combs has revealed the intense nature of his struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), describing the condition as “particularly wicked” during a candid conversation on 60 Minutes Australia.
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The country star shared that unlike common perceptions of OCD—such as compulsive behaviors like flicking light switches—his form, purely obsessional OCD, manifests internally with relentless anxiety and intrusive thoughts rather than outward rituals.
“Probably the worst flare-up of it I’ve had in, I would say three or four years, started about two days before this trip,” Combs told the program prior to his show at Sydney’s Accor Stadium last month.
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“It’s something that in some way I at least think about every day. There’s some tinge of it to some extent every day … The craziness of the particular disorder that I have, it’s the way to get out of it,” Combs told interviewer Adam Hegarty.
“There’s no outward manifestation of it, right? Like you’re talking about the flicking of a light switch, but for me, it’s all going on in here,” Combs explained, adding. “When someone else flicks a light switch, you can see it happening. But for someone like myself, you wouldn’t even know what’s going on—it could be happening right now and you wouldn’t even realise it.”
“It’s thoughts, essentially, that you don’t want to have… and then they cause you stress, and then you’re stressed out, and then the stress causes you to have more of the thoughts, and then you don’t understand why you’re having them, and you’re trying to get rid of them, but trying to get rid of them makes you have more of them.”
He continued, “I’m lucky to be an expert in how to get out of it now… I’m probably 90 per cent out of my flare-up now … and in the midst of doing a world tour, right?”
Combs, known for hits like “Forever After All,” described recent anxiety flare-ups as among the most severe he’s experienced in years, noting periods where obsessive thoughts consumed him for “45 seconds of every minute for weeks.” The intrusive thoughts ranged from unsettling violent images to existential concerns about his identity.
The country star admitted that his OCD significantly impacted his life, explaining, “It held me back so many times in my life where you’re trying to accomplish something, you’re doing really great, and then you have a flare-up, and it just like ruins your whole life for six months.”
Yet, Combs has gradually learned to manage the disorder more effectively by acknowledging these intrusive thoughts without fear.
“When it happens now, I’m not afraid of it because I’m not like, ‘What if I’m like this forever?’ I know I’m not going to be like this forever now.”
Previously, Combs had opened up about first experiencing OCD-related anxiety in middle school during a 2021 interview on AXS TV’s The Big Interview, likening his obsessive thoughts to “fixing the blinds or straightening the carpet,” but occurring entirely in his mind.
Luke Combs has landed four No. 1 albums on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart: This One’s For You (2017), What You See Is What You Get (2019), Growin’ Up (2022), and The Prequel (EP) (2019). His albums Gettin’ Old (2023) and Fathers & Sons (2024) both peaked at No. 2.
Billboard Women In Music for 2025 keeps on getting juicer. Doechii is named as the Woman of the Year, and so many more have been added to the powerhouse night. Keep watching to find out who! Watch the live event on March 29th at 10PM ET/7PM PT on the Billboard Women in Music 2025 channel […]
No matter how large or small the venue, you never know who will show up to a concert in Music City.
On Sunday evening (March 9), rapper Snoop Dogg made a surprise appearance at Nashville music venue Losers Bar & Grill. The 16-time Grammy-nominated entertainer treated the audience in the 500-capacity venue to a rendition of his 1994-released song “Gin and Juice.”
Country singer-songwriter Ernest was among those who joined Snoop during the evening, and shared photos from the performance over the weekend. The two entertainers have previously collaborated on an as-yet-unreleased song called “Gettin’ Done,” which Ernest performed during a show in Nashville last month.
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“SNOOP X DEVILLE,” the country artist captioned his carousel of photos with the rapper.
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The venue also shared a clip of Snoop’s performance on Instagram, captioning the video on Monday (March 10): “You never know who might hop up on stage. This Life Ain’t For Everybody! @snoopdogg #LosersWin”
This is just Snoop Dogg’s most recent appearance in Nashville. In November, he joined Jelly Roll on stage during the “Son of a Sinner” singer’s headlining show at Bridgestone Arena, where the two traded verses on “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and collaborated on a song inspired by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance.”
During his career, Snoop Dogg earned three Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, including 2004’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” with Pharrell, as well as a feature on the 2006 Akon hit “I Wanna Love You” and the 2010 Katy Perry hit “California Gurls.” Snoop Dogg (initially known as Snoop Doggy Dogg) first gained prominence through his collaborations with Dr. Dre, including “Deep Cover” and his contributions to Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking 1992 album, The Chronic. Snoop made his solo studio debut on his 1993 album Doggystyle, which set the stage for further hit albums, including The Doggfather. Along the way, he notched numerous hits including “What’s My Name?,” “Gin and Juice” and “Still a G Thang,” and later teaming with Pharrell for songs including “Beautiful” (with Charlie Wilson) and “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Ernest, a longtime friend of Jelly Roll, is known for his work writing hits including the “Save Me” singer’s “Son of a Sinner,” the Morgan Wallen/Post Malone hit “I Had Some Help” and Wallen’s “You Proof,” “Wasted on You” and “More Than My Hometown,” among others. Ernest earned a No. 1 Billboard Country Airplay hit with the collaboration “Cowgirls” (with Wallen).
Will Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga take No. 1 from Kendrick Lamar and SZA? Tetris Kelly:This is the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 for the week dated March 15. Back in the top 10 is “Nokia.” At nine is Teddy Swims. Chappell Roan holds on to eight, as does Billie Eilish to No. 7. “APT.” to […]
Dolly Parton leads this week’s crop of new music, with her tender tribute to her late husband, Carl Dean, after his passing at the age of 82 on March 3. Kelsea Ballerini continues unpacking emotions the deluxe version of her album Patterns, while Brad Paisley teams with Dawes for a new track that takes a unflinching look at mental health.
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Check out all of these and more in Billboard‘s roundup of the top new country, bluegrass and Americana songs of the week below.
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Dolly Parton, “If You Hadn’t Been There”
Country Music Hall of Famer Dolly Parton pays elegant homage to her late husband Carl Dean on this tender song. With a classic country feel, underpinned by piano and fiddle, finds Parton chronicling the ways he served as her constant source of support. “I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t been there/ Pushing me on when I was scared,” she sings, and her expressive soprano builds from whisper-soft, sounding slightly ragged around the edges with grief, to ringing powerfully with love.
Kelsea Ballerini, “Hindsight Is Happiness”
Last year, Ballerini issued her biggest-selling album to date with Patterns, and returns with five new songs on the deluxe version of the project. One of the standouts in this new handful of tracks is “Hindsight is Happiness,” a peaceful ballad looking back on the wreckage of a decimated relationship and realizing both parties have matured and moved on. “I never should’ve tethered in my 20s, my bad,” the now-31-year-old Ballerini sings, before wishing happiness and love for her ex-flame on the road ahead.
Brad Paisley and Dawes, “Raining Inside”
Brad Paisley and Dawes recently performed together at the Grammys earlier this year. Now, the two pair their boundary-less creative freedom and turn it toward providing a mirror to modern-day afflictions, on this brooding look at mental health and depression. “No one’s sick and no one died, no one’s left and no one’s leaving/ But it’s raining inside,” they sing, highlighting the prevalence mental health struggles regardless of the presence or absence of situational hardships. The song’s pop-rock oriented stylings, highlighted by grizzled guitar work, elevates the song’s poignant message.
Tim McGraw feat. Parker McCollum, “Paper Umbrellas”
McGraw refreshes a fan favorite from his 2023 project Standing Room Only by welcoming McCollum. Together, they blend neo-traditional country sounds with a slight islands vibe to create a song that feels tailor-made to become a summer anthem. The intergenerational pairing of 57-year-old country standard-bearer McGraw with surging 32-year-old McCollum also evinces the enduring power of a song that melds a timeless, relatable story arc of post-breakup solace with breezy instrumentation and a melody that highlights the warm, laid-back charisma these two vocalists share.
Caroline Owens, “You’ve Still Got It”
Caroline Owens, a three-time IBMA Awards nominee who has performed with bluegrass luminaries including Alison Krauss, Ricky Skaggs and Rhonda Vincent, offers up softly beguiling vocals on her debut single for Billy Blue Records. Her soft-focus voice floats over trilling mandolin picking and reserved fiddle. Written by Jerry Salley and John Pennell, “You’ve Still Got It” centers on a sturdy love. Her full album, with production from Salley and Darin Aldridge, is set for later this year.
Rob Williford, “Johnny”
“How far can a man bend before he breaks?” It’s a haunting question at the center of the latest song from Williford, known for his work as a songwriter crafting hits for Luke Combs (“Beautiful Crazy” and “Forever After All” and Tim McGraw (“Fool Me Again”) and as a longtime bandmember for Combs. Williford previously released the solo project Wildcard in 2023, but fully steps into his own on his latest song. “Johnny” is a tale of addiction to moonshine and pills that leads to betrayal and murder, depicting how addiction and a string of poor choices can decimate a family generation after generation. His growling vocal lays out this destructive storyline over driving, rustic acoustics, evoking a unfiltered, country-rock vibe.
At the first official Academy of Country Music Awards show in 1966 — held in Los Angeles and hosted by Bonanza actor Lorne Greene — Buck Owens took home top male vocalist, Bonnie Guitar won top female vocalist, and a young upstart named Merle Haggard snagged new male vocalist.
Two years prior, artist Tommy Wiggins, songwriter Eddie Miller and Red Barrel Niteclub owners (and married couple) Mickey and Chris Christensen had formed the ACM, then called the Country and Western Music Academy, to represent country music in the Western states, counterbalancing the Nashville-based Country Music Association, which launched in 1958.
Since then, the ACM has celebrated and advocated for the growth of country music, both domestically and abroad. In 2022, it moved its headquarters to Nashville, and the academy now boasts a membership of over 5,000 globally.
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On May 8, the ACM will host the 60th edition of its awards show at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. ACM CEO Damon Whiteside says the ceremony — which became the first major awards show to exclusively stream live for a global audience on Amazon Prime in 2022 — will celebrate the year’s top artists while also honoring past winners and award-show milestones. Those landmarks include Marty Robbins taking home the first artist of the decade award in 1969, Loretta Lynn becoming the first woman to win entertainer of the year in 1976, Garth Brooks snagging six awards in one night in 1991 (a feat since replicated by Faith Hill and Chris Stapleton) and Miranda Lambert leading all winners with 37 career trophies.
Loretta Lynn onstage in 1973.
Courtesy of ACM
During the Frisco festivities, the academy will also highlight the important work of Lifting Lives, the ACM’s philanthropic partner that provides financial, disaster, mental and other aid to the country music community.
“We’re looking at developing a show that’s going to feel current because we obviously need to honor the current nominees,” Whiteside says, “but there’s also a real desire for us to showcase the legacy of the show because it’s always charted its own course. We want to showcase what differentiates us.
“It’s a little bit of a past/present/future approach,” Whiteside adds. “It’s going to be a really iconic night and a great way to look back and look forward and celebrate where we are right now as an industry.”
From left: Jordan Davis, ACM CEO Whiteside and Carly Pearce at the ACM Honors in 2024.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for ACM
You moved the ACM’s headquarters to Nashville from Los Angeles in December 2022. How do you differentiate yourself from the Country Music Association, and how have you upheld the original mandate of representing Western states?
We really grappled with whether we should make the move when I came into the job [in 2020]. That was definitely one of my first orders of business, coming in, that the board asked me to do some research on. Over a few months, I looked at the pros and cons [of the Nashville move], what it meant from a historical perspective, a strategic perspective and a financial perspective in moving all of our operations and our staff and knowing we probably would lose staff by moving.
COVID then hit within that process, and we were out of the office for about two years. During that time, it became more and more apparent that it made sense to be in Nashville because probably over 90% of our constituents are in the Nashville market, from our board of directors to all of our industry members and artists.
What about the organization’s original mission?
When we started back in the ’60s, there was no support for artists on the West Coast — they were shunned, basically, by Nashville, and there was no one looking out for them or for their interests. Also, there wasn’t really a bridge between the studios and television and country music. That’s really why we were formed in the first place, to create that bridge. But over time there’s been less need to be in that role because, thankfully, country is ubiquitous now. It just made sense for us to move here strategically.
From left: June Carter Cash, Johnny Cash, Marie Osmond and Robert Duvall in 1991 when Cash received the ACM Pioneer Award.
Courtesy of ACM
How did you decide where in town to relocate?
We did not even consider Music Row as a place to move — it just didn’t feel authentic for us. Nor did we want to encroach on traditional Music Row. Wedgewood Houston offered us an opportunity to be in an emerging area of town that’s still very convenient, and there’s a lot of music companies opening here. Our positioning is that we are the renegade organization, so we should be somewhere a little more gritty and edgy. That’s ultimately why we landed where we landed.
The ACM Awards’ previous slogan was “Country Music’s Party of the Year.” How have you moved away from that?
That was our tagline and position for many, many years. Especially being in Las Vegas [where the ACMs were held annually from 2003 to 2019, except for 2015], it made a lot of sense. During COVID, when we [presented] our first show in Nashville in September 2020, we did it at three venues [Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium and The Bluebird Cafe], and we named that night “A Special Night of Heart and Hits.” That really changed the tone and the vibe of the show.
We carried that over the following year. And then when we went back to Vegas [at Allegiant Stadium in 2022], we sort of brought back the party of the year, but with being on a new platform with Amazon, they had a lot of feelings about how we could reposition ourselves.
And then, moving back to Texas in 2023 following the [awards’] 50th anniversary being there [in 2015], the feeling was we just have other sorts of stories to tell around what the show is beyond being a party. “Party” sells it a little short.
Toby Keith played “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” at the 2002 ACM Awards, in the wake of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Courtesy of ACM
What comes after the 60th anniversary?
For 2026, we may do a major pivot again and define what’s the future of the academy. This year is a very special year, but next year is going to be kind of turning the page. It’ll be a fresh new year. We don’t know yet where we’ll be. We don’t know what [outlet] we’re going to be on. Everything’s a new day in 2026, so it’s going to be the evolution of the ACM Awards, but we’re excited about that because it’s a blank slate.
The show is co-owned by Dick Clark Productions. [DCP is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.] What is the key to your working relationship?
The relationship started in 1979, which is pretty incredible to think about. Dick Clark hosted many times and then came on as executive producer in ’79, and shortly after that his son [R.A. “RAC” Clark] got involved. He was with us for all those decades as well, and now we have Raj Kapoor [as showrunner]. It’s been a really great partnership. Both sides bring so much to the table.
We consider ourselves the country music experts, and we’re the ones running the award side of it, making sure our members and industry are engaged. We lean in for a lot of the talent asks and make sure our brand and the industry are being represented properly. Dick Clark Productions provides all the production resources and really puts the show together from a television/streaming perspective. We both have an equal seat at the table.
Garth Brooks swept the ACM Awards in 1991.
Courtesy of ACM
In 2022, you became the first major awards show to move to a streaming platform when you debuted on Prime Video. What did you learn from that first year?
That’s probably one of my top moments in my five years. The first year going into it, none of us had any idea what we were doing in terms of what the impact would be on the show. How do you suddenly produce a live show with no commercial breaks? Typically, you’re using those breaks to make set changes.
But what we found was it actually improved the process of booking the show, planning the show and the show experience itself. Because it was such a quick two hours, top to bottom, it forced everyone to be even more on their toes in terms of the show’s pace and, because of it being jam-packed with music, it felt like a true music concert. I think what we’ve carried forward is keeping the show really tight. There’s no time to get bored because you’re constantly moving.
The challenge of streaming is that they do not report viewership. The music industry wants to know how many people are watching. I don’t know the numbers. [But] if you’re feeling the bump, then does it matter how many people are watching?
We do have a sense that we’re on par with where we’ve traditionally been with the show, if not more than that. Plus, we’re global. We’re in over 230 countries and territories, live and on demand. Now we’re getting a much larger international reach.
How much does the show’s status as a global event influence picking a host? It was Dolly Parton for two years — once with Garth Brooks — and now it’s Reba McEntire, who hosted or co-hosted 12 times between 2002 and 2019.
Dolly Parton’s a global superstar. In any market around the world, if you saw your Prime Video home screen with Dolly, you’re probably going to be interested. Reba is very similar. She’s a legend as well. This is her 18th time hosting [or co-hosting]. The other part is both of them are multigenerational. They’re relevant now. The multigeneration piece is big because it brings in all audiences.
Reba came to us prior to last year and really wanted to be part of the 60th-anniversary legacy of this show because she feels very connected to it, and she’s had a huge impact on what this show is. That’s when we signed her to a two-year deal to [host in 2024 and 2025].
Taylor Swift at the ACM All-Star Jam in 2009.
Courtesy of ACM
We are seeing more labels in New York and Los Angeles sign country acts, while artists including Post Malone, Beyoncé and Ringo Starr are incorporating elements of country into their music. How does the ACM embrace that, in terms of the awards show and the organization?
We haven’t addressed it yet. We have had a lot of conversations with our board about it, and everyone is in agreement that we need to figure it out. But we need to do it in the right way and not make a rush move, because we want to make sure we’re protecting the integrity of the vote and that the members spend a majority of their time in country music versus a one-off project.
Long term, we’ll likely figure out a way to allow those “coastal labels” in as long as they meet the criteria that those individuals spend a majority of their time in country music. We will find a way to incorporate them into our membership and then [they will] be able to vote.
What is something from the past 60 years that you consider sacred and don’t ever want to change about the awards show?
Our DNA of this show has always been — and always will be — that we’re a little out of the box. We’re a little left of center. In the ’60s, we had all the television celebrities hosting and we’ve really held on to that. We’ve always had a lot of film and TV talent involved in the show, so that carries through.
We’ve held on to the fact that we really maximize the out-of-genre opportunities by having out-of-genre artists collaborating. Our DNA is that we take risks. We’re progressive. We’ve [leaned] very forward in diversity the past several years especially, and we’ll continue to do that. While the artists change over the years, our identity and the DNA of the show has remained consistent. We want the show to be fun and the fans to have a great time and let loose.
The Chicks on the shoot for their video for the 1999 ACM Awards.
Courtesy of ACM
ACM Winners’ Favorite Award Show Moments
Artists and executives look back on the Academy of Country Music’s brightest nights.
Bill Anderson, two-time ACM Award winner: “The academy first began recognizing songwriters in 2007 with the advent of their Poet’s Award, and they gave me their very first one. It’s always cool to be the first at anything, and when you look at the names of some who have followed it makes it even more special: Merle Haggard, Don Schlitz, Cindy Walker, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and more. I had come to Nashville 50 years earlier with dreams of being a songwriter. Nothing could be more special than having those dreams come true… and the ACM Poet’s Award to confirm it.”
Miranda Lambert, 37-time ACM Award winner: “It’s an honor to get any award and be recognized by my peers, but getting the album of the year award is always extra special. [Lambert won the honor five times between 2008 and 2017.] Country music is about storytelling, and knowing that people took the time to listen to an album top to bottom — and love it — means a lot to me.”
Shane McAnally, two-time ACM songwriter of the year winner: “It feels very special that the ACM honors songwriters with their own category. We are usually the ones behind the scenes, but it’s always a privilege to be recognized amongst your peers. Nashville was built on great songwriting, and this community is so special. Being named ACM songwriter of the year [in 2014 and 2019] will always be a highlight of my career.”
Jo Dee Messina, ACM Award winner: “I cherish my win of the [top new female vocalist] of the year award [in 1999]. It was a moment I got to share with my mother, who was present to witness the payoff of a lifetime of support and dedication to my dreams. The ACMs’ production crew is one of a kind. They are a family that has always gone above and beyond to be sure I was taken care of with performances, presentations, nominations and anything I needed to be a part of the televised programs.”
Tigirlily Gold, ACM Award winner: “Our favorite memory is when we got to perform our song ‘I Tried a Ring On’ after winning our very first ACM Award, for new duo/group of the year, in 2024. Jelly Roll gave us a pep talk right before we went out to play, and our musical heroes Little Big Town introduced us. We will never forget that truly surreal moment! The ACMs have a magical way of making dreams come true for artists like us.”
Shania Twain, four-time ACM Award winner: “My favorite moments are always meeting people backstage, other artists that I don’t get to meet. At the beginning of my career, I lived in Nashville and I was seeing more of the country music industry around just in general. But my career has taken me so internationally that I rarely run into country artists. The ACMs are one of the only places that happens.”
Carrie Underwood, 16-time ACM Award winner: “I’m extremely honored to be the first woman to have won ACM entertainer of the year twice and the only female ever to win that award three times [in 2009, 2010 and 2020]. We had some fun celebrating those! We don’t do what we do for praise or trophies, but it means a lot to be recognized for your hard work, and none of it would be possible without all the loyal fans.”
Additional reporting by Jessica Nicholson.
This story appears in the March 8, 2025, issue of Billboard.
Ringo Starr has long loved country music as evidenced on his most recent album, Look Up, released in January.
The Beatles drummer brought that love to life with two concerts taped at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Jan. 14-15 that CBS and Paramount+ will air tonight (March 10) as Ringo & Friends at the Ryman.
In this exclusive clip, Starr, with a little help from friends like Jack White, performs the Carl Perkins rockabilly classic “Matchbox,” which the Beatles covered on their 1964 EP, “Long Tall Sally.”
Other “friends” in the special include Sheryl Crow, Emmylou Harris, Mickey Guyton, Jamey Johnson, Rodney Crowell, the War and Treaty, and Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle, both of whom appear on the album with Starr. The artists join the drummer for selections from the new album, Starr’s solo hits and Beatles classics.
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“I did love country music before I was in [the Beatles],” Starr told Billboard earlier this year. “We got plenty of it in Liverpool, because the lads who were in the merchant navy would bring not only rock and roll over, but country — and when country bands went on tour in England, they always played Liverpool.”
In addition to the performances, luminaries including Dolly Parton and fellow Beatle Paul McCartney share stories on Starr’s impact on their music.
Gunpowder & Sky’s Van Toffler produced the special with Starr and T Bone Burnett, who also produced Look Up.
“Producing Ringo & Friends at the Ryman with T Bone has been another wild ride — some of music’s finest playing the hell out of Ringo’s songs, including a few Beatles classics,” Toffler tells Billboard. “We handpicked a lineup of artists who not only have deep respect for Ringo’s legacy but could also bring their own unique spin to these songs, highlighting the great stories and messages behind them. Watching them reinterpret his music — whether through full-throttle rock energy or a stripped-down, soulful take — was a testament to just how timeless his songs are. And having Dolly, Lainey Wilson, and his fellow Beatle, Paul, talk about his love of country artists brought it all full circle, making the night even more meaningful.”
Working with Burnett enhanced the production, Toffler says. “T Bone is one of the greats: His encyclopedic knowledge of music and deep roots in so many legendary projects helped shape this into something truly special.”
Other Gunpower & Sky productions include its documentary on Crow, Sheryl (Showtime); the history of soft rock Sometimes When We Touch (Paramount+) and Lil Peep: Everybody’s Everything. Its Words + Music audio series features Beck, Eddie Vedder, Smokey Robinson and others, while new audio series Lighters in the Sky highlights the stories behind the greatest live performances from artists including Amy Winehouse, Bruce Springsteen and Led Zeppelin.
The Academy of Country Music has announced ACM Radio Awards nominees for the 60th ACM Awards, including double nominations for KCLR-FM in Columbia, Mo.; WHKO-FM in Dayton, Ohio; WIVK-FM in Knoxville, Tenn.; WQDR-FM in Raleigh, N.C.; WSIX-FM in Nashville; WUSN-FM in Chicago; WUSY-FM in Chattanooga, Tenn.; and WYCT-FM in Pensacola, Fla.
Winners of the ACM Radio Awards will be announced ahead of the 60th ACM Awards and celebrated during ACM Awards week.
The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards will be held on Thursday, May 8 at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Tex., and stream live on Prime Video. Reba McEntire will once again host the show. This will mark the 18th time McEntire has hosted or co-hosted the ACM Awards, placing her just one show behind Bob Hope as the most frequent host of any major awards show. Hope hosted or co-hosted the Oscars 19 times between 1940 and 1978. McEntire first co-hosted the ACM Awards in 1986 (alongside Mac Davis and John Schneider), and first served as solo host in 2002.
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Tickets are available to purchase at ACMawards.com. ACM members and those who work in the country music industry can email ticketing@acmcountry.com for direct access to ACM Awards tickets.
The full list of 60th ACM Awards nominations will be announced in the coming weeks, as will performers, presenters and detailed plans for ACM Awards week events taking place around the Dallas area.
The 60th ACM Awards marks a return to Frisco, Tex., for the third consecutive year. Ford Center at The Star in Frisco opened in 2016 and serves as the practice facility for the Dallas Cowboys, as well as the home for many major sporting events throughout the year.
The 2024 show, also hosted by McEntire, was a two-hour concert event that streamed live globally on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch.
The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions (DCP). Raj Kapoor is executive producer and showrunner. Kapoor was one of three executive producers of the 2025 Grammy Awards on Feb. 2 (along with Jesse Collins and Ben Winston) and one of two executive producers of the 2025 Oscars on March 2 (along with Katy Mullen). Kapoor has received eight Primetime Emmy nominations, winning in 2022 as an executive producer of Adele: One Night Only, which was voted outstanding variety special (pre-recorded).
Patrick Menton serves as co-executive producer of the ACM Awards. Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP, and Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the ACM. John Saade will serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
Here’s a complete list of the 60th ACM Radio Awards nominees:
National Daily On-Air Personality of the Year
Ashley Till, Y2Kountry with Ashley Till
Big D, Bubba, Big D & Bubba
Buzz Brainard, Nick Ultra, The Music Row Happy Hour with Buzz Brainard
Cody Alan, Highway Mornings with Cody Alan
Patrick Thomas, PickleJar Up All Night
National Weekly On-Air Personality of the Year
Kelleigh Bannen, Today’s Country Radio
Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase, Crook & Chase Countdown
Steve Harmon, Country Gold with Steve Harmon
Wayne D, Tay Hamilton, iHeartCountry House Party
Whitney Allen, The Big Time Saturday Night
On-Air Personality of the Year – Major Market
The Lo Show – Lo Sessions, KKBQ-FM, Houston
The Morning Wolfpack with Matt McAllister – Matt McAllister, Gabe Mercer, “Captain Ron” Koons, KKWF-FM, Seattle
John and Tammy: San Diego’s Morning Show, John Flint, Tammy Lee, KSON-FM, San Diego
The Scotty Kay Show – Scotty Kay, WUSN-FM, Chicago
Josh, Rachael and Grunwald in the Morning – Josh Holleman, Rachael Hunter, Steve Grunwald, WYCD-FM, Detroit
On-Air Personality of the Year – Large Market
Heather Froglear – Heather Froglear, KFRG-FM, Riverside, Calif.
Deb & Matt in the Morning – Deborah Honeycutt, Matt Malone, WFMS-FM, Indianapolis
Wayne D and Tay – Wayne D, Tay Hamilton, WSIX-FM, Nashville
The Big Dave Show – Big Dave, Stattman, WUBE-FM, Cincinnati
The Q Morning Crew with Mike and Amanda – Amanda Daughtry, Mike Wheless, WQDR-FM, Raleigh, N.C.
On-Air Personality of the Year – Medium Market
The Bee Morning Coffee Club – TJ Sharp, Bo Jaxon, Hope Breen, WBEE-FM, Rochester, N.Y.
New Country Mornings with Nancy and Woody – Nancy Wilson, Aaron Woods, WHKO-FM, Dayton, Ohio
Joey & Nancy – Joey Tack, Nancy Barger, WIVK-FM, Knoxville, Tenn.
Julie and DJ in the Morning – Julie Kansy, Dale Sellers, WPCV-FM, Lakeland, Fla.
Mo & StyckMan – Mo, StyckMan, WUSY-FM, Chattanooga, Tenn.
On-Air Personality of the Year – Small Market
Hilley & Hart – Kevin Hilley, Erin Hart, KATI-FM, Jefferson City, Mo.
Liz & Scotty in the Morning – Liz DelGrosso, Scotty Cox, KCLR-FM, Columbia, Mo.
Ben & Arnie – Ben Butler, Arnie Andrews, WCOW-FM, Sparta, Wisc.
The Dr. Shane and Tess Show – Dr. Shane, Tess, WPAP-FM, Panama City, Fla.
The Cat Pak Morning Show – Brent Lane, Mel McCrae, WYCT-FM, Pensacola, Fla.
Radio Station of the Year – Major Market
KSCS-FM, Dallas-Fort Worth
KYGO-FM, Denver
WMZQ-FM, Washington, D.C.
WPOC-FM, Baltimore
WUSN-FM, Chicago
Radio Station of the Year – Large Market
KNCI-FM, Sacramento, Calif.
WDSY-FM, Pittsburgh, Pa.
WGH-FM, Virginia Beach, Va.
WQDR-FM, Raleigh, N.C.
WSIX-FM, Nashville
WWKA-FM, Orlando
Radio Station of the Year – Medium Market
KUZZ-FM, Bakersfield, Calif.
KXKT-FM, Omaha, Neb.
WHKO-FM, Dayton, Ohio
WIRK-FM, West Palm Beach, Fla.
WIVK-FM, Knoxville, Tenn.
WLFP-FM, Memphis, Tenn.
WUSY-FM Chattanooga, Tenn.
Radio Station of the Year – Small Market
KCLR-FM, Columbia, Mo.
KFGE-FM, Lincoln, Neb.
WKML-FM, Fayetteville, N.C.
WXBQ-FM, Bristol, Va.
WYCT-FM, Pensacola, Fla.
The ACM Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Corporation. PMC is also the parent company of Billboard.
HARDY and Caleigh Ryan are celebrating the arrival of their newborn baby. Rosie Ryan Hardy arrived on March 7, 2025 at nine pounds, two ounces, the country singer and his wife announced on social media, two days after Caleigh gave birth. The pair were showered with messages of congratulations on their Instagram post Sunday (March […]
Ingrid Andress will never sing the National Anthem again. “I’m sorry, America,” she says.
The 33-year-old country singer is referring to the disastrously disheveled, off-key rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” she delivered last July before the home-run derby at Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The minute-and-a-half clip went viral, and not in a good way. It has drawn 2.5 million YouTube views and 2,500 comments, including this one: “Thank you Ingrid for helping my uncle out of his coma with this performance. When he heard your performance on the hospital TV, he woke up after 10 years and jumped out of the window.”
Publicly, Andress responded to the debacle with damage control, announcing in a statement that she had been “drunk” during the performance and immediately checked herself into a “facility.” She then disappeared until Feb. 28, when she performed the anthem for the second time, at Denver’s Ball Arena, before her home-state Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild. The performance went much better this time.
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Privately, Andress spent the past eight months dealing with what she stops short of labeling “alcoholism” — although she went to rehab, worked through the experience through prolific songwriting, including “Footprints,” a low-key country single Warner Music Nashville released this week, and allowed herself “the space to process.” She realized during this reflection that splitting from her longtime boyfriend and manager last year affected her more than she had admitted to herself. And, rather than allowing herself to “grieve” these losses, she threw herself into work — and, yes, alcohol.
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This was Andress’ combustible emotional state in the run-up to the All-Star Game. “I just kept plowing forward and that’s when I started losing track of how much I was drinking, not sleeping enough,” she says, in a phone interview from her Nashville home. “It took a significant moment, like botching the Anthem on a global level, for me to ask for help.”
Below, she unpacks that moment further, and how she’s responded in the eight months since.
What made you pick the Avs game as the venue for coming back and singing the National Anthem?
Growing up, the Avs were my team. I felt more comfortable in my home state and more at home. Why not go back there, where I feel the most centered and grounded?
How did the Avalanche respond to the idea? Were they at all put off by your history with the Anthem?
I’ve played shows in Colorado, and people know, “She can sing, and this was just an unfortunate happening of events that got captured and went viral.” They were excited, which helped my confidence a little bit.
Artists say the “Star-Spangled Banner” is a dangerously hard song to sing.
It is a challenging song. It tricks everyone’s brain into thinking that anyone can sing it. When you actually look at the range of notes, it compliments no one’s voice. But as it turns out, not being intoxicated and singing it makes it very doable.
In addition to the negative feedback, how much did people respond with empathy?
In the heat of all the hate is when I received the most support and love from my peers and friends and people who care about me. I obviously have never been part of anything that publicly humiliating before. I was devastated, embarrassed, disappointed in myself. To have that support of people who’ve also been there — that really helped.
How much did you plunge into songwriting as therapy?
I did, later. Initially, I took the space to separate myself from, “Who am I as a human, separate from singing, separate from songwriting? How did I get to a point where I didn’t really care how I sang?” The first part of stepping away from it was getting back to life, being in Colorado, going snowboarding. Once I felt like myself again, I got back into writing and producing, and some of the songs I hadn’t listened to in months hit differently.
What was the rehab experience like?
Rehab was more of an emotional deep dive. Anything can be substance abuse. It’s not just alcohol, it’s gambling, it’s food, it’s sex, it’s anything we use to numb or not want to feel something. Rehab for me was understanding the “why.” And once you know why you do something, it gives you your power back. You realize you have a choice and you don’t have to use substances or items or whatever to numb yourself. Since then, I’ve been looking at everything so differently and I’m present and clear-headed.
How long was the rehab process?
I was there for a little over a month and I was in no rush to get back to the public. Honestly, I was scared to come back too soon, because everybody was so harsh and critical, and that’s not an easy thing to mentally come back from.
How accurate is it to use the word “alcoholism” for what you were dealing with in your rehab?
It was never called that — but obviously everyone’s level in their journey in how they got there varied so much. That was never really a discussion when I was there. It was more about the month leading up to that day [of the Anthem performance] than anything.
What was that month like?
I made some pretty drastic changes all at once. I’ve only had one manager my whole career, and I had to let her go. Then a longterm boyfriend who lived with me — I said goodbye to him. All that happened within two weeks.
I took everyone’s advice, which is “keep it moving.” I felt like I couldn’t be sad because I was the one who parted ways with them. I didn’t give myself any space to grieve. It drastically changed who was around me every day of my life. Management is like a marriage. Then [losing] your boyfriend living with you is like losing your best friend. Two key people in my life were gone because I had made that decision.
What else have you learned from this experience?
You should ask for help the moment you need it. Never wait until something terrible happens. I did not have the insight to do that in the months leading up to the anthem. I’m glad it did happen. I was going down a road that was unfamiliar, and I didn’t know where it was going to lead. I’m in such a better place now. I feel like I’m back to being myself.