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When Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys hit the stage at the ACM Awards on Thursday night, look for their medley to contain a few surprises. “We close out with ‘Thriller,’” bassist/singer Jay DeMarcus jokes to Billboard.
Maybe not, but they will sing a combo of BSB and Rascal Flatts hits with the two groups relying on their trademark harmonies. Rascal Flatts guitarist/vocalist Joe Don Rooney had nothing but praise for their new duet partners following rehearsal.
“They’re just such great singers and their melodies are so good,” he tells Billboard. “They know how to stack them. It’s like a wall of vocals. It’s really, really cool and really an amazing, powerful sound.”
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The medley will include “What Hurts the Most,” Rascal Flatts’ 2006 Hot Country Songs No. 1 that the Backstreet Boys perform with the trio on Life Is a Highway: Refueled Duets, a June 6 collection of remakes of Rascal Flatts’ most-loved hits that pairs the trio with such artists as Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton and Kelly Clarkson, as well as Jonas Brothers on their new single “I Dare You.”
Rascal Flatts came back following a five-year hiatus for their 25th-anniversary tour, which kicked off a few months ago and lasts through the summer. Following the break, they admit it took them a little while to get their sea legs back. “It took me a couple of weekends,” DeMarcus says. “Definitely the first weekend I got out there, I was winded, and I was like, ‘I gotta get my show legs back.’ My back hurt.”
“He’s like, ‘Are you guys sore at all?’” lead singer Gary LeVox adds.
As the trio revisits their hits in concert, some have taken on new meaning as the years have passed. “When we cut ‘My Wish,’ I didn’t have kids, so now that my kids are 13 and 15, it means a whole different thing to me now when I sing that song,” DeMarcus says. “I think that for all of us, different seasons of life make different songs mean different things.”
“I think what really did it for me was ‘Bless the Broken Road,’” LeVox says. “It’s a moment in the show where just the three of us are up there. It’s a special moment in the show.”
For Rooney, it’s “I’m Moving On.” “It’s very special to me and has taken on a new life in my life. I’ve been through a lot the last five years,” says Rooney, who has been sober for three years after being arrested for DUI in 2021 and going through a contentious divorce. “These guys said, ‘Get out there and sing “I’m Moving On” by yourself.’ It’s been tough. The first couple of weekends, I was extremely nervous, but it’s very heartfelt. I mean everything I say and I just really thank God so much for my life I have right now.”
Their Backstreet Boy pals are set for a Las Vegas residency at Sphere coming up in July, and Rascal Flatts admit that sounds pretty sweet to them. “We’ve had a couple of [Las Vegas] residencies. We were three years at the Hard Rock, two at the Venetian,” LeVox says. “Setting up one time is really nice. That’s really convenient.”
“I wasn’t allowed back in Vegas for a couple of years. I think they’ve lifted that now,” jokes DeMarcus before seriously adding of Sphere dates, “I think anybody would want to play there, you know. It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s a whole other thing for us. You have to spend so much time putting creative into building the show and making sure all the content fits. It’s very expensive to build all the content.”
Rascal Flatts, who are up for group of the year at the ACM Awards for the first time since 2017, are coy when it comes to saying if they plan to release an album of new music.
“We’re trying to take it a step at a time,” DeMarcus says. “We’ve just kind of been thrown back into the deep end, but we really loved being on tour. We really loved cutting the duets record. We’re going to do some more shows this summer, and we’re still talking about what the future looks like. We’re really excited about what lies ahead for us, but we really haven’t made any definite plans yet. I would hate to say never. If we find the right kind of song and we feel compelled to cut it, we have the freedom to do that. So you never know what’s gonna happen.”
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Summertime Benny is back!
Looking to heat things up for the coming summer months, Benny The Butcher is hard at work with the new cuts and giving them life and as always he gives us jewels and gems about the ins and outs of the street game.
Dropping off some new visuals to his Harry Fraud produced “Sign Language,” Benny The Butcher turns into Benny The Professor as he schools a group of men about life in the dope game and how to go about the business before hitting a strip club to make it rain on the talent with money that no doubt came from moving that work. Work hard, play hard, right?
Jim Jones meanwhile keeps himself busy as well and in I Born’s clip to “The Light,” Jones and Angel Hill accompany I Born to shine under the bright lights of a sound stage and kick their ish while styling out on some grown man ish.
Check out the rest of today’s drops including work from Boldy James and Real Bad Man, Nhale and Rowdy Racks, and more.
BENNY THE BUTCHER & HARRY FRAUD – “SIGN LANGUAGE”
I BORN FT. JIM JONES & ANGEL HILL – “THE LIGHT”
BOLDY JAMES & REAL BAD MAN – “BURN IN HELL”
NHALE & ROWDY RACKS – “PIMPIN”
R2R MOE – “NOT IN MY BAG”
KOO$ – “DON’T DO DAT”
PEEKO – “SORRY A$HANTI”
DRAFT DAY – “MAX VOLUME”
When some people first saw LISA‘s attire at the 2025 Met Gala, an unexpected question came to mind: “Wait, is that Rosa Parks on her underwear?” But according to a rep for one of the designers she worked with, the answer is a definite no.
In a statement to Vulture after the Monday (May 5) event, a spokesperson for Henry Taylor — an artist who collaborated on the BLACKPINK star’s Louis Vuitton look with Pharrell Williams — clarified that no civil rights pioneers were featured on LISA’s look whatsoever, despite online backlash that occurred when people mistakenly believed that Parks’ image had been displayed on her underwear. “The figure featured in Lisa’s Louis Vuitton look is not Rosa Parks, but one of Henry’s neighbors,” the rep said.
“The faces seen on this look, as well as on previous LV garments featuring Taylor’s artwork, are all drawn from his personal life — family members, friends, and neighbors,” they continued. “These figures come directly from Henry’s existing artworks, which he provided to LVMH for Pharrell’s debut collection with Louis Vuitton in 2023.”
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The statement puts to rest a wave of criticism directed at LISA after she walked the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City Monday night, with the Thai performer sporting a sparkly black blazer, tights printed with the Louis Vuitton logo, and a mesh bodysuit patterned with embroidered faces in black lace. Some people slammed the White Lotus actress for what they believed to be an insensitive wardrobe choice, especially considering the fabric’s placement over her crotch area — not to mention the night’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme, which focused on “the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities” and “the emergence, significance and proliferation of the Black dandy.”
But, as Taylor’s rep concluded in the statement, “None of the individuals depicted in any of [LISA’s] garments are Rosa Parks or other well-known figures from Black cultural history.”
The “Rockstar” singer was one of three BLACKPINK band members in attendance at the 2025 Met, which was co-chaired by Williams with A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo and Lewis Hamilton. ROSÉ also hit the carpet, as did JENNIE.
The event comes as the bandmates are gearing up to reunite for the first time since their Born Pink World Tour ended in 2023. When it comes to solo music, LISA is also continuing what she started with debut album Alter Ego by collaborating with Maroon 5 on new single “Priceless,” which dropped May 2.
Edén Muñoz’s impressive track record of No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Regional Mexican Airplay chart endures, as “Mi Primer Día Sin Ti” climbs from No. 3 to No. 1 for its first week atop the chart dated May 10. This latest milestone marks his eighth champ, all achieved within a span of three years. His first leader came in May of 2022 with “Chale!”
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“Mi Primer Día Sin Ti” lands at the summit after a 29% gain in audience impressions, translating to 7.3 million earned in the U.S. during the April 25-May 1 tracking week, according to Luminate.
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“I’m happy that ‘Mi Primer Día Sin Ti’ is leading the chart just because I know many will relate to it and will become part of their life soundtrack,” Muñoz tells Billboard.
By notching his eighth ruler on Regional Mexican Airplay, and fifth as a soloist, Muñoz joins two other solo singers who have achieved eight or more No. 1s in the 2020s decade. Alejandro Fernández continues to lead with 12 champs, followed by Christian Nodal with 10. Among all acts, Muñoz breaks a tie with Carín León for the seventh-most leaders, a list where Calibre 50 leads with 13 No. 1s overall this decade.
Here’s the list of the acts with the most No. 1s on the chart in the 2020s:
No. 1s, Artists13, Calibre 5012, Alejandro Fernández12, Grupo Frontera10, Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga10, Christian Nodal10, Grupo Firme8, Eden Muñoz
“‘Mi Primer Día Sin Ti’ is a ballad with the banda sound and some elements that make it feel different, yet still packed with emotion,” says Muñoz. “The song is one of those ballads that comes from my heart every so often but remains timeless.”
The song reaches the summit with Greatest Gainer honors, given weekly to the song with the biggest gain in audience impressions among the list’s 40 songs. The song ejects Los Ángeles Azules and Thalia’s “Yo Me Lo Busqué,” which drops abruptly from No. 1 to No. 15, after a 46% decline in weekly impressions.
“Mi Primer Día Sin Ti” also pushes 14-3 on the overall Latin Airplay chart, for its first week in the top 10. It becomes Muñoz’s ninth top 10 — all achieved since 2022.
They say you never forget your first Met Gala — and in the midst of her winning streak, Doechii is in no danger of forgetting how her appearance at the 2025 event went down on Monday (May 5).
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Prior to event starting, footage caught the TDE rapper in a stressful moment as she was shuttled out of The Mark Hotel covered by a portable screen and a number of umbrellas looking to keep her Louis Vuitton outfit a secret before hitting the blue carpet.
Some fans took issue with how Doechii addressed her team in the midst of the tense moment, as she tersely instructed them to bring her more umbrellas. “Give me another umbrella, now,” she shouted in her clip. “I need more f–king umbrellas!”
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The parties involved took a few breaths and cooler heads prevailed as all appears to be good for Doechii and her team after what she called an “overstimulating night.” The “Anxiety” rapper had some fun with her reply to the candid footage catching her leaving the hotel as Doechii posted a TikTok on Wednesday (May 7).
“All jokes aside this was such an overstimulating night but I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” she captioned the clip. “This was the night we all dreamed of and my team killed it (umbrellas aside).”
The TikTok video finds Doechii with her hands up, like the famed Druski meme, as The Commodores’ “Easy” provides the soundtrack. “God forbid a girl needs more umbrellas,” she wrote.
@iamdoechii_ All jokes aside this was such an overstimulating night but I wouldn’t trade it for the world! This was the night we all dreamed of and my team killed it (umbrellas aside) 😭🥴 ♬ Easy – Commodores
After successfully protecting her outfit, Doechii unveiled a crisp Louis Vuitton tux jacket with matching checkered shorts and a mahogany tie. “This is one of the biggest nights in fashion, and for it to be so Black .. .I’m present, I’m here,” the Grammy-winning rapper told Cosmopolitan. “I felt inspired by the theme of ‘student of hip-hop’ and I feel like that’s really dandy.”
Doechii was seen hanging out with Megan Thee Stallion and WNBA star Angel Reese inside as the Houston Hottie broke the no phone policy and filmed the trio sampling various appetizers from inside the venue.
Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky and Pharrell were tabbed as co-chairs for the 2025 Met Gala, which saw attendees serve looks tied to the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme, celebrating Black fashion.
Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker made history by speaking for 25 hours straight inside the United States Capitol in protest of the Donald Trump administration, delivering the longest speech ever recorded on the senate floor. And in a new interview, the politician revealed which music gets him pumped up to take such big leaps in his work, from songs by Beyoncé to show tunes sung by Cynthia Erivo.
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While reflecting on his historic feat in a Rolling Stone profile published Wednesday (May 7), Booker shared that music is one thing he enjoys outside of his work as a New Jersey senator. “I wake up and listen to podcasts that give me the news of the day, and then by the time I’m working out, it’s whatever music can get me most pumped up,” he told the publication before pulling up his Spotify Wrapped from last year. “My top 2024 songs: On top is Beyoncé, ‘Texas Hold ’Em,’ which I think I played way too much.”
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“Bruce Springsteen,” he continued. “Stevie Wonder. Lots of gospel music. Oh, Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love a Bad Name’ made it into the top 20. ‘The Color Purple,’ Cynthia Erivo’s song, I played a lot last year.”
Speaking of Erivo, Booker noted that he hasn’t had the time to catch a movie in theaters since seeing Wicked, which premiered in November last year. It’s understandable why he might’ve been busy; the Democratic party has been fighting against the initiatives of the Republican majority-led Congress ever since January, when Trump was re-elected as president and his party took control of the senate after flipping four seats in the election.
In one of the splashiest means of protest since the billionaire businessman took office, the former mayor of Newark spoke for 25 hours and five minutes on March 31 into April 1, using his lengthy stretch of time on the senate floor to criticize Trump’s policies and delay Republican’s overall productivity in the senate.
Though he did beat out Strom Thurmond’s 24-hour spiel protesting the Civil Rights Act of 1957 for the new longest senate-speech record, Booker’s address wasn’t technically a filibuster, as he wasn’t delaying the passing of a specific piece of legislation. Of the decision not to do a proper filibuster, he told Rolling Stone, “In the modern Senate, it’s very hard to even get control of the floor.”
“I said to my team, ‘How did Ted Cruz get control of the floor? How did Rand Paul? Figure out how they got control,’” he continued. “The person in the cloakroom told me, very annoyingly, ‘We let [Rand Paul take the floor], because he promised it was only going to be a couple minutes — and he lied through his teeth’ … I’m not going to lie, so let’s just let them know that I’m going to take control of the floor and hold it for as long as I possibly can.”
As for whether he wants to run for president in 2028, Booker was frank. “It would be the biggest malpractice of my life if I didn’t tell you I am running for reelection two years before that election,” he told the publication. “I want to be reelected as a New Jersey senator, and my focus is to let my state know I am 100 percent focused.”
Fetty Wap‘s team announced on socials that the rapper will return with a new single on Friday (May 9). The rapper’s team shared the news on his socials on Wednesday (May 7). In the post, they noted that they’d also be starting a petition to get Fetty out from behind bars, where he’s been since […]
The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow film hits theaters on May 16, and he revealed that his sleep paralysis diagnosis played a role in inspiring the movie.
Ahead of the film’s arrival, the singer spoke with The Fader earlier this week, when the superstar revealed that his suffering from sleep paralysis played a major role in inspiring Hurry Up Tomorrow. “There are no antagonists in this film,” he said. “I think that sleep paralysis is the enemy. One of the main concepts of this film is sleep paralysis.”
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The Weeknd added that he has since gotten his sleep paralysis under control with better sleeping practices limiting his lucid dreaming.
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“That is something that I was really dealing with, still am to this day, not as much as before, but they’re very vivid nightmares where you’re in bed and you’re half asleep, half awake,” he explained. “You’re aware of your surroundings, but you can’t move. You’re paralyzed for almost a minute. Sometimes you see a shadowy figure in the corner and you hear voices, sweet nothings. It’s saying nothing, but they’re voices.
The Toronto singer continued to say that lack of sleep was the biggest contributor to his sleep paralysis. “I did my research on it and it’s just a lack of sleep,” he concluded. “Your brain is still awake when you’re asleep. So my biggest medicine for it is just turn your phone off, turn the TV off, turn all the lights off. And yeah, you won’t get it. The irony is it’s got to all be dark and scary for you to sleep through the night.”
Hurry Up Tomorrow finds The Weeknd playing a fictionalized pop star version of himself while starring alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan in the psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults.
The star gave fans a sneak peek into a scene from the film on Wednesday (May 7) on Instagram. The clip finds The Weeknd osing his voice, but he learns it was due to a psychological condition and not from physical harm.
The clip direclty mirrors the Weeknd’s real life, as Tesfaye was forced to cancel a show after he lost his voice while performing “Can’t Feel My Face” at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in September 2022.
Before the film’s arrival, The Weeknd will embark on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. The North American trek kicks off on May 9 in Phoenix. Playboi Carti and Mike Dean are slated to serve as the tour’s special guests.
Watch a Hurry Up Tomorrow trailer below and look for the movie in theaters on May 16.
Ahead of her forthcoming new album Something Beautiful, pop star Miley Cyrus hosted an intimate screening of the visual album on Tuesday night (May 6). During a Q&A session with fans, the singer shared some of her favorite advice she’s received — and it came from from her godmother Dolly Parton.
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When asked about the best advice she’s received in her career, Cyrus did an impersonation of the country legend: “You do you, I’ll do me, and together we’ll be us,” she said, as fans cheered in agreement. She continued to explain the quote, saying, “I can’t be giving you and you can’t be giving me … We all just need to be ourselves.”
In taking the advice, Cyrus explained that Parton helped her understand the difference between being admired and being understood. “I don’t love the word ‘idol,’ because it feels like something you’re worshipping and I don’t want or need to be worshipped,” she said. “I just want to be loved like everyone else.”
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A fan interjected by calling the singer a “goddess,” which Cyrus playfully used to underline her point. “Well, hello! You do you and I’ll do me, and together we’ll be us!”
The screening comes nearly eight months after genealogy website Ancestry.com revealed that 79-year-old country icon Dolly Parton and 32-year-old pop star Miley Cyrus are distant relatives. But their bond goes far beyond family ties. The two have shared a deep personal and professional connection for years, from Parton’s recurring “Aunt Dolly” role on Hannah Montana to their 2023 reimagined duet of “Wrecking Ball” on Parton’s Rockstar album.
The event also spotlighted key moments from Cyrus’ upcoming album Something Beautiful, providing both a visual and emotional lens into the project’s themes. At another point during the screening, Cyrus called the new album her “gayest” project yet, sharing that it deals with themes of “beauty, but not what beauty represents by a standard of someone else’s idea.”
Watch the clip of Cyrus impersonating Parton below:
https://www.tiktok.com/@billboard/video/7501739245040700702?lang=en
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”
