Ella Langley and Miranda Lambertlead the list of nominees for the upcoming 60th Annual CMA Awards, as revealed by the Country Music Association on Sept. 10.
Langley, the singer behind the record-breaking all-genre No. 1 “Choosin’ Texas,” will head into the celebration of country music with nine nominations in total. They include nods for entertainer of the year, female vocalist of the year and single of the year, where she is nominated twice, for both “Choosin’ Texas” and “Be Her.”
Lambert will start the show with seven nominations, including recognition in the female vocalist of the year, single of the year and album of the year categories. Notably, most of Lambert’s nominations stem from her involvement with Langley, as a co-writer of “Choosin’
Texas,” the co-producer of Langley’s “Dandelion” album, and more.
Other noteworthy nominees include Kacey Musgraves and Ben West with five nominations each; Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Stephen Wilson Jr. with four nominations each; plus Dave Clauss, Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson with three nominations each. Taylor Swift earns her first CMA Awards nomination since 2022 with a nod for single of the year (for “I Knew It, I Knew You”), and 13 first-time nominees will also be recognized.
Those vying for the night’s top prize, entertainer of the year, are Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Ella Langley, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson.
The 60th Annual CMA Awards will take place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 18, and they’ll be broadcast live on ABC and Disney+ before airing the next day on Hulu. Reigning CMA entertainer of the year Lainey Wilson will return to host the show for a third consecutive year, after also hosting the 2025 CMA Awards and co-hosting in 2024 with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.
This year’s CMA Awards nominees were revealed in part on “Good Morning America,” with contributor Lara Spencer announcing a selection of key categories. The announcement then continued from Nashville, with country artist Lee Ann Womack and “American Idol” Season 24 winner Hannah Harper unveiling the remaining nominees during a livestream on the CMA’s official YouTube channel.
SiriusXM’s “The Highway” host Cody Alan and Emmy-winning media personality Kelly Sutton also contributed to the announcement.
A complete list of nominees for the 60th Annual CMA Awards is below.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Ella Langley
- Chris Stapleton
- Lainey Wilson
SINGLE OF THE YEAR
- “Be Her” – Ella LangleyProducers: Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Ben WestMix Engineer: Dave Clauss
- “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella LangleyProducers: Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Ben WestMix Engineer: Dave Clauss
- “I Knew It, I Knew You” – Taylor SwiftProducers: Jack Antonoff, Taylor SwiftMix Engineer: Laura Sisk
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey WilsonProducer: Jay JoyceMix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce
- “The Fall” – Cody JohnsonProducer: Trent WillmonMix Engineer: Jack Clarke
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
- “Ain’t In It For My Health” – Zach TopProducer: Carson ChamberlainMix Engineer: Matt Rovey
- “Dandelion” – Ella LangleyProducers: Devin Dawson, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben WestMix Engineer: Dave Clauss
- “Middle of Nowhere” – Kacey MusgravesProducers: Ian Fitchuk, Luke Laird, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel TashianMix Engineers: Serban Ghenea, Konrad Snyder
- “Parker McCollum” – Parker McCollumProducers: Frank Liddell, Eric MasseMix Engineer: Eric Masse
- “The Way I Am” – Luke CombsProducers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan SingletonMix Engineer: Chip Matthews
SONG OF THE YEAR
- “Be Her”Songwriters: Smith Ahnquist, Michael Hardy, Ella Langley, Jordan Schmidt
- “Beautiful Things”Songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Jessie Jo Dillon, Connie Harrington, Megan Moroney
- “Choosin’ Texas”Songwriters: Luke Dick, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor
- “Dry Spell”Songwriters: Luke Laird, Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Osborne
- “Gary”Songwriter: Stephen Wilson Jr.
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Miranda Lambert
- Ella Langley
- Megan Moroney
- Kacey Musgraves
- Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR
- Luke Combs
- Cody Johnson
- Chris Stapleton
- Zach Top
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR
- Lady A
- Little Big Town
- Midland
- Old Dominion
- The Red Clay Strays
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR
- Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Muscadine Bloodline
- Thelma & James
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR
- “A Song To Sing” – Miranda Lambert (with Chris Stapleton)Producer: Dave Cobb
- “Horses and Divorces” – Kacey Musgraves (feat. Miranda Lambert)Producers: Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian
- “I Can’t Love You Anymore” – Ella Langley & Morgan WallenProducers: Austin Goodloe, Ella Langley, Ben West
- “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” – Carly Pearce & Riley GreenProducers: Carly Pearce, Ben West
- “McArthur” – HARDY, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen & Tim McGrawProducer: Jay Joyce
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR
- Tom Bukovac – Guitar
- Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
- Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
- Rob McNelley – Guitar
- Charlie Worsham – Guitar
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella LangleyDirectors: Ella Langley, Caylee Robillard, Wales Toney
- “Dry Spell” – Kacey MusgravesDirectors: Hannah Lux Davis, Kacey Musgraves
- “Gary” – Stephen Wilson Jr.Directors: Tim Cofield, Stephen Wilson Jr.
- “The Fall” – Cody JohnsonDirector: Dustin Haney
- “White Horse” – Chris StapletonDirector: Running Bear
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Avery Anna
- Carter Faith
- Emily Ann Roberts
- Tucker Wetmore
- Stephen Wilson Jr.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert lead 2026 CMA Awards nominees
