Ella Langley Leads 2026 CMA Awards Nominations With Nine, as Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves Also Score Big Tallies

In perhaps the least surprising development in recent CMA Awards history, Ella Langley emerged at the front of the pack when nominations for the 2026 telecast were announced Thursday morning, scoring nine in all, just one shy of the all-time single-year record set by Alan Jackson in 2002. Miranda Lambert has this year second-most nominations, with seven. Some are for her own releases, but it’s notable that four of Lambert’s nods come for her work as a songwriter or producer on recordings by… Ella Langley. Others being rewarded by Country Music Association voters with multiple nominations include Kacey Musgraves and Ben West with five each; Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Stephen Wilson Jr. with four each; and Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs and Dave Clauss with three nominations each. (Scroll down for the full list of nominees.) Popular on Variety Foremost among Langley’s nine nods is her first-tine nomination for the CMAs’ top prize, entertainer of the year. Given that Langley has the biggest hit of the year in any genre with “Choosin’ Texas,” a smash that helped propel her to arena headliner status, she has to be considered a frontrunner for the top prize despite this being her first time landing in that rarefied territory. This marks the first time in three years that two women have been simultaneously nominated for that award, with defending champion Lainey Wilson also earning another shot at it. (Wilson, who picked up EOTY in 2023 and again in 2025, was also announced last week as host for the CMAs telecast for the third year in a row.) The other three candidates for entertainer of the year are Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Chris Stapleton. The list of candidates for the top prize duplicates last year’s roster of EOTY nominees, with the exception of Langley taking the spot that went to Morgan Wallen in 2024. Although he remains undeniably country’s biggest modern superstar, Wallen takes a lower profile in this year’s nods with just two nominations, both of them for collaborations that got nods in the musical event category, including a duet with (surprise) Langley. It was just two years ago that Wallen won entertainer of the year, but his not showing up for the ceremony to claim country music’s highest annual honor may have affected how voters felt about honoring him as EOTY going forward. But it’s also worth noting that, as recordings go, he was off-cycle, with his “I’m the Problem” album predating the 2026 eligibility period and his latest single, “Been by Now,” too fresh to have been considered. Pop’s biggest superstar, Taylor Swift, returned to her CMA-winning roots by getting a nomination for “I Knew it, I Knew You” for single of the year. It is her first nomination in that category since 2013, when she was nominated for top single for a featured appearance on Tim McGraw’s “Highway Don’t Care.” It is only her second CMA nomination this decade, the last having been for video of the year in 2022 for “I Bet You Think About Me,” a duet with Chris Stapleton. It’s the first stop in what looks to be a long awards season for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” the country-flavored closing theme song from “Toy Story 5,” which is likely to figure into upcoming Grammys and Oscars consideration. If you’re looking at who has the most increased profile in CMA nominations this year, that would be Stephen Wilson Jr., who last year had just one nomination — for best new artist — even though he was given a big look with repeat appearances on the 2025 telecast. This year, the critically acclaimed artist returns with four nominations, including another shot at best new artist, plus his entree into the coveted male vocalist of the year category and a nom for song of the year for his single “Gary.” Musgraves received plenty of attention this year for an album, “Middle of Nowhere,” and single, “Dry Spell,” that were perceived as her return to a more identifiably country sound. The CMAs did not abandon her as she explored other musical strains; her previous album, “Deeper Well,” was also nominated for album of the year. But 2026 does mark the first time she has received four nominations in a single year since 2013. One of the most notable nominations is the one shared by Musgraves and Lambert, who were perceived to have had a decade-long beef. That perceived feud was actually the subject of their duet-and-make-up collaboration, “Horses and Divorces,” which is up for musical event of the year. Regardless of its merits as a song (which are strong), CMA voters may be tempted to vote for the collab just to enjoy the historic sight of the two renewed pals sharing the podium to accept, after clips were shared of a previous CMAs moment years back when Musgraves appeared to be glaring at Lambert during the latter’s acceptance speech for a song Musgraves co-wrote. Lambert was between album cycles this eligibility period — with her “Crisco” album not due till later this fall — but that didn’t stop her from adding to her huge list of historic CMA nominations. She has four nods for co-writing or co-producing Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” and “Be Her” singles and her “Dandelion” album. Lambert was also nominated doubly in the musical event category, with a preview single from her upcoming album, “A Song to Sing,” done in partnership with Stapleton, joining her appearance on Musgraves’ album for consideration. Langley will compete against herself in one of the marquee categories, single of the year, as she is nominated not just for “Choosin’ Texas” but its followup hit, “Be Her.” Most of the time, artists might be worried about splitting their vote, but “Choosin’ Texas” losin’ any of the the CMAs it’s up for seems like the least likely possibility in a world of theoretical outcomes, as anyone with a song positioned against it this year can consider themselves happy just to be nominated. “The 60th Annual CMA Awards” airs live Nov. 18 from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming on Hulu. “THE 60TH ANNUAL CMA AWARDS” – FINAL NOMINEES (by ballot category order): ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR Luke Combs Cody Johnson Ella Langley Chris Stapleton Lainey Wilson SINGLE OF THE YEARAward goes to Artist, Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s) “Be Her” – Ella LangleyProducers: Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Ben West Mix Engineer: Dave Clauss “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella LangleyProducers: Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Ben West Mix Engineer: Dave Clauss “I Knew It, I Knew You” – Taylor SwiftProducers: Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift Mix Engineer: Laura Sisk “Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey WilsonProducer: Jay Joyce Mix Engineers: Jason Hall, Jay Joyce “The Fall” – Cody JohnsonProducer: Trent Willmon Mix Engineer: Jack Clarke ALBUM OF THE YEAR Award goes to Artist, Producer(s) and Mix Engineer(s) Ain’t In It For My Health – Zach TopProducer: Carson Chamberlain Mix Engineer: Matt Rovey Dandelion – Ella LangleyProducers: Devin Dawson, Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West Mix Engineer: Dave Clauss Middle of Nowhere – Kacey MusgravesProducers: Ian Fitchuk, Luke Laird, Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Tashian Mix Engineers: Serban Ghenea, Konrad Snyder Parker McCollum – Parker McCollumProducers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse Mix Engineer: Eric Masse The Way I Am – Luke CombsProducers: Luke Combs, Chip Matthews, Jonathan Singleton Mix Engineer: Chip Matthews SONG OF THE YEAR Award goes to Songwriter(s) “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 Award goes to Artists and Producer(s) “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 Wallen Producers: Austin Goodloe, Ella Langley, Ben West “If I Don’t Leave I’m Gonna Stay” – Carly Pearce & Riley Green Producers: Carly Pearce, Ben West “McArthur” – HARDY, Eric Church, Morgan Wallen & Tim McGraw Producer: 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 Award goes to Artist(s) and Director(s) “Choosin’ Texas” – Ella Langley Directors: Ella Langley, Caylee Robillard, Wales Toney “Dry Spell” – Kacey Musgraves Directors: Hannah Lux Davis, Kacey Musgraves “Gary” – Stephen Wilson Jr. Directors: Tim Cofield, Stephen Wilson Jr. “The Fall” – Cody Johnson Director: Dustin Haney “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton Director: Running Bear NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR Avery Anna Carter Faith Emily Ann Roberts Tucker Wetmore Stephen Wilson Jr.