The final nominees for the 59th annual CMA Awards were revealed Monday (Sept. 8), and this year’s nominations highlighted the impact a number of newcomers have had on the genre over the past several months. Megan Moroney, Ella Langley and Zach Top, all of whom have come into prominence over the past two years, are among the top nominees. Moroney and Langley tied with Lainey Wilson, who only received her first nomination three years ago, for artists with the most nominations with six, while Top leads all males with five nods. Up for the night’s biggest prize, entertainer of the year, are last year’s winner, Morgan Wallen, and three of his fellow 2024 nominees Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton and Wilson. Rounding out the category is Cody Johnson, who receives his first nod in the category. The awards are voted on by the CMA’s professional members, which number more than 7,100. Eligibility period was July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025. According to CMA rules, “singles, albums, music videos and qualified music products for the annual show must have been released or reached peak national prominence during the eligibility period.” The “reached peak national prominence” caveat is key since it allows some leeway in terms of nominations. For example, Langley and Riley Green’s “you look like you love me” won last year for musical event of the year, but snags several more nods this year including for single and song of the year, as the tune grew even more popular after last year’s eligibility cut off. The 59th annual CMA Awards will broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19 (8:00–11:00 p.m. ET) on ABC and next day on Hulu. Below, we look at some of the largest snubs and surprises from Monday’s nominations. SURPRISE: Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson Three women are tied for the most nominations, with Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney each receiving six. A woman has certainly led all nominations before– Wilson received the most in both 2023 and 2022 — but there has never been a time when three solo women shared the top spot. Not coincidentally, these three extremely talented artists are the women receiving the most airplay at terrestrial radio right now. Each has current hits in the top half of the chart. They will face off in a number of categories, including single, song, female vocalist and music video of the year. SNUB: Jelly Roll Jelly Roll has only seen his popularity rise since he first received five nominations in 2023 (and won best new artist). He was among only a handful of artists who had ever gone from receiving a new artist nom one year to an entertainer of the year nod the next in 2024. But despite growing only more successful, Jelly Roll finds himself virtually shut out this year — except for one nomination, for musical event of the year, as the featured artist on Contemporary Christian artist Brandon Lake’s “Hard Fought Hallelujah.” SURPRISE: Zach Top Zach Top lost best new artist last year to a well-deserving Megan Moroney, but his star has only risen since then as he has become the new go-to male to symbolize the new traditionalist movement. The result is the most nominations for any male artist this year. He’s recognized again in best new artist (acts can be nominated twice if they haven’t won in any other category) and, like with the ACM Awards in May, he earned both that plaudit and an album of the year nomination, a very rare combo. SNUB: Morgan Wallen The reigning entertainer of the year, whose new album, I’m the Problem, has spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earns three nominations, but given the year he’s had, that feels like the bare minimum. He receives nominations for entertainer, album and male vocalist, but no song, single or musical event of the year nods — despite having multiple chart-toppers and a killer duet with Tate McRae, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 100 and Hot Country Songs, and is one of the most streamed songs of the year. SURPRISE: Riley Green This has been Riley Green’s year, but there was no guarantee the CMA voters were going to recognize his ascent. If you need proof, look no further than he went from receiving his first and only nom (and win) last year for “you look like you love me” with Ella Langley for musical event of the year, to four nominations this year — second only to Zach Top for the most among male artists. This year, “you look like you love me” snags single, song and music video of the year nods, and the pair’s duet, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” is up for musical event of the year. The only question is how on earth did his steamy video for “Worst Way” not get a music video nod? SNUBS: LOCASH, Sugarland & Parmalee For the love of everything country, the genre needs some new duos. All the ones nominated here have their strong suits, but this is the third year in a row we’ve seen the same slate. LOCASH couldn’t even sneak in despite having a Country Airplay No. 1, “Hometown Home,” this year, while (no disrespect to the talented duo) Maddie & Tae, whose May album didn’t chart or yield any hit singles, received their 11th consecutive nomination. Sugarland also re-entered the picture with a tour with Little Big Town and a new EP but got no love. While we’re at it, Parmalee again goes unrecognized in vocal group of the year, despite also having a Country Airplay-topper. SURPRISE: Stephen Wilson Jr. Wilson has quickly become a favorite among country music tastemakers for good reason, given his gritty, emotional, raw delivery and singular songs, but he largely remains a critical darling — so it’s a very pleasant surprise to see him receive a well-deserved, if somewhat unexpected, best new artist nomination. There are certainly others, including Hudson Westbrook and Ty Myers, who have had more commercial success, but few
