New York – It was your night once again. Lainey Wilson took home the top prize at the 60th Annual Country Music Award – the title of artist of the year – for the second year in a row. And that was after she cleared the house, taking trophies home to female artists and albums of the year.
“I really have the best fans in the world,” she said in her final acceptance speech, admitting to experimenting with impostor syndrome. “I dreamed of fun. … Country music gave me more than I deserve.”
In addition to Wilson’s domain, the 2025 ACM Awards were full of celebration. Previously, the duet of the first and leading and leading candidate with Riley Green, the ubiquitous “You Look Tie You Love Me”, was named single and musical event of the year.
Both Langley and Green used their first acceptance speech to scream classic country – songs with conversations in them – which inspired their modern success.
A revision of the past may have been a theme on Thursday night, evidenced at the top of the ceremony: a 14-minute mix of six decades of classics in the country, held by giants of the genre.
The host Reb Mcentire launched Merle Haggard’s “Okie From Muskoge”, followed by Clint Black with “Rhinestone Cowboy” by Glen Campbell and Wynonna Judd with the “Why not I”. Leann Rimes returned to ACM awards stage for his 1997 “Blue” ballad. Little Big Town faced her 2014 track “Girl Crush” and Dan + Shay delivered her “Tequila”.
It was an exciting way to start the ACM Awards, live in the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, north of Dallas.
And it was a highlight of the show, rivaled only by the introduction of ACM Alan Jackson Lifetime Achievement Award, the inaugural trophy given to his namesake, Jackson, after he introduced himself to “remember when”.
In his acceptance speech, he joked that a fan called a dog in honor of him. Have a prize in honor of him? This is not a little bad either.
The first trophy of the night, the coveted song of the year, was granted to Cody Johnson by his radio hit “Dirt Cheap”.
The performances followed, fast and furious. Mcentire, Wilson and Miranda Lambert have teamed up for the world debut of their new single single, celebrating women in country music.
Eric Church made his brand new single “Hands of Time”, succeeded the most awarded artist in award history, Lambert with “Run”. She then joined Langley to the duet “Kersene” on the Lambert debut album in 2005 of the same name.
Zach Top stripped things to “use me”. Blake Shelton channeled the Great George Strait for his new single “Texas”, followed by Wilson with “Whirlwind”. Kelsea Ballerini performed at the top of her “luggage”. Johnson shook “The Fall” before running “Red Dirt Road” with Brooks & Dunn. Chris Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, harmonized in “It takes a woman.”
Jelly Roll and Shaboozey joined forces for their collaboration, “Amen”.
“It’s Shaboozey’s birthday,” said Jelly Roll. “We want to thank you and we want to thank God.”
Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts closed the show.
Oak Ridge Boys gave the group of the year to Old Dominion. It was a moving gesture; In 2024, Joe Bonsall, a Grammy and Tenor winner, died of amyotrophic neuromuscular disorder of lateral sclerosis.
Another Tearjerker: Mcentire leading the audience in a corner of the late Kris Kristofferson “Me and Bobby McGee”.
The male artist of the year went to Stapleton. The duo of the year was granted to Brooks & Dunn.
Megan Moroney covered Keith Urban’s “stupid boy” and Stapleton made “Ain’t Your Wets Your Color” before the Australian star of the coveted ACM Triple Crown Star, marking the first time an artist received the trophy on stage since Carrie Underwood was honored in 2010.
Anyway, the 60th ACM Awards has proven that the show is at its best when celebrating new acts and legends in equal measure.
The ACM Awards was broadcast on Prime Video and Amazon Music Channel on Twitch Live. None of the Prime members were forced to view the live broadcast