ACM Awards 2025: Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Riley Green win big as Morgan Wallen and Post Malone lose out

9 May 2025, 11:39

Other success stories included Old Dominion and Brooks & Dunn adding to their group and duo of the year records.

Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson were the top winners at the Academy of Country Music Awards last night (May 8).

The ‘weren’t for the wind’ and ‘4x4xU’ singers both won five and four awards each respectively, with relative newcomer Ella winning big for her duet with Riley Green as well as taking home the New Female Artist of the Year award.

• Ella Langley wins coveted Academy of Country Music New Female Artist of the Year award
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• Riley Green reveals amusing reason why he won’t date Ella Langley

‘you look like you love me’ won Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and Visual Media of the Year – with Ella winning twice in the latter category as the song's music video’s director and artist.

Ella Langley & Riley Green accept the ACM Music Event of the Year Award (From the 60th ACM Awards)

Lainey Wilson - Whirlwind (Live From the 60th Annual ACM Awards)

Lainey won Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Whirlwind, and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.

Her Entertainer of the Year and Female Artist of the Year trophies were both back-to-back successes after the 32-year-old took home the same awards at last year’s ACMs.

Other winners from last night’s Texas based ceremony, hosted by Reba McEntire, were Group of the Year and Duo of the Year winners Old Dominion and Brooks & Dunn.

2025 marked Old Dominion’s eighth consecutive win in the group category, meanwhile Brooks & Dunn‘s Duo nod – their first since 2010 – was their record-keeping 17th win overall.

Riley Green didn't expect Ella Langley duet 'You Look Like You Love Me' to be a hit

Chris Stapleton took home Male Artist of the Year, Jessie Jo Dillon won Songwriter of the Year, and Song of the Year went to Cody Johnson for ‘Dirt Cheap’.

Some of the night’s biggest surprises came from which artists were snubbed from winning any of this year’s awards.

Despite the impact of their recent hit songs in the country music scene and many nominations between them, Morgan Wallen, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaboozey and Post Malone all missed out on a win this year.

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• Post Malone new album: Release date, songs, is it country and more explored
• Keith Urban to receive first live ACM Awards Triple Crown nod since 2010

Thursday night’s awards show saw performances from Eric Church; Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert & Reba McEntire; Shaboozey & Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton and more.

Host Reba opened the 60th anniversary show with a medley of former Song of the Year winners, and alongside Keith Urban’s triple crown celebration, Alan Jackson was given the ACM’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award – a nod which will be named in his honour.

Keith Urban Accepts the Triple Crown Award (Live from the 60th ACM Awards)

Reba McEntire Presents Alan Jackson with the Lifetime Achievement Award (From the 60th ACM Awards)

For a full list of the 2025 ACM Awards winners, see below:

Entertainer of the Year

• Kelsea Ballerini
• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson

Female Artist of the Year

• Kelsea Ballerini
• Ella Langley
• Megan Moroney
• Kacey Musgraves
• Lainey Wilson

Male Artist of the Year

• Luke Combs
• Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll
• Chris Stapleton
• Morgan Wallen

Duo of the Year

• Brooks & Dunn
• Brothers Osborne
• Dan + Shay
• Muscadine Bloodline
• The War and Treaty

Group of the Year

• Flatland Cavalry
• Little Big Town
• Old Dominion
• Rascal Flatts
• The Red Clay Strays

New Female Artist of the Year

• Kassi Ashton
• Ashley Cooke
• Dasha
• Ella Langley
• Jessie Murph

New Male Artist of the Year

• Gavin Adcock
• Shaboozey
• Zach Top
• Tucker Wetmore
• Bailey Zimmerman

New Duo or Group of the Year

• Restless Road
• The Red Clay Strays
• Treaty Oak Revival

Album of the Year (for artists, producers and record company labels)

• 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

Single of the Year (for artists, producers and record company labels)

• ‘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

Song of the Year (for songwriters, publishers and artists)

• ‘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

Music Event of the Year (for artists, producers and record company labels)

• ‘Cowboys Cry Too’ – Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan; producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan, Alysa Vanderheym; Black River Entertainment
• ‘I Had Some Help’ – Post Malone, Morgan Wallen; producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins; Mercury Records / Republic Records
• ‘I’m Gonna Love You’ – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producer: Trent Willmon; CoJo Music LLC / Warner Music Nashville
• ‘we don’t fight anymore’ – Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton; producers: Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne, Carly Pearce; Big Machine Records
• ‘you look like you love me’ – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Will Bundy; SAWGOD / Columbia Records

Visual Media of the Year (for producers, directors and artists)

• ‘4x4xU’ – Lainey Wilson; producer: Jennifer Ansell; director: Dano Cerny
• ‘Dirt Cheap’ – Cody Johnson; producer: Dustin Haney; director: Dustin Haney
• ‘I’m Gonna Love You’ – Cody Johnson, Carrie Underwood; producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; director: Dustin Haney
• ‘Think I’m In Love With You’ – Chris Stapleton; producers: Wes Edwards, Angie Lorenz, Jamie Stratakis; director: Running Bear (Stephen Kinigopoulos, Alexa Stone)
• ‘you look like you love me’ – Ella Langley, Riley Green; producer: Alex Pescosta; directors: Ella Langley, John Park, Wales Toney

Artist-Songwriter of the Year

• Luke Combs
• ERNEST
• HARDY
• Morgan Wallen
• Lainey Wilson

Songwriter of the Year

• Jessi Alexander
• Jessie Jo Dillon
• Ashley Gorley
• Chase McGill
• Josh Osborne