Here is every 2025 ACM Awards winner: Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley win big
Lainey Wilson and Ella Langley were big winners at the 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, which were broadcast live from Frisco, Texas, on May 8.
Wilson took home entertainer of the year for the second year in a row, and Langley took home four awards. Old Dominion won group of the year for the eighth consecutive time — something no other group has done.
We have the winners' list below, with winners in each category listed in bold.
The studio recording awards had not yet been announced as of 11 p.m. ET.
List of 2024 ACM Award Winners
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
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
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
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
'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
Awarded to songwriter(s)/publisher(s)/artist(s)
'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
Awarded to artist(s)/producer(s)/record company–label(s)
'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
Awarded to producer(s)/director(s)/artist(s)
'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
Studio recording awards
Producer of the year
Dave Cobb
Ian Fitchuk
Charlie Handsome
Jon Randall
Alysa Vanderheym
Audio engineer of the year
Brandon Bell
Drew Bollman
Josh Ditty
Buckley Miller
F. Reid Shippen
Bass player of the year
J.T. Cure
Mark Hill
Rachel Loy
Tony Lucido
Craig Young
Drummer of the year
Fred Eltringham
Tommy Harden
Evan Hutchings
Aaron Sterling
Nir Z
Acoustic guitar player of the year
Tim Galloway
Todd Lombardo
Mac McAnally
Bryan Sutton
Ilya Toshinskiy
Piano/keyboards player of the year
Dave Cohen
Ian Fitchuk
Billy Justineau
Gordon Mote
Alex Wright
Specialty instrument player of the year
Dan Dugmore
Jenee Fleenor
Josh Matheny
Justin Schipper
Kristin Wilkinson
Electric guitar player of the year
Kris Donegan
Jedd Hughes
Brent Mason
Sol Philcox-Littlefield
Derek Wells
Industry awards
Casino of the year – theater
Deadwood Mountain Grand – Deadwood, S.D.
Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, Conn.
Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort – Cherokee, N.C.
The Theater at Virgin Hotels – Las Vegas, Nev.
Yaamava' Theater – Highland, Calif.
Casino of the year – arena
Golden Nugget Lake Charles – Lake Charles, La.
Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena – Atlantic City, N.J.
Harveys Lake Tahoe – Stateline, Nev.
Mystic Lake Casino Showroom – Prior Lake, Minn.
Turning Stone Resort Casino – Verona, N.Y.
Festival of the year
C2C Country to Country – London
CMC Rocks – Ipswich, Queensland
Stagecoach Festival – Indio, Calif.
Two Step Inn – Georgetown, Tex.
Windy City Smokeout – Chicago
Fair/rodeo of the year
Calgary Stampede – Calgary, Alberta
California Mid-State Fair – Paso Robles, Calif.
Cheyenne Frontier Days – Cheyenne, Wy.
Minnesota State Fair – Falcon Heights, Minn.
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo – Houston
Club of the year
Billy Bob's Texas – Fort Worth, Tex.
Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville
Cain's Ballroom – Tulsa, Okla.
Georgia Theatre – Athens, Ga.
Joe's on Weed St. – Chicago
Theater of the year
The Caverns – Pelham, Tenn.
MGM Music Hall at Fenway – Boston
The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia
The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, Wisc.
Tennessee Theatre – Knoxville, Tenn.
Outdoor venue of the year
BankNH Pavilion – Gilford, N.H.
CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center – Canandaigua, N.Y.
Saint Augustine Amphitheatre – St. Augustine, Fla.
The Wharf Amphitheater – Orange Beach, Ala.
Whitewater Amphitheater – New Braunfels, Tex.
Arena of the year
Dickies Arena – Fort Worth, Tex.
Moody Center – Austin, Tex.
TD Garden – Boston
Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center – Knoxville, Tenn.
Van Andel Arena – Grand Rapids, Mich.
Don Romeo talent buyer of the year
Deana Baker
Bobby Clay
Gil Cunningham
Weston Hebert
Stacy Vee
Taylor Williamson
Promoter of the year
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Then we were like, 'Let's just keep playing.' And then Luka went on the piano and — Luka Kloser: It's so weird to think that those moments can be so substantial in your life. Had we been like, 'Let's go get dinner,' there's a chance that we might have remained friendly but would never have entered this world of everything that has happened. What are your roles in the studio when you're working together? Rae: It depends… Sometimes I'll have a title or concept and just text it to them. Elvira Anderfjärd: Addison has great one-liners. Rae: That's what happened with [Addison's] 'Summer Forever.' I just knew I wanted to name a song that, and we just went from there. A lot of my songs happen that way, except 'Diet Pepsi.' That one was very on the spot while we were in a flow state writing. Kloser: It's nice when you have a super comfortable environment to create in because we are all able to share just any thought with one another, even if they aren't thought out or massaged yet. 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But aquamarine, the stone, represents rebirth and transformation, so I ended up being like, 'How can we dive into that world?' And then the track just started happening. (To Kloser and Anderfjärd.) I remember we were rewatching that one clip of those flowers. Do you remember that? I had this YouTube video that I put on loop for us while we were making it, of these flowers blooming really quickly… Anderfjärd: Yeah, you'd put on all those little background videos. Honestly, they were super important for the process. It puts us in a trance. Rae: When we did 'Summer Forever,' I remember there was that black-and-white old movie. Remember, with the people on the beach rolling around together? I put that on in the background. I do that, I think, every time we write. Did going to Sweden bring a different energy to the room? How much does location affect the song that gets made? Anderfjärd: I think so, but sometimes not in a way you'd expect. The first session, for 'Diet Pepsi,' we were in the city in this little s—ty place. The vibes weren't there, but that made us have to create our own. Rae: Personally, I kind of thrive in a space where there's no vibe because then everything naturally doesn't sound as appealing. And then when you get something really special, it's obvious. I think when you're in a place or a space that's too great of a vibe, almost anything could sound good. 'Diet Pepsi' came out in August 2024, and did not arrive for almost another year. Why such a large gap? Rae: As much as I would have loved for there to be a confirmed album date before I started putting music out, it just didn't happen that way. When 'Diet Pepsi' came out, we only had three songs done. Just before writing and recording 'Diet Pepsi,' you recorded the 'Von Dutch' remix with Charli xcx. What did you learn from Charli or from watching the phenomenon of play out, and how did it inspire you in making your own music? Rae: Charli really gave me the confidence as a writer, honestly. That's why I felt so sure going into our sessions [for Addison, which happened soon after brat came out]. Most of the sessions I had done before I did the 'Von Dutch' remix session with Charli, I had a lot of writers in the room, and I was feeling like I was leaning on writers a lot. Charli really leaned on me and gave me so much confidence, and that's really when a big shift happened for me as far as being a songwriter. It's rare to see a pop album that only has three people in the liner notes — and even more rare to see liner notes that only list women. How do you think this affected the songs you three made? Rae: I think the perspective of having a room of only females was just a really different energy than what we're all used to. It doesn't really happen very often… I didn't expect it to happen this way, and I don't think anybody else expected that from me, which was really nice because I think it's always good to have people unsure of what you're going to do. We are all around the same age and have similar life experiences in a lot of ways, being women in this industry. Luka and Elvira, you're signed to Max Martin's MXM Publishing. What did you learn from watching Martin and other MXM-signed hit-makers? Anderfjärd: The main thing is that the most important thing is the song. Honestly, it's very easy to forget sometimes. You can get very stressed in a studio environment where it's like, 'Let's finish the song when the day is over.' I think they create an environment of just taking our time with it because who's going to care if it took a year to finish or a day? Kloser: That's true. It's been beautiful to be able to have that kind of mentorship. And I second Elvira: The song is always first. The ego should be left at the door. Just worry about the song. Those guys still show up worried about what song they're going to make today, and that's it. It's a beautiful example to have every day because it's really about the love for the music. It sounds cheesy, but I think their success speaks for themselves — they've really led with their love for the craft more than anything. Luka, you're from Studio City, Calif., but you often work alongside Swedish talent, including Elvira. Why do you think Swedish pop producers have been so prominent over the past few decades? Kloser: Oftentimes, people feel like there's this mathematical approach to pop songwriting. That's not completely wrong. There's definitely a toolbox that is there, but I think what sets Scandinavian people apart is that they have free music education. Also, when I hear Swedish people talk, I find it to be very melodic. I just think music is so deep rooted there. Also, Elvira always says that it's dark 90% of the year, so all you can do is huddle up and jam. Addison, what was it like to show the people around you 'Diet Pepsi' for the first time? It was a big departure from your previous work. Did they immediately understand your vision? Rae: There were people I played it to who were like, 'I don't know if this is what people want from you.' And I was like, 'Well, I don't think people know what they want from me.' If I had to give any advice to anybody, it would probably just be to do what you want and don't do what people think they want from you because that's already so many steps behind. Once you give somebody what they think they want, it's old news already. In the earliest part of your music career, did you feel like you were trying to give anyone what you thought they wanted? Rae: Not necessarily. I didn't think I was trying to please anyone but myself. I had a very imagined world of what my music career would look like since I was little. Growing up in dance, my teachers were always playing Britney [Spears]. They were always playing [Lady] Gaga. The Fame had just come out when I was on a competition team and everybody loved Gaga's music. I remember doing an opening number to Madonna's 'Hollywood' at my dance studio. I always loved these extravagant pop stars as a little girl. I was just like, 'This is what it's like to be a woman, to be a pop star.' Maybe my EP felt a little bit more derivative of what I thought me as a pop star was, especially when I was growing up, but now I've become my own thing. I think the album totally took on a life of its own, and it became something that only we could have done by leaning on our instincts and our feelings. That's why it feels so rare and singular. Did the success of 'Diet Pepsi' add a lot of pressure for you when you were making ? Rae: I initially struggled with the idea of not having the album done before 'Diet Pepsi' came out. There was so much unknown before 'Diet Pepsi' came out. We didn't really know what people would think, nor did we really care, which I thought was so nice. And then, people really loved it, which was really nice and so gratifying. But I think it definitely added a layer of pressure initially. It was a lot to follow up. Anderfjärd: We talked about that a lot around that time because all of us felt that pressure, but then we said, 'Let's just not feel the pressure of making another 'Diet Pepsi' because why would we do that? It already exists.' I think once we settled into that mindset we just thrived. Addison, your career has been very public from the beginning. How did the weight of public opinion affect you as a young musician who was still learning? Rae: Initially, I was pretty let down by myself in a lot of ways because I had such high expectations. And then over time, I just completely let that go and released it. I know the way that music makes me feel, and I know that I trust my taste and my instincts. And even though I took a kind of break over time to figure out what that meant to me, I think it was so necessary, and that led me to exactly where I needed to be, which is right here with Luka and Elvira. What other moments when making the album felt like you really coming into yourself as an artist? Rae: 'High Fashion' is probably the one for me because I remember we were struggling at that time. We didn't know where else to go creatively, maybe because of the success of 'Diet Pepsi' around that time, and then 'High Fashion' happened. That was one where I was like, 'OK, I fully trust myself, I fully trust Luka and Elvira, and I fully trust this room we have.' Initially, [making music together] was so naive. Everything we were making was for us and private. Once everything was being received in real time and we were still making the album, it felt different. And then 'High Fashion' brought us back to that same feeling. I had a phase where I was sitting in the studio for days and I had nothing. It was a struggle. It can be hard, communicating with people about your feelings and where you are in life, especially when you're going through a lot. When I was really struggling, there was a lot of weight being put on [Luka's and Elvira's] backs because I was unable to offer up my energy in those moments. I think those times are necessary, though, where you just sit and play and nothing happens or comes out of it. Anderfjärd: It's those moments where either you can sit and do nothing with that and go home or you can sit and talk about it and become closer. A lot of those moments are what created the groundwork of making a song because we became close enough to talk about everything. Only 18.9% of songwriters on the Billboard Hot 100 year-end chart in 2024 were women, according to the University of South California's Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Women fared even worse in production roles, representing just 5.9% of production credits. Luka and Elvira, do you think your gender made it harder to break into the industry? Kloser: In hindsight, allowing ourselves to actually feel it all: Yeah, it did make it harder. There are very supportive men in this industry. And we've been very lucky to be surrounded by men that believe in us. But I mean, it is just a thing, whether you actively feel that it is or not. Anderfjärd: When I was younger, I didn't want to make it into a thing at all because I felt like there was a culture of, like, you have to be tough. Now, being a little older, there's actually things that are so annoying about being a young woman in production. Kloser: Yeah, this might be self-inflicted, but I feel like I truly have to prove I can actually produce every single time. No one ever questions like, 'Oh, he's a producer. Oh, does he actually produce?' Luka and Elvira, what do you think it is that makes Addison such a standout artist? Anderfjärd: She's a very creative person who's very tapped into herself. She sees a whole vision ahead of her. It's not just a song — it's a beautiful visual, beautiful styling. For her, everything is connected. Kloser: Addison is so energetic, optimistic and driven. She has incredible taste. That was the first thing I noticed when I met her. She is truly a student of pop culture, and she knows herself in a way that is infectious to watch. Are you three making any new music together right now? Kloser: Nope, this was the last time we're ever [together]. We're divorcing at Casa Vega. (Laughs.) Rae: (Coyly.) We have. (Laughs.) This story appears in the Aug. 16, 2025, issue of Billboard. 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