Latest news with #SingleoftheYear
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The ACMs and country music are turning back the clock, on music and race
The 60th annual Academy of Country Music Awards, held on Thursday, May 8, was a celebration—of country artists and country music but also, and perhaps more importantly, country tradition. It was there in Alan Jackson's emotional performance of 'Remember When,' delivered before his acceptance of the ACM Lifetime Achievement Award, now named in his honor. 'Play that steel guitar boy,' he said to one of his musicians. 'That's real country music right there y'all.' It was there in the frequent feting of Ella Langley and her duet with Riley Green, 'you look like you love me.' Langley, an industry newcomer, was the most nominated act of the night, eventually taking home the New Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Music Event of the Year, and Visual Media of the Year honors. During her acceptance speech for Single of the Year, Langley noted that she 'grew up on classic country with a lot of talking in it,' which served as the inspiration for the spoken verses of 'you look like you love me,' and that writing the song gave her the freedom to 'not care so much and write what you love and write what feels good.' Fans feel good about the track, too. Below the song's YouTube video (which has 37 million views since its release eight months ago), commenters gush about Langley's country bonafides and a return to a more traditional sound: 'my favorite country song, its [sic] been decades since they made good country songs like this!' wrote @hlgrmdr9556. 'This is the style of country music that I missed' wrote @kimmiek6295. And from @tosca-g8t: 'This takes me back to the good old days of country music—a sound we desperately need more of!' Lainey Wilson was the night's other big winner, collecting trophies for Album of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and the highly coveted Entertainer of the Year. And with her thick country drawl and Louisiana roots—that 'sure don't grow out'— she, too, is emblematic of the industry's lean toward nostalgia. 'Must be something in the water flowing out of the holler/Blue collar must've caught a new wind,' she sings on a track from the Album of the Year-winning 'Whirlwind.' 'Doggone, dadgum it, didn't see that coming/Country's cool again.' The music industry, like fashion, is notoriously cyclical. Indeed, there are few new things under the sun, so this return to bygone stylings isn't completely surprising. But while there is nothing inherently wrong with a throwback, it's hard to miss country music's current MAGA vibes. This old-school era that everybody's hankering for? When Alan Jackson's idea of real country music dominated the charts? That period was, well.. white. Which is not to say that the modern industry is some bastion of diversity. There were only two Black artists nominated for ACM Awards—Shaboozey, for Male New Artist and Single of the Year, and War and Treaty for Duo of the Year. Both went home empty handed, despite the former's record-setting, 27-week stint atop the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart with 'A Bar Song (Tipsy).' Moreover, even Shaboozey's presence—he and Jelly Roll performed their duet 'Amen' during the show—felt like a last hurrah. Shaboozey's follow-ups have yet to achieve the virality of last year's song of the summer. At the same time, the industry appears to have hit the reverse button on recent racial gains. Opinion: Jelly Roll's success shows country music should embrace more unconventional artists Mickey Guyton, War and Treaty, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Dalton Dover, and Willie Jones have all been dropped from their respective labels. Charlene Bryant lost her position as UMG's Senior Vice President of Business Development and Strategy. And that's to say nothing of the areas which never saw much improvement. You can count the Black, non-artist songwriters signed to Nashville publishing deals on a single hand, and Black guitarists and producers are about as rare as a Black Opry members and Country Music Hall of Fame inductees. Which is to say: Very It's been five years since the reckoning of 2020 that brought a flurry of panels and signings and promises of progress. Those five years sped by for the Black artists who now feel the last seconds of their 15 minutes ticking away. But I can imagine that it's gone so very slowly for the genre's white participants, folks who have likely been waiting for the moment when they could safely reclaim what they've always believed was theirs alone. And what better time to do so than after the reelection of President Donald Trump, the subsequent rollback of still-necessary DEI efforts, and the ongoing whitewashing of our collective history. Country music fans will tell you that their purist inclinations have nothing to do with politics. In doing so, they will, of course, divorce the country music industry from its historic love affair with conservative, and overtly racist, politicians. They'll also conveniently skip past the cultural realities of country's golden era, ignoring the racial lines that divided society and, as a result, music. Meanwhile, country music execs will say that their only concern is the bottom line—one that is no doubt boosted by America's hard right turn. Maybe all that's true. Maybe fans are just legitimately sick of trap beats in their country and label and publishing heads are simply following the crowd. But in cases like this, intentions matter far less than impact. And for the Black artists who will once again be relegated to the sidelines, despite their general love for country music in all its stylistic iterations, there's nothing great about this at all. Andrea Williams is an opinion columnist for The Tennessean and curator of the Black Tennessee Voices initiative. She has an extensive background covering country music, sports, race and society. Email her at adwilliams@ or follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @AndreaWillWrite and BlueSky at @ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tradition is good for the ACMs, but not Black artists | Opinion
Express Tribune
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Chris Stapleton dedicates ACM Male Artist of the Year win to late friend Ben Vaughn
Country star Chris Stapleton won Male Artist of the Year at the 2025 ACM Awards on May 8 in Frisco, Texas. He dedicated his emotional acceptance speech to his late friend and music publisher Ben Vaughn, who died earlier this year at age 49. 'Wow, so many guys in this category that are so deserving and great artists,' said Stapleton, 47. 'I gotta thank everybody who works so hard to make these things possible… my wife Morgane, my kids at home.' He continued, 'I'm thinking a lot about my friend Ben Vaughn who we lost this year, so I'm gonna send this one out to Ben.' Hosted by Reba McEntire, the 60th ACM Awards saw Stapleton beating out fellow nominees Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, and Cody Johnson for the prestigious award. All five men were also contenders for Entertainer of the Year. Stapleton has now claimed the Male Artist of the Year title five times — previously in 2016, 2018, 2022, and 2024 — and has been nominated for the honor ten consecutive years. In 2025, he also received nominations for Single of the Year ('White Horse'), Music Event of the Year (with Carly Pearce), and Visual Media of the Year. Stapleton's heartfelt tribute added a poignant moment to a night celebrating the best in country music.
