Lainey Wilson was crowned Female Artist of the Year at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards.
The singer, 32, won the award during the Thursday, May 8, ceremony at Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, after being introduced by Wynonna Judd.
“My legs are numb. I can’t believe that I’m getting to stand up here with all these ladies that I was influenced by,” Wilson said of the country music legends on stage with her, which included Judd, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Gretchen Wilson and Crystal Gayle. “Every single one of y’all means so much to me.”
Wilson also thanked her parents, fiancé Devlin “Duck” Hodges and additional loved ones for their support.
The Academy of Country Music Awards is celebrating its 60th year with a star-studded ceremony hosted by country legend Reba McEntire. The Thursday, May 8, awards show will take place at the Ford Center in Frisco, Texas, and feature performances from artists including Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Clint Black, Miranda Lambert and more. […]
“Mom and Daddy are here tonight. I love y’all. My fiancé, Duck, love you,” she gushed. “I have the best team in the world, the best team who just work their tails off.”
Wilson then gave her fellow nominees — Kelsea Ballerini, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Kacey Musgraves — a shout-out.
“I just wanna say to every single one of these girls in this category, I couldn’t do this without y’all. I couldn’t,” she said. “This is a wild ride, and it’s nice to be able to have people to call and relate to. I’m so proud of every single one of y’all … the girls are kicking down some barn doors. Thank you so much, Jesus. … Here’s to the girls!”
Of the nominees, Wilson and Musgraves are the only previous winners of the coveted Female Artist of the Year trophy. Wilson claimed the title in 2023 and 2024, while Musgraves, 36, secured the trophy once in 2019 with a total of nine career nominations in the category.
For her part, Ballerini, 31, has received eight Female Artist of the Year nominations between 2016 and 2025.
Moroney, 27, earned her first nod in the category in 2024, while this year is the first time Langley, 26, has been nominated for Female Artist of the Year.
Langley received the most total nominations of any artist at the ACM Awards this year. Her eight nods included New Female Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Music Event of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green.
Wilson followed with seven nods for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Whirlwind, Song of the Year and Visual Media of the Year for “4x4xU” and Artist-Songwriter of the Year.
Ballerini was up for four awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Music Event of the Year for “Cowboys Cry Too” with Noah Kahan.
Musgraves received a total of three nominations, with a nod for Song of the Year for “The Architect.”
Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris, Carrie Underwood and more female country artists have inspired Us over the years. Morris, for her part, teamed up with fellow artists Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires and Natalie Hemby to form a supergroup called The Highwomen, releasing their self-titled debut album in September 2019. “I’m sure you’ve heard about this very […]
Moroney competed for two awards, including Album of the Year for Am I Okay? (I’ll Be Fine).
Prior to the 2025 ceremony, Langley won her first ACM Award for New Female Artist of the Year, defeating fellow nominees Kassi Ashton, Ashley Cooke, Dasha and Jessie Murph. Miranda Lambert announced the news in a video during Langley’s set at Rock the Country in Knoxville, Tennessee, on April 25.
“Every day of my life I’ve prayed about this and thought about it. Literally everything I’ve ever done was to be able to do this,” an emotional Langley said in a reaction video filmed on her tour bus. “I’m so grateful for the team I have around me.”
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