Oftentimes lauded for their out-of-touch nature, it’s no secret that the Academy of Country Music leans heavily into the mainstream. Whether it’s the on-going joke that Old Dominion will win Group of the Year despite their less-than-stellar output or the fact that the Academy consistently nominates artists who have been around for years for their New Artist of the Year category, there’s been plenty of valid criticism thrown their way.
Though some criticism mainly stems from fans not truly understanding how award shows such as the ACMs works, namely not fully grasping that labels ultimately have a lot of pull when it comes to who’s nominated and who wins, there is still some valid points to be made regarding why some artists are (or aren’t) getting the flowers they deserve.
This morning the nominees for the 2025 ACM Awards were announced. Admittedly, there are still some highly questionable nominations (Jessie Murph?) strewn throughout; however, a few key first-time nods point to 2025 being one of the best ACM Awards to date purely from a selection standpoint.
Leading the class of first-time nominees are the likes of Zach Top, The Red Clay Strays, Muscadine Bloodline and Treaty Oak Revival.
It’s no stretch to say that Zach Top is not only one of the hottest up-and-comers we’ve seen in quite some time but also one of the hottest artists period. Scoring a ton of buzz online with viral hits such as “I Never Lie” and “Use Me,” Top not only earned a nod New Male Artist of the Year (which he is primed to win) but also Album of the Year for Cold Beer & Country Music. It should go without saying how huge it is for fans of traditional country music that Top has already earned an Album of the Year nod with his debut album.
As for The Red Clay Strays, this felt like a bit of a no-brainer for the Academy. The group category is fairly weak overall, with mainstream staples such as Little Big Town, Old Dominion and the shell of Zac Brown Band’s former self consistently being nominated. With that being said, Red Clay deserved this nomination and then some. Being not only one of the most talented bands in country but in music as a whole, they should, realistically, win both Group and New Group/Duo of the Year. I do have my doubts that they can muster up enough votes to dethrone Old Dominon given the Academy’s affinity for them.
Arguably the most surprising nomination of the morning is none other than Treaty Oak Revival receiving a nod for Best New Duo/Group. There’s simply no doubt that they’re one of the buzziest bands out right now. The primary reason that makes the nod so shocking is their overall sound. Though it gets incredibly tiring to debate what’s “country” or not, it’s fairly obvious that Treaty Oak leans closer to rock and grunge. With that being said, this is another instance of the Academy showing that they’re paying closer attention to relevant artist/bands and not simply nominating random major-label acts.
Last but certainly not least is Muscadine Bloodline receiving a nod in the admittedly weak Best Duo category. Despite being around since 2016, Muscadine flew under the radar for the better part of a decade. Now that they’re finally getting some mainstream recognition, namely going on tour with both Post Malone and Lainey Wilson and releasing “10-90” as their first single on country radio, it seems that this was the perfect time for a nomination.
Though I would have liked to see Sturgill Simpson, Sierra Ferrell and Zach Bryan receive at least one nomination for their output in 2024, it’s, at least, a huge step in the right direction for the Academy to be nominating the likes of The Red Clay Strays, Muscadine and Treaty Oak. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it sure as hell isn’t going to take one single year to completely course correct years of snubs. With that being said, however, judging by this year’s nominees, especially when viewed from the lens of an independent/alt country fan, it seems as if the ACMs are finally starting to head in the right direction.
A full list of nominations is as follows:
Entertainer of the Year
- Morgan Wallen
- Chris Stapleton
- Cody Johnson
- Lainey Wilson
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Kelsea Ballerini
Male Artist of the Year
- Morgan Wallen
- Chris Stapleton
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Cody Johnson
Female Artist of the Year
- Lainey Wilson
- Megan Moroney
- Ella Langley
- Kacey Musgraves
- Kelsea Ballerini
Album of the Year
- Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
- Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
- F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
- Am I Okay (I’ll Be Fine) – Megan Moroney
- Beautifully Broken – Jelly Roll
Single of the Year
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone & Morgan Wallen
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey
- “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green
- “White Horse” – Chris Stapleton
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
Song of the Year
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson (Josh Phillips)
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone & Morgan Wallen (Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Jonathan Hoskins, Post Malone, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen and Chandler Paul Walters)
- “4X4XU” – Lainey Wilson (Lainey Wilson, Jon Decious, Aaron Raitiere)
- “The Architect” – Kacey Musgraves (Kacey Musgraves, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
- “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green (Ella Langley, Riley Green, Aaron Raitiere)
Group of the Year
- The Red Clay Strays
- Old Dominon
- Flatland Cavalry
- Rascal Flatts
- Little Big Town
Duo of the Year
- Dan + Shay
- Brooks & Dunn
- The War and Treaty
- Brothers Osborne
- Muscadine Bloodline
New Male Artist of the Year
- Bailey Zimmerman
- Zach Top
- Tucker Wetmore
- Shaboozey
- Gavin Adcock
New Female Artist of the Year
- Ella Langley
- Ashley Cooke
- Kassi Ashton
- Dasha
- Jessie Murph
New Duo/Group of the Year
- The Red Clay Strays
- Treaty Oak Revival
- Restless Road
Artist-Songwriter of the Year
- Luke Combs
- Morgan Wallen
- ERNEST
- Lainey Wilson
- HARDY
Music Event of the Year
- “I Had Some Help” – Post Malone & Morgan Wallen
- “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green
- “I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood
- “Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini & Noah Kahan
- “we don’t fight anymore” – Carly Pearce & Chris Stapleton
Songwriter of the Year
- Ashley Gorley
- Josh Osborne
- Jessie Jo Dillion
- Jessi Alexander
- Chase McGill
Visual Media of the Year
- “Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson
- “4X4XU” – Lainey Wilson
- “I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson & Carrie Underwood
- “Think I’m In Love With You” – Chris Stapleton
- “you look like you love me” – Ella Langley
Producer of the Year
- Dave Cobb
- Ian Fitchuck
- Charlie Handsome
- Jon Randall
- Alysa Vanderheym
Audio Engineer of the Year
- Brandon Bell
- Drew Bollman
- Josh Ditty
- Buckley Miller
- F. Reid Shippen
Electric Guitar Player of the Year
- Kris Donegan
- Jedd Hughes
- Brent Mason
- Sol Philcox-Littlefield
- Derek Wells
Acoustic Guitar Player of the Year
- Tim Galloway
- Todd Lombardo
- Mac McAnally
- Bryan Sutton
- Ilya Toshinskiy
Drummer of the Year
- Fred Eltringham
- Tommy Harden
- Evan Hutchings
- Aaron Sterling
- Nir Z
Bass Player of the Year
- J.T. Cure
- Mark Hill
- Rachel Loy
- Tony Lucido
- Craig Young
Piano/Keyboards Player of the Year
- Dave Cohen
- Ian Fitchuck
- Billy Justineau
- Gordon Mote
- Alex Wright
Specialty Instrument Player of the Year
- Dan Dugmore
- Jenee Fleenor
- Josh Matheny
- Justin Schipper
- Kristin Wilkinson
Festival of the Year
- C2C: Country To Country Festival (London, England)
- CMC Rocks (Ipswich, Queenland)
- Stagecoach Festival (Indio, CA)
- Two Step Inn (Georgetown, TX)
- Windy City Smokeout (Chicago, IL)
Fair/Rodeo of the Year
- Calgary Stampede (Calgary, AB)
- California Mid-State Fair (Paso Robles, CA)
- Cheyenne Frontier Days (Cheyenne, WY)
- Minnesota State Fair (Falcon Heights, MN)
- Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (Houston, TX)
Theater of the Year
- The Caverns (Pelham, TN)
- MGM Music Hall at Fenway (Boston, MA)
- The Met Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
- The Rave/Eagles Club (Milwaukee, WI)
- Tennessee Theater (Knoxville, TN)
Casino of the Year – Theater
- Deadwood Mountain Grand (Deadwood, SD)
- Foxwoods Resort Casino (Mashantucket, CT)
- Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee, NC)
- The Theater at Virgin Hotels (Las Vegas, NV)
- Yaamava’ Theater (Highland, CA)
Outdoor Venue of the Year
- Banknh Pavilion (Gilford, NH)
- CMAC – Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center (Canadaigua, NY)
- Saint Augustine Amphitheater (St. Augustine, FL)
- The Wharf Amphitheater (Orange Beach, AL)
- Whitewater Amphitheater (New Braunfels, TX)
Arena of the Year
- Dickies Arena (Fort Worth, TX)
- Moody Center (Austin, TX)
- TD Garden (Boston, MA)
- Thompson-Boling Arena At Food City Center (Knoxville, TN)
- Van Andel Arena (Grand Rapids, MI)
Don Romeo Talent Buyer of the Year
- Deana Baker
- Bobby Clay
- Gil Cunningham
- Weston Herbert
- Stacy Vee
- Taylor Williamson
Promoter of the Year
- Brent Fedrizzi
- Alex Maxwell
- Patrick McDill
- Anna-Sophie Mertens
- Rich Schaefer
- Aaron Spalding