The 2025 CMA Awards Set Up Pretty for Zach Top
The nominations for the 2025 CMA Awards were announced on Monday, September 8th (see below). Along with the predictable outcomes for most of the nominations and the underwhelming field when it comes to some categories, there were a couple of surprises, and some promising developments. As easy as it is to default into a negative attitude about the CMAs each year as a fan of actual country music, there is one big reason to be excited in 2025.
It was 10 years ago this November at the CMA Awards that Chris Stapleton helped stimulate country music’s move away from the scourge of Bro-Country, launched himself into the stratosphere of popularity, and also opened up a lane for independent artists to succeed in a way that they now rival and at times surpasses their mainstream counterparts. In fact, you see some of this reflected in the 2025 CMA nominations, with The Red Clay Strays getting a nod, for example.
The way Chris Stapleton was able to enact such a sea change through one single event was his performance with Justin Timberlake of “Tennessee Whiskey,” and the way he swept the three categories he was nominated in. Stapleton won Best New Artist, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year. Luke Bryan won Entertainer of the Year, but barely anyone remembers that. They remember Stapleton’s moment.
It happens to be that in 2025, Zach Top is up for those three same awards. In fact, he’s up for even more awards than Stapleton was in 2015 since he’s also up for Song of the Year and Single of the Year for “I Never Lie.” Hypothetically, Zach Top could have an even bigger night that Stapleton did in 2015 if the cards fall right.
Should we expect for Zach Top to sweep all of the awards he’s up for? That feels unlikely. But nobody, nobody predicted Chris Stapleton would win any awards in 2015. It was a surprise to see him even win Best New Artist.
In 2015, the country music industry and CMA voters wanted to send a message. Bro-Country had been lucrative for a few years, but it was intensely polarizing and was painting country music in a poor light. It was unsustainable. So the CMA voters stepped up and said, “Enough is enough. We’re standing up for songs, and talent.”
But of course if you’re an actual country music fan, Chris Stapleton has always made for an imperfect country music savior. He’s more of a soul artist than a country one, and came with the baggage of collaborating with some of the Bro-Country dudes like Luke Bryan.
Zach Top on the other hand, he’s a straight-down-the-middle country music neotraditionalist. It might have taken Chris Stapleton for mainstream country to break the Bro-Country fever. But a big night for Zach Top could mean country music is finally cured of the Bro-Country disease.
Zach Top is not the top nominated artist in the 2025 field. That distinction goes to three women: Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson, all of whom also embody the “more country” direction country music has been headed in. But all three are still only “more country” than someone like Jelly Roll, who got snubbed from the awards, aside from a down-the-roster Musical Event of the Year nomination with Brandon Lake on a contemporary Christian track “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
Perhaps the industry was paying attention (even if the media wasn’t) when it was recently revealed that Jelly Roll said the N-word on camera three times, and praised himself for sneaking “in the back door on these bitches“—the “bitches” in this case being the country music industry, and CMA Awards voters.
Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean? They now feel years removed from big industry recognition. Morgan Wallen is the biggest artist in all of country, but only received three nominations. That’s one more than the felonies he was charged with back in 2024. Since Wallen didn’t even acknowledge his 2024 CMA win for Entertainer of the Year, don’t be surprised if that frosty reception is reciprocated by CMA voters come November. The Morgan Wallen thing already feels like it’s starting to peak, and his last album feels pretty lackluster even to many of his own fans.
Megan Moroney has song great songs and great buzz, but consistently turns in lackluster performances at award shows. Ella Langley acted like she wanted to be anywhere else other than the ACM Awards where she won some major awards earlier this year. Though Lainey Wilson makes a better front facing personality for country music than Morgan Wallen, her popularity and appeal still lag behind her awards show hardware.
Meanwhile, despite his sound being steeped in country music’s past, Zach Top represents country music’s future. He’s a top notch singer, an excellent guitar player, and has engaged younger people in an unprecedented manner, helping to make country music cool again. And of course, Zach doesn’t have the same liabilities Morgan Wallen comes with. If the country music wants to send a message about what it is in 2025, Zach Top would make the perfect vessel.
It’s also a very real possibility that Zach Top doesn’t win a single trophy at the 2025 CMA Awards. But in some respects, it doesn’t matter if he does. He’s already won as a traditionalist on an independent label who just landed nominations in all of the CMA’s major categories except Entertainer of the Year. That in itself is a massive victory, and speaks to the changing tide in country music that Zach Top represents.
If CMA voters are really paying attention to this cultural moment, they would recognize that country music has never sounded more country than any other time in perhaps the past 20 years, thanks in many respects to the sound that Zach Top has popularized. The CMA Award nominations should reflect that, and they do. And so should the eventual winners.
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR:
Luke Combs just finished an off year. Morgan Wallen seemed completely ungrateful to receive this award last year. Lainey Wilson is probably a front-runner with the way awards love her. And you can never count Chris Stapleton out. But if there was ever a year for Cody Johnson to rise up and snatch this, it would be 2025. And unlike the other performers, it could mean major momentum for his career. In a year of traditional country resurgence, Cody Johnson deserves this.
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Morgan Wallen
Lainey Wilson
SINGLE OF THE YEAR:
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson
“Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma” – Luke Combs
“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top
“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green
ALBUM OF THE YEAR:
Am I Okay? – Megan Moroney
Cold Beer & Country Music – Zach Top
F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
I’m The Problem – Morgan Wallen
Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson
SONG OF THE YEAR:
“4x4xU” – Lainey Wilson
“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top
“Texas” – Blake Shelton
“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green
FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Kelsea Ballerini
Miranda Lambert
Ella Langley
Megan Moroney
Lainey Wilson
MALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR:
Luke Combs
Cody Johnson
Chris Stapleton
Zach Top
Morgan Wallen
VOCAL GROUP OF THE YEAR:
Lady A
Little Big Town
Old Dominion
Rascal Flatts
The Red Clay Strays
VOCAL DUO OF THE YEAR:
Brooks & Dunn
Brothers Osborne
Dan + Shay
Maddie & Tae
The War And Treaty
MUSICAL EVENT OF THE YEAR:
“Don’t Mind If I Do” – Riley Green (featuring Ella Langley)
“Hard Fought Hallelujah” – Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
“Pour Me A Drink” – Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton)
“You Had To Be There” – Megan Moroney (feat. Kenny Chesney)
MUSICIAN OF THE YEAR:
Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle
Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar
Brent Mason – Guitar
Rob McNelley – Guitar
Derek Wells – Guitar
MUSIC VIDEO OF THE YEAR:
“Am I Okay?” – Megan Moroney
“I’m Gonna Love You” – Cody Johnson (with Carrie Underwood)
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson
“Think I’m In Love With You” – Chris Stapleton
“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley & Riley Green
NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR:
Ella Langley
Shaboozey
Zach Top
Tucker Wetmore
Stephen Wilson Jr.
September 8, 2025 @ 6:27 pm
I also enjoy moroney and her music but…saw her live this summer and was majorly underwhelmed, not sure the disconnect.
Country industry, stop trying to make Kelsea ballerin happen. She may be a lovely person but she just doesn’t register on the charts, on the radio or heck with people walking around saying “I’m a Kelsea ballerini fan”. Let’s stop with her, she’s not elite and looks way outclassed in these nominees categories.
September 8, 2025 @ 7:26 pm
How is aahley mcbride not nominated for female artist of the year? I will tell ypu why cause she woukd show up the yawwwwwwwwwwwwwlllll queen and the other kareoke queens what a joke the cma is ….americana fest in nashville this week woohoo no jelly ho playin ever at the bars i’m goin to
September 8, 2025 @ 7:33 pm
Maddie and Tae?
I realize this is a ridiculous category with who-do-we-have nominations. But, these 2 females have not had charted a single in 3 years and have not had a big hit in 6 years. And they have a ridiculous 10 nominations for duo of the year? WTF is this all about?
September 9, 2025 @ 5:41 am
They should drop the category as it hasn’t meant much for decades, but they won’t. Unfortunately, Female Vocalist of the Year hasn’t meant much either.
September 9, 2025 @ 11:19 am
At least Maddie & Tae have talent and some good songs on their most recent album. In the midst of marriage and kids, it’s impressive that they are still generating music and pleasing their fans. So, yeah, they’re not radio relevant, but they’re still part of the Nashville mainstream and doing promotions like performing on The Today Show a couple months ago. So I don’t see their nomination as surprising or a bad thing. The real need is for group and duo categories to be merged and to stop awarding the same winner every year. Everyone is tired of seeing Old Dominion win group every year, regardless of whether they even had new music for that cycle. Ditto for Brothers Osborne in the duo category.
September 10, 2025 @ 7:21 pm
They should do what Canada has done and merge the Group and Duo categories into one single category. Otherwise, we get the same duos nominated every year.
September 8, 2025 @ 7:54 pm
‘I Never Lie’ should win Song of The Year. ‘I’m The Problem’ is the biggest album this year and I expect Wallen to win that.
I kinda like Ella Langley but she is the perfect example of someone cherry-picked to be pushed by the industry. She came out of nowhere and shows all these signs of being “developed” and the live performance “help” is obvious in recordings. I wish she could focus on music more like her Toby Keith cover of “Wish I didn’t Know” rather than shoehorning her into the “charasmatic front woman constantly moving” thing.
September 8, 2025 @ 8:11 pm
I completely agree with the EOTY assessment…it’s Cody Johnson’s time. I think winning the top honor at some point is a given for him, and it may as well be now. All of the other nominees have won before, so that plays into his favor as well.
As for male vocalist of the year…Luke Combs has won, but this year he has been more low-key than in the past. He feels like the 5th nominee. Chris Stapleton holds the record with eight wins – it’s time to pass the torch. Morgan Wallen has been on fire, but he’s the weakest “vocalist” in this field. Other categories but not this one. Zach Top is amazing, but he is still new and there will be other years; no surprise if he takes it though. Best new artist, definitely. That leaves Cody Johnson. He can sing the paint off a barn, and it’s surprising he hasn’t won yet. He is overdue, and with Top right at his heels, this may be the year for the CMA to welcome him to the top tier.
I think Top, Wallen, Wilson and Johnson will have a great night.
September 9, 2025 @ 12:18 am
Correction: I apologize. After doing some research, I didn’t realize Stapleton hasn’t won EOTY from the CMA either. It just seems like he has (he won the ACM in. 2023, however), and he’s been nominated eight times. Unless there’s some exceptional, career single/album soon, that ship might be sailing. There’s just too much competition between Wallen, Johnson, Top and Wilson to fill out this category for awhile. I still believe this is CoJo’s year…it seems like he should have been nominated before.
September 8, 2025 @ 11:14 pm
Top is going to clean up in every category he’s nominated for, I predict.
As for EOTY: I predict Wallen will secure back-to-back titles and here’s why. I know some CMA academy members might feel inclined to make sure Stapleton finally gets his flowers…………but there’s one problem: Cody Johnson. It simply can’t be denied Johnson had an explosive past year, and I feel Stapleton and Johnson are vying for a very similar cross-section of academy voter share. So I think they’re going to cannibalize each other’s chances to an extent…………and when you think about it Wilson and Combs are also somewhat cancelling each other out to an extent with both having uneven past years commercially. Wallen just sort of occupies his own lane in the scheme of this year’s nominees, and that’ll translate to another EOTY title for him (although I concur Johnson SHOULD win it)
September 9, 2025 @ 12:06 am
Yeah, at first everything you say here makes sense. But does anyone really ever cancel anyone else out? Take Song of the Year…Paul Overstreet and Don Schlitz were nominated for “Forever And Ever, Amen,” and “On The Orher Hand” the same year. They ended up winning for FEAEA. Same with K.T. Oslin. She was nominated for “80’s Ladies” (which won) and “Do Ya.” In theory, they should have canceled themselves out. Other times, it has happened (i.e. George Strait nominated twice and losing both for Single of the Year).
But EOTY…I think the voters analyze that differently (or at least I do) Rather than group two or more together, you have to look at them one by one. Some years, the winner is blatantly obvious (Garth Brook or Shania Twain). Others, it could be any of them or a complete surprise (Ricky Skaggs or Luke Bryan x2). This time, Cody Johnson has an edge…Morgan Wallen might be the go-to pick here, but as Trig mentioned, the voters are going to see a flashing red opportunity to reward Cody Johnson for something he clearly deserves. His peers love him (look at the Album of the Year shocker last year). If he’s not the favorite then he’s the dark horse. Wallen will have other chances. I believe Lainey Wilson will become the third woman to win twice.
If I had to rank for 2025: Johnson, Wallen, Wilson, Stapleton and Combs.
September 9, 2025 @ 1:20 am
…four corresponding songs in the single and song category – obviously possible, but warranted really? three women getting the most nods but no comparable exposure at country radio – parallel universes definetly exist. making the outspoken patriot cody johnson etoy would be quite a statement, especially since he couldn’t hold a candle to morgan wallen’s latest year of dominance of the genre (whether one likes it or not).
it’s going to be very hard to beat zach top to the line in the “new artist” category, if the cma is serious about putting more emphasis again on the “c” in its name. having said that, shaboozey’s reach has been nothing short of impressive in the last year and a half. top’s “i never lie” clearly is the single of the year, such an earworm, again, when that emphasis on the “c” should be more than just lip service. hence, no way zach top will walk away empty-handed from “country’s biggest night”. however, whether he’ll be ushering in a new direction backward is something that the current business figures don’t support. the again, for business the current situation with blazing guns on all fronts means heydays – and for the majority of the fans too.
only the album suggestions could show a little more flair and substance, in my book. there, the cma voting body failed considerably to display the sound overall knowledge that could be expected from so many professionals involved. let’s see, wheter they at least figured that Old Dominion was not really present during the last voting period.
September 9, 2025 @ 7:44 am
The similarity between Song and Single nominations is a recurring theme with the CMAs and ACMs. There is absolutely no emphasis being put on songwriting in this process, which is where it should be for Song of the Year. Let Single of the Year be the big heater. Song of the Year should be a song that knocks us all flat on our ass. In reality, both of these categories are just an excuse to highlight the artist, not a specific track necessarily.
Similarly, the reason Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Ella Langley are racking up so many nominations are these redundant song categories, especially “Video of the Year” (truly just another song category), and “Collaboration of the Year,” really just yet another non-televised song category. It’s not like any of these three women had a major cultural impact. For Langley, it really was her collaboration with Riley Green. I’m glad women are getting this recognition, but ultimately the night is either going to belong to Zach Top, Morgan Wallen, or Cody Johnson.
September 9, 2025 @ 9:19 am
…this year’s constellations are actually quite intriguing. indeed, it’s a pity that they didn’t care to make a clearer distinction between single and song again. there’s been a bunch of songs that would have qualified for the song category in the (right) sense you outlined it in a nice backside of way: ty myers’ “end of the earth” is a beautiful love seranade/story. kane brown captured one of those hawkeyes in the booster-/backseat rather aptly, there’s more to emma langley’s “weren’t for the wind” for the wind than appears on the surface. “heaven passing through” and “on the red river” seemingly not even being noticed puts those voting people really to shame – but this is no real surprise, is it? whereas zach top’s “i never lie” is a textbook single in all its catchy glory.
will there be more emphasis on “c” for country comes november? the opportunity would be there this time. cody johnson, lainey wilson, zach top, ella langley, riley green of all hunks – even megan moroney with her special brand of college-frat-country – they all are more than ready. the red clay strays instead of trite old dominion – how more obvious does it have to get? fair enough, wallen’s the undisputed entertainer again – well, a guy who can entertain a whole stadium as well as a lift in shopping mall must be doing something right, i guess. for nashville people trying to explain to me why zach bryan ain’t no contender, i would possibly even pay money for that awkward show.
lastly, careful when it comes to collabs – there has been some excellent sounding stuff being released again this year. in fact, they have become a somewhat guilty pleasure of mine. midland and mackenzie carpenter, margo and tyler now, ernest with miranda or lainey, everything mae estes lends her voice to – hell, even wallen and tate mcrae are spectacular. a growing segment providing a lot of joy again.
September 9, 2025 @ 4:16 am
other than Post Malone and Shaboozy, it appears that some pretty deserving people are actually being recognized.
September 9, 2025 @ 4:32 am
No Jelly Roll, very little Post Malone is a real good start. It would be good to see Old Dominion and Dan & Shay win nothing but sadly they will. One can hope for Zach Top and the Red Clays Strays. I am surprised no Ashley McBryde but would be happy to see Lainey Wilson win. I would also like to see War and Treaty win duo. Although not strictly country, they can sing real country really well and they are a hardworking, talented and entertaining duo. Cody Johnson deserves a win as well. It seems to me to be much stronger for country music this year. One can hope those country artists that deserve to win do and it is show that is remembered for real country.
September 9, 2025 @ 7:01 am
I can’t help but feel obnoxious when it comes to EOTY.
It’s unreal that the two biggest female artists of the genre this century have never snatched this trophy. Cody Johnson only popped up about 3–4 years ago, and Wallen is as “country” as any other pop star releasing a so-called “country record.”
September 9, 2025 @ 9:14 am
Looking at these other nominations I am not sure country music is saved just yet. I am also not sure if the guy to save it would have an album called “cold Beer and Country Music” with a single titled “tan lines and good times”, but he is better than Morgan Wallen and Shaboozy.
September 9, 2025 @ 9:40 am
I remember Chris Stapleton took the country song “Tennesse Whiskey” – done so well by David Allan Coe and done okay by George Jones – and turned it into a rock song.
Yeah, that’s the shift.
September 9, 2025 @ 1:12 pm
These aren’t the worst CMA nominations. I have lived through a lot. ha!
September 9, 2025 @ 5:29 pm
How about Paul Franklin once again for Instrumentalist? It’s been three decades since he made news touring with Dire Straits. If he ever won, it would seem like a career achievement award. But having a great steel player win would be a good thing.
September 10, 2025 @ 5:42 am
At some point both the CMAs and the ACMs are going to have to face reality and combine the Duo and Group category. They have to reach so low to find nominees that the “honor” has become a joke.
September 10, 2025 @ 7:51 pm
Here’s some fun trivia: “You Look Like You Love Me” is nominated for Video of the Year. It was directed by a young man named John Park. John’s father Elliott wrote “I Loved Her First”, a song that hit #1 many years ago and still gets played at a lot of weddings.
September 10, 2025 @ 11:05 pm
I really, really wanted to like Megan Moroney’s music, but I just can’t get into it.
September 13, 2025 @ 10:19 am
Here’s something that should be shown on the CMA Awards. All five Musician of the Year nominees playing a tune together, either with or without a vocalist. That would really honor the musicians that make a song sound so good.
September 14, 2025 @ 3:54 pm
Great to see Zach getting a few nominations and recognition. Not really interested in these CAM, ACM, CMT et al awards but looking at the nominees, I’d say Zach got a good chance of New Artist & Album of the Year, it’s between him and Lainey for the latter. He also deserves Song & Single but I’m bias and it’ll be tough up against Ella & Riley for those. I think CoJo should get Entertainer and Male Artist. Hope Red Clays Strays get the Group awards, but Old Dominion might (unfairly, IMO) get that. I agree it doesn’t make much difference the outcome. I may watch the usual condensed UK highlights, if they bother showing it, but as usual won’t be going out of my way for it.