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 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 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 @ 4:16 am
other than Post Malone and Shaboozy, it appears that some pretty deserving people are actually being recognized.