More performers have been added to the 2025 CMA Awards! Kenny Chesney, Patty Loveless, Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, and Chris Stapleton will now perform. They join a previously announced list of performers, which includes BigXThaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
Chesney will perform in honor of his recent Country Music Hall of Fame induction, while Loveless will give a “show-stopping performance,” per a press release. Ballerini will perform her current single, “I Sit In Parks,” and Green will sing his recent No. 1 single, “Worst Way.” Old Dominion will perform a medley of some of their biggest hits, including “Break Up With Him,” “Memory Lane,” “One Man Band,” “Hotel Key,” and “Snapback.”
The Red Clay Strays will sing “Purple Hatin’,” and Stapleton will sing “Bad As I Used To Be” from F1: The Movie. Carlile’s song choice has yet to be revealed.
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How History Is Being Made At the 2025 CMA Awards
Wilson is hosting the 2025 CMA Awards by herself, after sharing the duties last year with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning. Wilson’s solo hosting gig marks the first time in 34 years that a woman has hosted the show by herself, since Reba McEntire did it in 1991.
“I looked it up too, and I was like, there’s no way. I let Reba know I was doing this, and she was so excited,” Wilson says on Rolling Stone‘s Nashville Now podcast. “It’s been a long time since a woman has done it solo. I’m glad they trust me. I like to run my mouth, and I love country music.”
All Of the CMA Awards Nominations
Wilson is tied for the most nominations with Ella Langley and Megan Moroney, with six nods each. They are followed by Zach Top with five nominations, and Green and Cody Johnson, who have four each.
Johnson is nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, the latter two for his “I’m Gonna Love You” duet with Carrie Underwood.
“What a great honor it is to be recognized for simply loving country music so much,” Johnson says. “I’m grateful for the liberty I have in this business to create the music I want to make. And grateful to the fans who have stood by me for many years to get us to this point. I’m having the time of my life!”
Green is nominated for Single of the Year, Song of the Year, and Video of the Year, all for his “You Look Like You Love Me” duet with Langley. He is also nominated for Musical Event of the Year for his “Don’t Mind If I Do” collaboration, also with Langley.
“It’s never something that you really expect,” Green says. “I always think about things as just a fan of country music because it’s not too long ago that I was [a fan]. You see the names that are mentioned in winning these awards and being nominated. And then to get thrown in with that is always a big deal. And I’m excited to have it lifted up there with all these other great songs and collaborations.”
The 2025 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 19, at 8:00 PM ET on ABC. The show will stream the next day on Hulu. See a complete list of nominations here.