6 Remarkable Artists Who Stood Out at the 2025 CMA Awards

Lainey Wilson

Lainey Wilson achieved a significant milestone by winning the entertainer of the year award for the second time in three years, making her only the third woman to earn this honor twice. She joins the ranks of Barbara Mandrell (1980 and 1981) and Taylor Swift (2009 and 2011).

In addition to her accolades, Wilson hosted the show this year, having co-hosted last season with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning. She is the first individual to win entertainer of the year in the same year that they hosted since Brad Paisley in 2010. This feat has been accomplished by only two others in CMA history: Barbara Mandrell in 1980 and 1981, and Vince Gill in 1993 and 1994.

Furthermore, Wilson secured the album of the year award for her project Whirlwind, marking her second win in this category; she previously took home the award for Bell Bottom Country two years ago. Wilson is one of only two women to win this honor twice, with Miranda Lambert winning in 2010 for Revolution and again in 2014 for Platinum.

Continuing her streak, Wilson was recognized as female vocalist of the year for the fourth consecutive year. She becomes just the third artist to achieve four or more consecutive wins in this category, following Reba McEntire (1984-1987) and Miranda Lambert (2010-2015). While Martina McBride and Carrie Underwood have also been recognized multiple times, neither matched Wilson’s streak.

Brooks & Dunn

Brooks & Dunn made history by winning vocal duo of the year for the 16th time, further solidifying their status as the category’s most awarded artists. This victory marked their 20th overall win at the CMA Awards, outpacing all other artists in the event’s history. They were previously tied with Chris Stapleton, who did not receive any awards this year.

Beyond their latest accolade, Brooks & Dunn have previously won various awards, including album of the year for the multi-artist collection Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles in 1994, entertainer of the year in 1996, and single and music video of the year for “Believe” in 2006. Additionally, Ronnie Dunn shared the song of the year award for “Believe” with co-writer Craig Wiseman, giving him one more trophy than his musical partner.

Ella Langley and Riley Green

Ella Langley and Riley Green earned the awards for single of the year, song of the year, and music video of the year for their collaboration “you look like you love me.”

This collaboration marks the first time two solo artists have achieved single of the year since Waylon & Willie’s “Good Hearted Woman” in 1976—well before Langley and Green’s birth. One other collaboration has won the award, but it involved a pair that was not comprised of solely solo artists.

Additionally, Langley made history as the first artist to win music video of the year for a video they directed or co-directed. She collaborated with John Park and Wales Toney on the direction of the “you look like you love me” video.

The song had previously won musical event of the year at last year’s awards. This distinction arises from different eligibility rules for various categories. The track was released as a promotional single on June 21, 2024, just before the cutoff for the prior eligibility year, allowing it to qualify in the musical event category last year.

In contrast, the rules for single of the year are more stringent, and the song met the required criteria during the current eligibility window. It must have reached the Top 10 on specific country charts for the first time during this period to qualify.

Despite any confusion over the rules, the recognition of this successful song, record, and video remains a positive outcome.

The Red Clay Strays

The Red Clay Strays won vocal group of the year, ending Old Dominion’s seven-year consecutive win streak in this category. This win mirrors similar interruptions in CMA history, such as Montgomery Gentry halting Brooks & Dunn’s eight-year streak in 2000, who later returned to win six times in a row.

This latest achievement comes just 14 months after The Red Clay Strays were recognized as the emerging act of the year at the 2024 Americana Music Honors & Awards. The Alabama-based group also secured the best new duo/group of the year award at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May while narrowly losing out to Old Dominion for the group of the year award.

Post Malone

Post Malone won musical event of the year for “Buy Me a Drink,” featuring Blake Shelton. He is the first artist primarily recognized for work outside the country genre to receive this award since Lil Nas X in 2019 for “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

Notably, Malone joins a list of renowned artists who have won in this category while primarily being associated with other genres, including Linda Ronstadt in 1987 for Trio, Jimmy Buffett in 2003 for “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” and Kelly Clarkson in 2011 for “Don’t You Wanna Stay.”