Ella Langley and Miranda Lambert to rock CMA Awards stage

Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert among performers for CMA Awards.

The Country Music Association and ABC have announced the first round of performers for the 60th annual CMA Awards, set to air Wednesday, Nov. 18, from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.

The show will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Lainey Wilson will host for the third consecutive year.

Ella Langley leads this year's field with nine nominations, tying the record for the most nominations by a female artist in a single CMA Awards cycle.

Her 2025 single "Choosin Texas" is nominated for three awards, including Song of the Year.

The song spent more than 23 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, breaking a record previously held by Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas Is You."

Miranda Lambert co-wrote and produced Langley's hit single.

Lambert earned seven nominations this year, including Producer of the Year for her work on Langley's 2025 album "Dandelion."

Lambert is also confirmed as a performer for the awards show.

The full list of announced performers also includes Cody Johnson, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore.

Taylor Swift will attend the ceremony after receiving a nomination for Single of the Year for "I Knew It, I Knew You," a track featured in "Toy Story 5."

Swift announced her attendance on Instagram.

This year's show will include a special tribute to Dolly Parton, who died in August at age 80 after what her family described as a brief battle with cancer.

Parton was widely known as the queen of country music and a longtime CMA Awards fixture.

Langley's nine nominations place her at the center of the night's biggest story.

She is the top contender heading into the ceremony, with a debut album and a record-breaking single that defined much of 2025 in country music.

Lambert's seven nominations reflect her continued influence as both a performer and a producer.

Her role in shaping Langley's sound and career has been a recurring narrative in country music media over the past year.

The CMA Awards began in 1967 and remain network television's longest-running annual music awards show.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the ceremony.

Wilson, a 12-time CMA Awards winner, expressed enthusiasm about returning as host.

"I couldn't be more excited to be hosting the CMA Awards again this year, especially with it being the 60th anniversary," Wilson said in a Thursday press release.

"I've had so much fun hosting the last two years, and this one's going to be extra special."

The program will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.

ABC Audio will provide coverage from the red carpet and throughout the ceremony.

The mentor-protégé relationship between Lambert and Langley adds a layer of narrative depth to the evening.

Lambert brought Langley onto her tour before Langley's breakout year, and the two have collaborated publicly on multiple occasions.

"Choosin Texas" became a cultural phenomenon in country music, crossing over to pop radio and streaming charts.

Its 23-week run at No. 1 on the Hot 100 is considered one of the most dominant chart performances in any genre in recent memory.

The record it broke had stood since Mariah Carey's holiday classic set the mark in 2019.

Langley's nine nominations span multiple categories, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year.

Lambert's seven nominations include Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year.

Cody Johnson, another performer announced in the first wave, has built a strong live reputation and recently headlined sold-out arena shows.

Tim McGraw and Kacey Musgraves bring decades of combined CMA Awards history to the stage.

The Red Clay Strays, a rising Southern rock-country band, represent the genre's ongoing evolution.

Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore are newer names in the lineup, reflecting the CMA's effort to balance legacy acts with emerging talent.

Swift's attendance is a separate headline within the evening.

Her nomination for Single of the Year marks her return to the CMA Awards after a long absence from the ceremony.

Swift's Instagram announcement included the line "I Haven't Yee'd My Last Haw," signaling her enthusiasm for the event.

The Dolly Parton tribute is expected to be a major emotional moment of the night.

Parton died in August 2026, and the CMA has not released specific details about the tribute's format or participants.

Given Parton's stature in country music, the segment is likely to involve multiple artists and a carefully produced tribute.

The 60th CMA Awards will air live across all U.S. time zones on ABC.

Disney+ will carry the broadcast simultaneously.

Hulu will offer the program for on-demand viewing starting Nov. 19.

Bridgestone Arena seats approximately 20,000 for concerts and awards shows.

The venue has hosted the CMA Awards multiple times in recent years.

Red carpet coverage will begin before the main broadcast, with interviews and arrivals streamed on ABC's digital platforms.

The CMA Awards are produced by the Country Music Association, a Nashville-based trade organization representing artists, songwriters, producers and industry professionals.

The association selects nominees and winners through a voting process involving its members.

This year's nominations were announced in September 2026.

Langley's record-tying nine nominations drew immediate attention from industry observers.

The previous record for most nominations by a female artist in a single year was set by Miranda Lambert in 2014 and tied by Lainey Wilson in 2023.

Langley now shares that record.

Her album "Dandelion," released in 2025, received critical acclaim and commercial success.

Lambert's work on the album earned her a Producer of the Year nomination, a category that has historically been dominated by male producers.

The CMA Awards have faced scrutiny in past years over gender representation in nominations and awards.

This year's lineup of performers includes five women among the eight announced acts, a notable shift from earlier years.

The show's producers have not commented on whether additional performers will be announced before Nov. 18.

Tickets for the CMA Awards are distributed through the Country Music Association and are not generally available to the public.

The ceremony will be followed by after-parties and industry events across Nashville.

ABC has broadcast the CMA Awards since 2006.

The show moved to Disney+ as a simultaneous streaming option starting in 2024.

Wednesday night broadcasts remain the traditional slot for the awards.

The 60th anniversary is expected to draw higher-than-usual viewership, with the Parton tribute and Swift's attendance as likely drivers.

Langley's performance is one of the most anticipated of the night, given her breakthrough year.