Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves Set to Perform at 2026 CMA Awards

The Country Music Association and ABC have announced the first round of performers for the 60th Annual CMA Awards, and the list is anchored by this year’s most-nominated artist, Ella Langley, and five-time nominee Kacey Musgraves.

Langley enters the night with nine nominations, the most of any artist this year.

Her nominations span the major categories: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, and Female Vocalist of the Year, plus Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

She also earned two nominations each for Single of the Year and Song of the Year.

Last year, Langley took home three CMA Awards.

This year, she returns as both a top nominee and a confirmed performer, though what she will sing has not yet been revealed.

Kacey Musgraves, who has five nominations this year, is also set to perform.

Musgraves is a perennial CMA favorite with a career that includes multiple wins and a reputation for genre-blending performances.

Miranda Lambert, the most-nominated female artist in CMA history with 70 career nominations, will also take the stage.

Lambert has seven nominations this year, including her 19th nod for Female Vocalist of the Year.

Cody Johnson, the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, has four nominations and will perform.

His nominations include Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single, and Music Video of the Year.

Tim McGraw, newly inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, is also on the performer list.

McGraw has 40 career CMA nominations, and his current nod is for Musical Event of the Year.

Zach Top, who enters the night with two nominations, will perform.

The Red Clay Strays, defending their 2025 Vocal Group of the Year title, are also in the lineup.

Tucker Wetmore, contending for New Artist of the Year, rounds out the first announced wave of performers.

The CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on November 18, from 8 to 11 p.m.

ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.

The show will be available for on-demand streaming the next day on Hulu.

Lainey Wilson returns as host for the third consecutive year.

Wilson is also a nominee this year, with three nods.

Show veteran Robert Deaton returns as executive producer.

Alan Carter is back as director, and Jon Macks is the telecast’s head writer.

The 60th Annual CMA Awards marks a milestone year for the ceremony.

A special tribute to Dolly Parton is also planned for the broadcast, though details have not yet been announced.

Ella Langley’s presence at the ceremony comes at a historic moment in her career.

Her sophomore album, Dandelion, debuted at #1 on the all-genre Billboard 200, selling 169,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week.

She became just the second woman in history to hold the #1 album and song in the U.S. simultaneously with a country album and song.

Her single “Choosin’ Texas” has been a cultural phenomenon.

It is the longest-running #1 hit by a female artist this century.

It is the only country song by a woman to top Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Country, and Country Airplay charts simultaneously.

In September 2026, the song made U.S. history by becoming the longest-running #1 hit in U.S. history with 23 weeks on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, passing Mariah Carey’s long-standing record of 22 weeks.

“Choosin’ Texas” has remained at #1 on the Hot 100 for 26 weeks, dominating the chart throughout 2026.

It is the first song in history to hold the #1 spot for over half a calendar year.

Only nine other songs have topped the Hot 100 so far in 2026, including Taylor Swift’s “Patient Zero” and “I Knew It, I Knew You,” Drake’s “Janice STFU,” and Bad Bunny’s “DtMF.”

Langley’s rise has been remarkably fast.

Her breakout single with Koe Wetzel, “That’s Why We Fight,” was released in April 2023 and became one of the first songs of hers she heard on the radio.

In 2024, she had her first major hit with the Riley Green collaboration “you look like you love me,” as well as other hits such as “weren’t for the wind.”

Langley, an Alabama native, has spoken publicly about the personal struggles of adjusting to sudden fame and success.

In a recent interview on SiriusXM The Highway, she was asked what she would tell her 2023 self when she first released “That’s Why We Fight.”

She said there is “absolutely nothing” she would tell her younger self, because if she knew everything that came with the success, “she would combust.”

The full quote, as reported by Whiskey Riff, captures the intensity of her journey: “I think she would combust.”

Langley’s co-producer, Ben West, has five nominations this year.

Her mix engineer, Dave Clauss, has three nominations.

Other top nominees who may appear in further performer announcements include Chris Stapleton and Stephen Wilson Jr., each with four nominations, and Luke Combs, who has three.

The CMA Awards have not yet announced a second wave of performers.

Given the depth of this year’s nominee list, additional performers are expected to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the November 18 broadcast.

The first round of performers already represents a mix of established legends, reigning champions, and breakout stars.

Miranda Lambert’s seven nominations this year add to her record as the most-nominated female artist in CMA history.

Cody Johnson, as the reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, has a strong chance of repeating in that category.