The CMA Awards drop their first wave of performers, and Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Ella Langley, BigXthaPlug, Zach Top, and more promise a night that’s impossible to predict. ML
The Country Music Association rolled out an initial lineup of performers for the upcoming CMA Awards, with all three of the leading nominees — Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney and Ella Langley, tied with six noms each — set to sing., Close runner-up Zach Top, who has five nominations, is also set to perform.
Shaboozey, BigXthaPlug, Luke Combs, Tucker Wetmore and Stephen Wilson round out the list of names of performers unveiled Thursday for the CMAs, which take place in just under two weeks, on Nov. 19.
The CMAs additionally announced some of the songs these artists will be doing on the ABC telecast.
Langley will perform her just-released single “Choosin’ Texas,” while Moroney will do her latest song, “6 Months Later,” which came out in June in advance of an album due in early 2026.
Top will perform “Guitar.” Wetmore, a nominee for new artist of the year, will sing will “Wind Up Missin’ You.”
Another new artist nominee, Stephen Wilson Jr., will take the stage twice. On his own, he’ll reprise his cover of the Ben E. King classic “Stand By Me”; he and Shaboozey will also sing the duet they had in the recent film “The Long Walk,” titled “Took a Walk.”
The other collaboration announced at this time will see BigXthaPlug and Luke Combs teaming up for a live version of their song “Pray Hard.”
Additional performers will be announced over the next two weeks.
Wilson will be pulling triple-duty that night, not just as a leading nominee and performer but host of the three-hour telecast. It was previously announced that the prior entertainer of the year winner will be this year’s sole host, after coming on in 2024 as a third host and sort of sidekick to longtime mainstays Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.
The 59th annual show airs live on ABC from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be available be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.
