Ella Langley Dominates 2026 CMA Awards With Record Nine Nominations

Country music’s hottest rising star Ella Langley is riding high this year, and she just made it official with a leading nine nominations for the 2026 Country Music Association Awards.

The breakout artist scored nods in some of the biggest categories of the night, including Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

The nominations cap off what’s been nothing short of a banner year for Langley, largely driven by her smash hit “Choosin’ Texas,” which she co-wrote with Miranda Lambert, Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor. The track made her a part of history earlier this year when she became the only woman to simultaneously top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts.

Langley’s biggest honor came with her Entertainer of the Year nomination, putting her in direct competition with Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and reigning champ Lainey Wilson. The nod represents a meteoric rise for an artist who, not long ago, was still considered country music’s next big thing rather than one of its biggest names.

She’ll also battle for Female Vocalist of the Year against Miranda Lambert, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves and Lainey Wilson.

Langley’s debut album “Dandelion” produced with help from Lambert, Ben West and Devin Dawson is up for Album of the Year. It faces off against projects from Zach Top, Kacey Musgraves, Parker McCollum and Luke Combs.

She managed to snag two separate nominations in the Single of the Year category with both “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas,” competing against entries from Taylor Swift, Lainey Wilson and Cody Johnson. Swift’s surprise nomination marks her return to the CMA Awards after a 10-year absence.

Her collaboration with Morgan Wallen on “I Can’t Love You Anymore” earned a nod for Musical Event of the Year, while the music video for “Choosin’ Texas” is in the running for Music Video of the Year.

The 60th annual CMA Awards will take place November 18, 2026, at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, with Lainey Wilson returning as host. The ceremony airs live on ABC and Disney+, with replays available on Hulu the following day.

With nine nominations heading into the ceremony, Langley has firmly established herself as one of country music’s defining voices heading into 2026.