By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Ella Langley, riding the wave of her crossover megahit “Choosin’ Texas,” leads the nominations for the 2026 Country Music Association Awards with nine nods, followed by her mentor Miranda Lambert with six.
Also among top nominees announced Thursday: Kacey Musgraves and Ben West with five nominations each, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Stephen Wilson Jr. with four nominations each, and Dave Clauss, Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson with three nominations each.
Joining Langley in competing for the night’s highest honor — CMA entertainer of the year — will be Johnson, Stapleton, Combs and Wilson, who is gunning for a repeat.
Langley’s “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas” both nabbed nominations for single of the year, along with Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” from the movie “Toy Story 5,” Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo” and Johnson’s “The Fall.” Producer-writer Jack Antonoff got his first nomination in the single of the year category as producer of Swift’s song.
In February, Langley became the only woman to simultaneously hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, all thanks to “Choosin’ Texas,” co-written with Lambert. Langley also won all seven of her nominations at the 2026 ACM Awards.
Nominated for album of the year are Langley’s “Dandelion,” Zach Top’s “Ain’t In It For My Health,” Musgraves’ “Middle of Nowhere,” Parker McCollum’s self-titled album and Combs’ “The Way I Am.” Song of the year nominees are “Be Her,” “Beautiful Things,” “Choosin’ Texas,” “Dry Spell” and “Gary.”
Lambert, the most-winning female in CMA Awards history with 14 wins, co-produced Langley’s “Dandelion” album and co-wrote “Choosin’ Texas.” Langley will appear on Lambert’s upcoming album “Crisco,” featured on the opening song “Snakeskin Boots.”
Last year, Wilson, who hosted and performed at the CMAs, took home the entertainer of the year award, as well as album of the year. Male vocalist of the year went to Johnson and Brooks & Dunn won vocal duo of the year.
The vocal group of the year category this year includes Lady A, Little Big Town, Midland, Old Dominion and The Red Clay Strays. New artist of the year candidates are Avery Anna, Carter Faith, Emily Ann Roberts, Tucker Wetmore and Wilson.
Female vocalist of the year nominations pit Lambert and Langley against Megan Moroney, Musgraves and Wilson. (Lambert has now passed Reba McEntire with the most female vocalist of the year nominations all-time with 19.) The male counterpart has Combs, Johnson, Stapleton, Top and Wilson.
The prizes are nominated and voted on by more than 7,000 members of the Country Music Association, which includes music executives, artists, publicists, songwriters and other industry professionals. The 60th annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Nov. 18 on ABC and Disney+, and the next day on Hulu.