NASHVILLE — Ella Langley heads into the November 18, 2026 CMA Awards with a leading nine nominations, putting her songs, album and performances at the center of the 60th-anniversary ceremony. Her ballot spans seven categories, with two entries apiece for Single and Song of the Year. For fans, the question is how much of that recognition will become wins.
All nine of Ella Langley’s nominations
The CMA’s official announcement lists the following:
- Entertainer of the Year
- Female Vocalist of the Year
- Album of the Year: Dandelion
- Single of the Year: “Be Her”
- Single of the Year: “Choosin’ Texas”
- Song of the Year: “Be Her”
- Song of the Year: “Choosin’ Texas”
- Musical Event of the Year: “I Can’t Love You Anymore,” with Morgan Wallen
- Music Video of the Year: “Choosin’ Texas”
The distinction between Single and Song matters. The former recognizes a recording and its creative team; the latter recognizes songwriting. A song can therefore appear in both fields without being the same nomination twice.
Her two entries in each of those categories also mean a clean sweep of her categories would be seven wins, rather than nine. One recording cannot win the same category alongside another recording in an ordinary single-winner result. That is the useful frame for the discussion below.
From hungover to Dandelion
Langley’s rise gives this ballot a story beyond the nomination count. The Alabama artist’s 2024 debut album, hungover, included the Riley Green duet “you look like you love me,” whose conversational, honky-tonk approach helped introduce her to a much larger audience. The Recording Academy’s 2024 interview traced that breakthrough and her roots in Hope Hull.
Dandelion, released April 10 through SAWGOD/Columbia Records, expanded that identity. Langley worked with Miranda Lambert and Ben West as executive producers, with the album drawing on growth, reflection and country storytelling. Its track list brings “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas” into the same larger body of work, alongside the title track and the Lambert collaboration “Butterfly Season.”
The album’s rollout also included Langley’s first headline arena tour. Sony’s announcement described sold-out dates and a run beginning in May. Together, the record and the live expansion help explain the broader career context for her Entertainer nomination. They do not predict how members voted.
The competition in the biggest categories
The official nominee list places Langley alongside Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson for Entertainer of the Year. Female Vocalist brings competition from Lambert, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves and Wilson.
In Album, Dandelion faces 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. Musical Event includes collaborations by Lambert and Stapleton, Musgraves and Lambert, Carly Pearce and Riley Green, and the multi-artist “McArthur.”
That range makes a sweep an intriguing fan prediction, not an established outcome. Different categories recognize different work, and having multiple nominations does not establish a voting lead.
November 18: country music’s milestone night
The awards take place at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18, with coverage on ABC and Disney+ and next-day availability on Hulu. CMA Professional members determine the winners.
For host, performance and viewing details, read CRE’s 60th CMA Awards preview. Revisit our original nominations coverage and Lainey Wilson’s playful broom idea for Ella.
How many categories will Ella win?
Give us your number from zero to seven. Will Langley dominate the evening, or will the awards be shared across the field? Add the category you feel most confident about and join the conversation in the comments on CRE’s Facebook page. This is a reader discussion, not an official CMA ballot.
