ACM Awards updates: Lainey Wilson wins Entertainer of the Year

The Academy of Country Music Awards are back at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas.

Reba McEntire is back to host the 59th ACM Awards for the 17th time and for the Country Music Hall of Famer, it's a family affair.

"Hosting the ACM Awards grounds me by reminding me of how competitive country music (remains) but also acts like a family reunion where I can see my buddies and meet (my metaphorical) relatives and the babies that have been born since the last time the family got together," McEntire told the Tennessean.

The show airs live on Amazon Prime beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CMT / 5 p.m. PT. Check back often with updates from The Tennessean's Country Music Reporter Marcus K. Dowling and look out for photos of your favorite country starts.

• See the list of winners

• Who is performing? See the list.

Lainey Wilson takes home ACM Entertainer of the Year

In a stacked category of nominees full of names like Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and others, Lainey Wilson walked away with the ACM Awards’ top honor.

“The past two years for us have been a whirlwind for us,” she said, grasping her award. “I’ve been after it for 13 years doing this.”

After thanking her team, her band and her fellow nominees, Wilson said she still feels like the little girl who would climb out her window and count the stars in the sky.

“I’d see planes flying over my little town of 200 people and I’d dream about being on one of those planes,” she said. “This year we’ve toured the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, but I still feel like that little girl. I really do.”

Dua Lipa surprises joins Chris Stapleton in surprise performance

ACM Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year winner Chris Stapleton pulled off the surprise of the night with his performance alongside his wife Morgane and pop star Dua Lipa who combined voices for a soulful rendition of "Think I'm in Love With You" that showcased Stapleton's trademark voice, but also showed a new side of Lipa's vocal abilities.

Singing from behind a red Fender Stratocaster guitar, wearing his trademark well-worn hat, Stapleton allowed Lipa to kick off the song with beautifully powerful vocals before he and his wife joined in.

Lipa told radio host Bobby Bones that the two had only gotten together to rehearse a few days ago.

Jason Aldean honors Toby Keith with 'Should've Been a Cowboy'

Jason Aldean stole the show Thursday night when he took to Academy of Country Music stage to honor his friend, the late Toby Keith with a moving rendition of Keith's hit "Should've Been a Cowboy."

Playing an acoustic guitar on a small round stage backed by a string section, Aldean was highlighted by photos of Keith throughout the years. Aldean paid tribute with a simple, heartfelt song that at times was only overshadowed by vocals emanating from the crowd.

More: Jason Aldean honors Toby Keith with moving performance at ACM Awards

Aldean told The Tennessean's Marcus K. Dowling before the show that he was honored to be invited to be a part of honoring one of his heroes.

"I am glad to do something for Toby and honor him with a song I've played pretty much my whole career from the time I started playing clubs to even now," Aldean said. "Toby was a big influence for a lot of us in the business, so it was an honor for them to call me and ask me to be a part of it and honor him."

Kane Brown sings 'Georgia On My Mind'

Kane Brown changed up the energy at the ACM Awards with a bluesy, passionate performance of “Georgia On My Mind.”

Clad in a black suit with an un-tied bow tie, surrounded by a string section and backup singers, Brown delivered a simple, classy version of the Ray Charles classic.

It was a beautifully arranged version that Brown made his own and showed yet another level to his book of vocal abilities.

He told radio host Bobby Brown after his performance that he was really nervous. "I wish I'd had some tequila before I went on."

Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan sing 'Stick Season'

Kelsea Ballerini kicked off her duet with Noah Kahan lounging comfortably on a couch in a gold nightgown. She sang the first verse of Kahan’s ‘Stick Season’ before joining Kahan, who stood at a mic with his acoustic guitar.

Ballerini donned a flannel shirt and joined Kahan at the mic for a passionate version of the hit song.

ACM Awards: For Noah Kahan, collaborating with Kelsea Ballerini was a 'special privilege'

Jordan Davis takes home first award of the night, ACM Song of the Year for 'Next Thing You Know'

Davis accepted his award and thanked the fans for loving the song.

"I wanna thank the songwriting community and the artists and writers, artists that have taken me out, believed in me and made me a better songwriter," he said from the stage. "I grew up watching this show. I love songwriting because of songs that won song of the year, so to be holding this right now is crazy. Love you ACMs!"

Prior to the show, on the ACM Awards' red carpet, Davis noted that his 2022-released single "Buy Dirt"'s CMA award-winning success turned a corner towards his increased acclaim.

"People want to hear me sing and write much more about things that are personal to me and impacting my life. It feels much easier and more fulfilling to offer songs like those to the country music fanbase."

Lainey Wilson and host Reba McEntire open the ACM Awards with a bang

Lainey Wilson opened the 59^th annual Academy of Country Music Awards with a combo of “God Bless Texas” and “Hang Tight Honey.”

The rousing performance had backup singers, pyrotechnics, stage changes, choreography and plenty of energy.

Clad in a red cowboy hat with red leather, lace-up pants, Wilson opened the show with a bang before introducing host Reba McEntire who walked out to a dance remix of her hit “Fancy.”

“We’re kicking off tonight’s party in high style,” McEntire said of Wilson’s performance.

She then  joked about trying to top Dolly Parton’s appearance last year (which included Parton bringing a goat onstage) with her own donkeys, which she said have become TikTok famous. Since then, she said, “they’ve become real asses.”

She welcomed everyone to country music’s party of the year, saying “Tonight we are keeping circle unbroken but growing it to even bigger and better.”

Country stars arrive on the 'red' carpet

The action is heating up in Texas where country stars are beginning to arrive ahead of the 59th Academy of Country Music Awards. See our photos below:

Country's latest stars aiming to reach new heights of success

The Tennessean encountered almost three dozen artists during the final day of rehearsals and events before 2024’s 59th Academy of Country Music Awards.

The day highlighted how country music’s next wave of likely legends, established stars and rising names are settling into the long journey required to achieving Grand Ole Opry cast member or Country Music Hall of Fame levels of superstardom.

That vibe was in the air, whether at rehearsals and watching Miranda Lambert prepare to kick off the latest chapter of her career via a performance of incendiary new single “Wranglers” (and discussing her partnership with Republic Records for her Big Loud Texas imprint) or talking with Opry Nextstage Live event host Jelly Roll and ACM Lifting Lives charity benefit emcee (and essentially event concert booker) Parker McCollum.

Ten of the artists who commanded attention, both in the headlines and the long lines of fans represented a remarkable 30 percent of the current best-performing acts on radio stations across America. This diverse group included ACM Triple Crown winner Jason Aldean, potential ACM Triple Crown winner Lainey Wilson and four-time ACM Award nominee and current chart-topping "Tucson Too Late" vocalist Jordan Davis.

Jelly Roll seeks greater authenticity from country's rising stars

Jelly Roll had a smile in his voice when it was noted to him that the acts surrounding him at that moment at Opry’s Nextstage Live event included fellow Nashville area natives like multi-platinum-selling 2024 Nextstage class member Chase Matthew and non-event performers in attendance ERNEST and Struggle Jennings, plus Lubbock-borne “red dirt” country faves Flatland Cavalry, twanging, Canadian country traditionalist and 2020 ACM nominated performer Tenille Townes, contemporary Christian-to-country crossover act Anne Wilson and harmony-driven country trio Restless Road, among many.

Weaved into the story of his unexpected rise to Entertainer of the Year-level acclaim are moments where the concussive reverberation of his superstar-making artistry impacts the genre’s blue-collar fanbase and artists alike.

“I hope that my work is virtue signaling the importance of authenticity to younger songwriters. Alongside what I’m doing, I want artists to know that it’s also possible to grow from singing your soul out in front of an iPhone camera to headlining an arena or stadium.”

“I’m hopeful that a day arrives when storefront owners have to hang ‘Gone to see Jelly Roll’ signs in front of their stores on my show days,” says the “I Need A Favor” performer, reflecting the palpable excitement surrounding his his core fanbase.

Who could be playing with him at those events? In his mind, it’s the artists with whom he’s sharing the front row at the 59th ACM Awards ceremony: Cody Johnson, Post Malone and Lainey Wilson.

“We’re four years into this era, but what performers like us are leading the way in trying to do is crazily succeed at creating outlaw era-level stars.”

Aldean, Lambert enter legacy-creating career chapters

Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert are two of the nine artists in ACM Awards history who have won Entertainer of the Year, Male or Female Artist of the Year and Best New Male or Female Artist awards.

In 2024, they are actively grinding their way towards a moment when they consider what Hall of Fame-level status their career body of work could extend into.

For Aldean, that will assuredly include a stellar performance of Toby Keith’s “Should’ve Been A Cowboy” on the ACM Awards stage in honor of recently-deceased forthcoming Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Toby Keith.

To The Tennessean, Aldean noted that he has sung Keith’s homage to the power of the legacies of America’s working cowboys and singing cowboys like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers for nearly two-thirds of his life.

Intriguingly, outside of a pair of jeans and cowboy boots in his closet, Keith’s legacy is one of the few things that remains similar in his career from when he was a teenage bar crooner to preparing to rehearse alongside his band at Ford Center at The Star.

Aldean knew Keith for the last twenty years of his life and counted him as both an influence and professional confidant. Whether in a Las Vegas barroom, on tour nationwide, or at an event on Music Row, for the “Let Your Boys Be Country” performer, Keith represented the swagger needed to achieve unparalleled country-driven success from a business, performance, and songwriting standpoint.

Insofar as Lambert, 2024 finds her artistry, business acumen and a sense of stewardship over country music’s legacy as a genre existent in both her new single and new deal with Republic Records.

Lambert, an East Texas native, was both excited and passionate when discussing how her new label, Big Loud Texas, creates a multi-generational and intersecting connection between the Austin-based work of artists like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, herself and artists extending as far south as George Strait near San Antonio and extending north into the classic rock and folk-inspired “red dirt” scene from Dallas through into Oklahoma and more.

Before taking the stage to perform “Wranglers” at the ACM Awards, she added, “Having a hand in grooming the next generation of Texas-based stars allows me to pay it forward by continuing the legacy of the music that inspired my interests in country music.”

Why is 'red dirt' country's mainstream moment growing in appreciation?

Acts like Opry Nextstage class members Wyatt Flores, Flatland Cavalry lead singer Cleto Cordero and Alabama-born rising star Ella Langley are excited by the moment that opportunities are being granted by hallowed organizations like the Opry, plus labels like Big Loud Texas and more are offering the latest generation of the genre’s expansion from Texas to Tennessee.

For Cordero, he and Flatland Cavalry are a decade into living in a world defined by the “homegrown pride” involved in how Oklahomans and Texans show up in passionate droves for their area-native artists and the artists show up for their desire to fit into a legacy inspired by the successful work of touring-beloved acts like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Robert Earl Keen, the Randy Rogers Band and numerous others.

Ella Langley's Alabama-rooted music has soulful underpinnings, but she’s also a person who picked up a guitar and initially decided to play songs by Bob Marley and Maroon 5. For her, Texas and the “red dirt” scene in general have yielded connections to acts like Adam Hood, Tanner Usrey, and Koe Wetzel. That work has benefitted the intentionality that defines her already well-regarded chops as a songwriter.

The importance of writing songs that benefit the area’s “animated atmospheres” continues to deepen in influence.

For Cordero, word-of-mouth popularity for these acts is dovetailing into amphitheater and arena gigs alongside that growing stardom. A blend of Nashville’s pop sheen and the hardscrabble pride that comes from earning fans in Texas is creating a national moment for soulful country music with folk and rock inspirations.

Jessie Jo Dillon, Parker McCollum earn ACM Awards

Two more Academy of Country Music Awards were given before Thursday evening’s event.

Earlier in the day, Jessie Jo Dillon was awarded the 2024 Songwriter of the Year award.

Notably, she was also a Grammy nominee and Billboard award-winning songwriter in the same cycle.

Among Dillion’s career highlights include co-writing Dan & Shay's billion-streaming Justin Bieber collaboration "10,000 Hours," Jelly Roll's "Halfway to Hell," Megan Moroney's "Girl in the Mirror" and Maren Morris' "Rich."

Parker McCollum was awarded his ACM Visual Media of the Year award by Old Dominion at the ACM Lifting Lives event at TopGolf in The Colony, Texas.

Prior to receiving the award at the charity event he hosted, now two-time ACM winner McCollum offered the following statement to The Tennessean:

"Writing a check is great and good, but donating my time and convincing so many of my friends — Ashley Cooke, Jordan Danis, Kameron Marlowe, Old Dominion and Koe Wetzel — to do the same is important. When an organization like Lifting Lives can donate $6 million over the past five years to benefit the country music community, it's obviously a massive benefit that nobody should take for granted."

Ashley Cooke, Old Dominion, staying present in country music's moment

Ashley Cooke's taking a "Shot In The Dark" at defining herself within a standard and style of country music that Old Dominion believes they're still attempting, daily — a decade into their time together — to understand how immense its growth is becoming.

There's very little on the surface, past great taste in leather boots, that denotes either act as classically "country."

That being said, Old Dominion spoke to The Tennessean at ACM Lifting Lives while being nominated for their Megan Moroney duet "Can’t Break Up Now" as the ACM Music Event of the Year. Cooke also performed at the event, as her nearly year-old single "your place" is one of country radio's five favorite songs at present.

Cooke is curious about what her moment will sound like akin to the buzz-to-roar that the live crowd at TopGolf had when Old Dominion launched into their set-closing 2021 hit, "I Was On A Boat That Day."

Cooke has already gained co-signs from writers including Tofer Brown (Jon Pardi's "Night Shift"), Jimmy Robbins (co-writer, Maren Morris' "The Bones"), Songs & Daughters' Nicolle Galyon and Big Loud's Craig Wiseman (writer of 29 No. 1 singles).

In searching for what's next past "your place," it's a statement from Old Dominion's Matthew Ramsey that feels strongest in regards to where her greatest inspiration exists in the future.

"Hit songs aren't just things that come down from the heavens or whatever. I mean, there is a part of it that's (kind of a divine thing). However, doing it enough where that (metaphorical) portal and songwriting radar are always open to discovering inspiration and channeling it as much from how you live as well as the career you're experiencing."

Lainey Wilson's breakout moment is reaching its most elevated level

If Wilson wins Entertainer of the Year, she will join Mickey Gilley and Carrie Underwood as artists achieving the "Triple Crown Award" of Best Male of Female New Artist, Best Male of Female Artist, and Entertainer of the Year in well under a half-decade.

About the potential of the honor, Wilson told The Tennessean that "it was wild to finally be a part of the cool kids club."

In the first half of 2024, Wilson also played Australia and Europe on the first two legs of her global "Country's Cool Again" tour. This season of her career also saw her announce "Whirlwind," her forthcoming fifth studio album, scheduled to arrive on Aug. 23, 2024.

Wilson noted that her life is moving in a manner consistent with the title of her forthcoming album, "running wide open (full throttle, at the fastest rate of speed, at top gear)."

Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan discuss collaboration, love of broad, genre-free singer-songwriter moment

A trio of duets — Female Artist and Album of the Year nominee Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan; New Male Artist of the Year nominee Nate Smith and Avril Lavigne; and six-time ACM Award recipient Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani — have also been announced for the evening.

While rehearsing their performance of "Stick Season," Ballerini's closed-eyed and toothy-smiled response to a moment standing alongside currently multi-platinum performer Kahan was a treat.

To The Tennessean, Ballerini regarded the "cathartic and therapeutic" properties of the songwriting process as "beautiful," "healthy" and "peaceful" aspects of her life-at-present.

About singing with Kahan, she offered that his unique ability to blend poetry and approachable songwriting was her favorite feature of his work.

Kahan's excited to be standing alongside an artist he "admires" for her honest songwriting. This complements what he calls a non-competitive moment in popular music, where artists are making music inspired by themselves and their fanbases and having immense fun during their creative process.

Cody Johnson remains steadfastly focused as ever on maintaining success

Frisco, Texas, is roughly two hours north of his current Huntsville home.

Thus, he was in a focused but relaxed mood backstage while contemplating his five nominations and the performance of his "Leather" album single "Dirt Cheap" at the ACM Awards.

Noting that he was "uncharacteristically excited" by the moment, Johnson has grown from a Texas-based independent country favorite to a Warner Music-signed, mainstream country radio chart-topping, arena-filling performer.

"I'm no longer here on a whim," Johnson said, referring to his desire to maintain his growing success.

BRELAND, 'Blackbiird' vocalists, War and Treaty, Alice Randall, among many celebrating Charley Pride's legacy

Another critical afternoon moment, roughly 15 minutes away from the Ford Center, was the "I'm Just Me: A Charley Pride Celebration of Inclusion" brunch at the Omni PGA Frisco's Panther Creek Pavillion.

As a press statement noted, the event "celebrated honorees who serve as trailblazers and representatives of hope, advocacy and innovation in country music."

The moment was profound as, in many ways, it was one of the first instances in recent memory in which the influences of multiple generations of acclaimed Black country performers, each separated by a decade, were all simultaneously present. Pride's widow, Rozene and son, Dion, were there, plus "My Black Country" author and songwriter Alice Randall. As well, vocalist Wendy Moten, Apple Music Radio's "Color Me Country Radio" host and singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer, plus Beyoncé's recent "Blackbiird" collaborators Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts were also at the Omni PGA Frisco.

Notable too, The War and Treaty (Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter) enter May 16's festivities as two-time ACM Award nominees for Vocal Duo of the Year, while BRELAND was awarded the Academy of Country Music's "Lift Every Voice" award at the 2023 ACM Honors event at the Ryman Auditorium.

Among the executives in attendance were BMI Nashville Executive Director Creative Shannon Sanders, Latasha Gillespie, Executive Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon Studios and Michelle Tigard Kammerer, Head of Country Music at Amazon Music. The Academy of Country Music's CEO, Damon Whiteside, and Kortney Toney, the ACM's Manager of Programming and Community Engagement, were also present, among many.

Also, the Black Music Action Coalition's (BMAC) co-founder and co-chair, Willie "Prophet" Stiggers, was in attendance. In the past four years, BMAC has partnered with ACM on numerous initiatives, which Stiggers stated to The Tennessean in Feb. 2024 are aimed at "(developing) professional development opportunities, community mentorship and other opportunities to increase personal growth, industry exposure, exclusive Academy membership panels, tentpole live events, and visibility with Academy Board members and industry leaders."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: ACM Awards 2024: Lainey Wilson wins Entertainer of the Year