CMA Awards 60th Edition Unveils First Performer Lineup

By Amara Osei

The Country Music Association and ABC have named eight performers for the 60th annual CMA Awards, and Ella Langley — the artist leading the 2026 field with nine nominations — tops the list. The announcement, the first of several expected before the ceremony, sets the performance slate for a broadcast that will decide the year's biggest country music races.

Who is performing?

The initial lineup includes:

• Ella Langley — nine nominations, the most of any artist this year
• Cody Johnson — reigning Male Vocalist of the Year, four nominations
• Miranda Lambert — seven nominations and the record holder for career CMA nods among female artists
• Tim McGraw
• Kacey Musgraves — five nominations
• The Red Clay Strays
• Zach Top
• Tucker Wetmore

The CMA and ABC confirmed that additional performers and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks, so this list is a floor, not a ceiling.

What do the nomination counts tell us?

Langley's nine nominations span the heaviest categories: Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Musical Event of the Year and Music Video of the Year, plus two nominations each for Single of the Year and Song of the Year. She arrives at this ceremony after winning three CMA Awards last year. The double nods in Single and Song categories reflect her appearances on multiple credited entries — a mechanic that lets one artist stack nominations across songwriter, performer and producer credits.

Lambert's seven nominations include two for Single of the Year, one for Album of the Year as a producer, two for Musical Event of the Year and one for Song of the Year as a songwriter. Her Female Vocalist of the Year nod is her 19th in that category. The total brings her career count to 70 nominations, the record for a female artist in CMA Awards history. Whether that record converts into wins on the night is a separate question the announcement does not answer.

Musgraves took five nominations: Album, Song, Female Vocalist, Musical Event and Music Video of the Year. Johnson's four cover Entertainer, Male Vocalist, Single and Music Video of the Year.

What else is on the program?

The ceremony will feature a tribute to Dolly Parton, honoring the country music icon. No further detail on the segment — performers, format or length — accompanied the announcement.

When and where does it air?

Lainey Wilson hosts for a third consecutive year. The show airs live from Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET, on ABC and Disney+, with next-day availability on Hulu. The Disney+ simulcast marks the streaming window for viewers without cable; the Hulu window serves catch-up viewing.

What does this change for the race?

A performer slot signals where producers place their promotional weight. Langley, the nine-time nominee, gets the platform that front-runners typically receive — and a live performance before the Entertainer of the Year vote result lands. Lambert and Musgraves, with combined twelve nominations, get prime exposure in the Female Vocalist race where they compete directly. What remains unannounced: the presenters, the remaining performers, and whether Parton herself appears in her tribute. Expect those details before November 18.