The 59th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards will take place Thursday, May 16, at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Reba McEntire is set to host the event for a record 17th time. McEntire describes the show as "almost like a family reunion."
Luke Combs leads the nominations with eight, including bids for Male Artist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. Tracy Chapman earns her first ACM nomination for Song of the Year with her hit "Fast Car,” covered by Combs. Morgan Wallen and Megan Moroney follow with six nominations each.
Performers include Jason Aldean honoring the late Toby Keith with a tribute performance, as well as McEntire, Kane Brown, Jelly Roll, Miranda Lambert, Thomas Rhett, Post Malone, and others. Special collaborations will feature Kelsea Ballerini with Noah Kahan, Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani, and Nate Smith with Avril Lavigne.
The event will be livestreamed on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch at 8 PM Eastern, with a red carpet feed starting at 7 PM.
Earlier, during the ACM Country Kickoff fan festival, Megan Moroney and Nate Smith won new Female and Male Artist of the Year, respectively. Tigirlily Gold received the award for New Duo or Group.
Among the returning artists is country legend Randy Travis, who recently released a new song aided by AI, sparking debate about the technology's role in music.
The ACM Awards promise a night filled with memorable performances and exciting collaborations, celebrating the achievements in country music over the past year.