ACM Nominations Shake Up: Moroney Leads, Vegas Gets the Show
Plus: new albums landing this week, and a big Country Airplay chart milestone.
Hey y’all—here’s what’s making noise in country music right now.
Women lead the pack as ACM Awards head back to Las Vegas
The 2026 ACM Awards nominations are in, and Megan Moroney is out front with nine nominations—including a first-time nod for Entertainer of the Year. Miranda Lambert follows with eight, while Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson each scored seven. The show is also switching locations: after three years in Frisco, Texas, the ACMs are set for May 17 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (And yes—Prime Video streaming is back in the mix.)
Ella Langley drops “Dandelion” this Friday
If you’ve been watching Ella Langley’s momentum build, this week’s a big one: her sophomore album Dandelion is set to release Friday, April 10. The AP also notes Langley is right in the thick of the ACM conversation this year, and her name keeps showing up in those major categories and headlines.
Tenille Townes returns with “The Acrobat” on April 10
Tenille Townes is back with a new full-length project: The Acrobat arrives April 10. It’s being billed as her first full-length album in six years, and if you love that emotional, story-forward side of country—this one’s worth a front-to-back listen as soon as it hits.
Chart watch: Justin Moore hits No. 1 after a record-long climb
On the airplay side, Justin Moore’s “Time’s Ticking” finally made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart dated April 11—and the story’s wild: reports say it took 67 weeks to get there, marking the longest climb to the top in that chart’s history. That’s persistence paying off in a big way.
