As the dust settled on the 57th annual CMA Awards Wednesday evening (Nov. 8), Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll were fully cemented as two of country music’s brightest stars of the moment.
Wilson pulled a surprise win for entertainer of the year, becoming the first woman to take home the coveted EOY win since Taylor Swift in 2011; her ascendance from last year’s new artist of the year win to this year’s EOY win is also the fastest in CMA Awards history by any artist since Garth Brooks. Wilson, who opened shows on Luke Combs’ tour this past year and is slated to open for Morgan Wallen’s tour in 2024, also bested both of them to take home the entertainer of the year win. She picked up four additional trophies this year, including album of the year (Bell Bottom Country), female vocalist of the year, and musical event and music video of the year (the latter two for her “Wait in the Truck” collaboration with HARDY).
Meanwhile, in his first year as a CMA Awards nominee, Jelly Roll won new artist of the year, and gave one of the evening’s most inspirational speeches.
Meanwhile, the performances throughout the evening highlighted the breadth of the genre’s sonic landscape, from Cody Johnson’s tender, traditional-minded rendition of “The Painter” to Jelly Roll’s rock-threaded brand of country to the raw, soulful sounds of Chris Stapleton and The War and Treaty.
Collaborations are a highly anticipated portion of any awards show, and this year’s CMAs didn’t disappoint. Jelly Roll teamed with K. Michelle for the night’s closing performance, and welcomed surprise guest Wynonna on his opening performance of “Need a Favor.” Meanwhile, the late Jimmy Buffett was lauded by Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Zac Brown Band and longtime Coral Reefer Band member Mac McAnally. Morgan Wallen welcomed surprise guest Eric Church for a collaboration, and later in the show teamed with HARDY and Post Malone in tribute to the late Joe Diffie. Chris Stapleton teamed with Carly Pearce, while Old Dominion partnered with Megan Moroney for a performance.
Here, we rank the evening’s performances.
