Many of the awards presented at the 2025 CMA Awards, which went down at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday (Nov. 19), went just about as expected. Did anyone seriously think that Lainey Wilson wasn’t going to win her fourth consecutive award for female artist of the year?
And no one could have been too surprised that Brooks & Dunn took vocal duo of the year for the 16th time. Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn first set the record as the duo with the most wins in the category in 1999 when they won for the eighth time.
But that doesn’t mean there weren’t any surprises at the 59th annual CMA Awards, which were broadcast on ABC for the 20th consecutive year. Just ask Old Dominion, which came up short in the voting for vocal group of the year, a category they won the last seven years running – the longest consecutive winning streak in the category’s history. Or Chris Stapleton, who lost male vocalist of the year for only the third time in the past 11 years. (He lost in 2019 and 2020 to Luke Combs.)
Wilson hosted the show, having co-hosted last year with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning. She’s only the third woman to solo-host the show, following Dolly Parton (1988) and Reba McEntire (1991).
The awards are voted on by the 7,132 voting-eligible professional members of the Country Music Association, which include industry professionals, recording artists, songwriters, producers and musicians.
Here are some of the most notable snubs and surprises at the 2025 CMA Awards.
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Surprise: The Red Clay Strays
The country rock band won vocal group of the year, ending Old Dominion’s seven-year consecutive win streak in this category. The Red Clay Strays’ CMA win comes just 14 months after they won emerging act of the year at the 2024 Americana Music Honors & Awards. The Alabama group won best new duo/group of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May, but lost the group of the year award to Old Dominion. Their stock has risen in the past six months.
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Snub: Megan Moroney
Moroney tied with Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson for the most nominations by any artist this year, but unlike those other artists, Moroney went home empty-handed. She fared better last year, when she won new artist of the year.
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Surprise: Cody Johnson
Johnson won male vocalist of the year on his fourth try, topping Chris Stapleton who has won in the category eight times, including the last four years in a row. Johnson is becoming a major CMA winner. He took album of the year last year for Leather. He won two awards in 2022, single of the year and music video of the year for “’Til You Can’t.”
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Surprise: Paul Franklin
The steel guitar player won musician of the year for the first time on his 33rd nomination in the category. That’s not a typo. It took him 33 nominations to finally win. “I’m speechless,” Franklin said on accepting the award, for which he was first nominated in 1989. In addition to his 33 nominations in this category, Franklin was nominated for musical event of the year in 2014 for “Bakersfield,” a collab with Vince Gill. “I’m going to spend the rest of my life trying to earn this,” he said in concluding his gracious acceptance speech.
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Snub: Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll
Many expected “Hard Fought Hallelujah” by Brandon Lake with Jelly Roll to win musical event of the year, but the award went to “Pour Me a Drink” by Post Malone (feat. Blake Shelton). “Hard Fought Hallelujah” was a hit in an impressive range of formats, including adult contemporary, country, Christian and rock & alternative. Jelly Roll won new artist of the year two years ago.
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