LAS VEGAS — As a Southerner and a longtime country music fan, I’ve been raving for weeks to anyone who would listen about how the face of the genre has changed dramatically over the last few years. I saw that firsthand at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday.
As I sat in the MGM Grand Garden Arena surrounded by fans, artists and industry professionals, I couldn’t deny that what used to be a total bro-fest is now dominated by women. Ella Langley, the new queen of modern country, won a whopping seven awards, including Song of the Year and Single of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas” and Female Artist of the Year. Megan Moroney was the most-nominated artist of the night with nine nods, but she skipped the ceremony to be the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding. Just as well: She somehow went 0-9.
Between star-studded performances and delightful appearances by host Shania Twain, I gossiped with reality TV stars, spied on celebrity interactions and got the scoop on the artists getting fans most excited these days. Let me tell you all about what you didn’t see onscreen.
Not your average awards show
Unlike the Oscars or the Emmys, the ACMs are more of a concert with a few awards sprinkled in than an actual awards show. It’s a hoot.
It also has the strangest layout for any awards show I’ve ever seen. In front of the stage are two fan sections, where an employee instructs them on when they should clap, raise their hands or sway.
Then the entire floor space is covered with tables, where industry professionals are assigned seats to mingle. I know because I accidentally went down there when I was looking for my seat — a mistake so grave that an usher repeatedly told me I’m very much not supposed to be there, and urged me to reveal who let me in.
I found it fascinating that they often displayed the lyrics to songs on a teleprompter while artists performed, as if they were doing karaoke.
Ella Langley’s stardom cannot be overstated
Not only was Langley the biggest winner of the night, but she was the recipient of constant thunderous applause. Before the show began, a dance remix of “Choosin’ Texas” played in the arena, and fans sang along like it was the national anthem. A publicist sitting near me gave me advice on how to maintain bangs like Langley’s. I haven’t seen a woman in country music ascend to superstardom this quickly since Taylor Swift.
I kept an ear out for the stars who drew the biggest applause. Riley Green and Cody Johnson definitely generated enthusiasm. When Tucker Wetmore took the stage, the women sitting around me were abuzz about how cute he was. Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen, who weren’t there for the ceremony, had crowds amped up when their names were called as nominees.
From left, Tucker Wetmore, Zach Top and Shaboozey.
(John Shearer via Getty Images)
The gossip was flowing
I was unexpectedly seated in a section filled with influencers and reality TV stars I had spoken to at the red carpet just a few hours before the show. To my left was Libby Vodicka, a 23-year-old breakout star of Netflix’s age gap dating show Age of Attraction, who was hilarious and predicted all but one of the award winners that night. Someone please get this woman a podcast immediately!
Vodicka and I were delighted by how much the women performers, like Langley and Kacey Musgraves, had people on their feet. We were charmed by Avery Anna, whose energetic, rock-infused performance fell into a genre Vodicka described as “female rage music” — Moroney, Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift also fit the bill. We bonded over struggling to tell the difference between Green and Wetmore, both of whom sported mustaches like Wallen. There’s a facial hair epidemic sweeping the genre right now.
Another random nugget of gossip that kept coming up was the fact that Keith Urban, who briefly appeared at the ceremony to present an award, had jumped into the foot-deep pool at a concert the night before. I was there, and merely dipping my toes into the faux ocean at Mandalay Bay Beach made me feel like I was turning inside out like a slug touching salt. He is built different. Wetmore apparently signed a fan’s shoe with eyeliner at the same event.
You just had to be there
I always keep a watchful eye out for what celebrities are doing when the cameras stop rolling. I saw Shaboozey and Twain chopping it up in the dark on stage during a commercial break as if they were old friends. Musgraves sat patiently perched on a washing machine in the dark for at least two minutes before her performance started. Langley and Lainey Wilson sneaked away for multiple outfit changes throughout the night.
Blake Shelton had the Vegas crowd worked up with a cover of “The Gambler” to close out the show.
(Ethan Miller via Getty Images)
During the performances, I caught a few moments that made being in the audience in person feel truly special. When Avery Anna launched her drumsticks into the crowd, they rolled under a woman’s chair and she didn’t even flinch. After Cody Johnson’s patriotic rendition of “Travelin’ Soldier,” a section of the crowd chanted “USA! USA!” until the next star took the stage. Blake Shelton closed out the show with a cover of “The Gambler,” which had the whole crowd — Vegas, baby! — smiling and singing.
Filing out of an arena directly into a casino wasn’t ideal, but I couldn’t help but crack up. A sea of disgruntled cowboys stretched out before me as far as I could see until I arrived at my hotel, shuffling at a glacial pace. It gave me time to think about just how much fun it is to watch a slate of the buzziest performers in country music all in one night, affirming who’s a can’t-miss artist and sending me straight to Spotify to check out the ones I hadn’t heard of, like Carter Faith and Zach Top. What a delight.
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