Ella Langley Confirmed as 2026 ACM Awards Performer Seven Nominations and a Shot at History

Less than two years removed from her Grand Ole Opry debut, Ella Langley will take the stage at one of country music’s most-watched nights of the year. The Hope Hull, Alabama native is confirmed as a performer at the 61st Annual Academy of Country Music Awards, set for May 17, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. She arrives carrying seven nominations the joint-second-highest total in the field and performing fresh off the biggest crossover hit country music has produced in years.

The ACM Awards confirmed Langley as part of an 11-act addition to the performer lineup. She joins previously announced names including Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves, Little Big Town, and Cody Johnson. The 61st ceremony will stream live globally on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Shania Twain hosts the show for the first time, taking over from Reba McEntire. The ACM Awards also return to Las Vegas after three years at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Why Langley’s Slot Matters More Than a Performer Credit

Langley has earned her way onto this stage the hard way. Her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single “Choosin’ Texas” became the first song by a female artist to simultaneously lead the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts a record previously untouched. That performance doesn’t just credential her as a performer at the ACMs. It frames her as the defining story of country music’s 2026 chart cycle.

The song, co-written and co-produced with Miranda Lambert alongside Luke Dick and Joybeth Taylor, arrives at the ACMs with the kind of cultural weight that turns a performance slot into a coronation moment. Lambert herself one of the most-nominated artists in ACM history is also confirmed to perform, making the potential for a joint stage moment one of the telecast’s most anticipated possibilities.

According to Billboard, if voters award “Choosin’ Texas” the Single of the Year trophy, Langley would become just the fifth performer to win back-to-back ACM Awards in that category. She claimed it last year for “You Look Like You Love Me,” her duet with Riley Green.

Ella Langley’s Full 2026 ACM Award Nominations

Seven nominations make Langley the joint-second-most-nominated artist this cycle, tied with Lainey Wilson and trailing only Megan Moroney’s nine. Miranda Lambert, the most-decorated artist in ACM history, holds eight. Langley’s nomination haul for 2026 includes the following categories according to the Academy of Country Music:

• Female Artist of the Year
• Single of the Year — “Choosin’ Texas”
• Song of the Year — “Choosin’ Texas”
• Artist-Songwriter of the Year
• Album of the Year — Dandelion (implied via broader nominations)
• Musical Event of the Year
• Music Video of the Year

The breadth of those categories reflects something the raw chart numbers can only suggest: Langley isn’t just performing well, she’s being recognized as both a commercial force and a craft-level songwriter in the same cycle. That’s a rare combination at the ACMs.

Zach Top and the New Guard Joining the 2026 Lineup

Langley isn’t the only artist arriving at the ACMs on a wave of momentum. Zach Top confirmed as a co-performer in the new additions makes his run at Male Artist of the Year for the first time, having claimed New Male Artist of the Year on last year’s show. His single “I Never Lie” competes against Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” in the Single of the Year category, among other contenders.

Carter Faith performs for the first time at the ACMs, arriving as an Album of the Year nominee for Cherry Valley. According to Billboard, her first-album nomination marks the first time any artist has received that recognition on a debut LP since Chris Stapleton won Album of the Year with Traveller a decade ago a staggering piece of context for a first-time nominee.

The Red Clay Strays also make their ACM Awards performance debut. The group claimed New Group of the Year on last year’s show. Avery Anna and Tucker Wetmore the 2026 ACM New Artists of the Year round out the additions, continuing the ACM tradition of inviting new award winners to perform on the telecast.

The Full 2026 ACM Awards Performer Lineup

The complete confirmed performer roster for the 61st Annual ACM Awards is as follows:

Avery Anna, Blake Shelton, Carter Faith, Cody Johnson, Dan + Shay, Ella Langley, Jordan Davis, Kane Brown, Kacey Musgraves, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert, The Red Clay Strays, Riley Green, Thomas Rhett, Tucker Wetmore, and Zach Top.

Additional performers and presenters are expected to be announced before May 17.

What to Expect From Langley’s ACM Performance

“Choosin’ Texas” is the obvious anchor. Six weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, a record-breaking triple-chart command, and a music video featuring Luke Grimes and Ava Phillippe — the song has already proven its capacity for spectacle. A live ACM performance, produced for global Prime Video distribution, is the next platform.

Langley’s sophomore album Dandelion, released April 10, 2026, on SAWGOD/Columbia Records, is an 18-track set that includes second single “Be Her,” which reached No. 2 on Hot Country Songs in March positioning Langley as the first woman to hold the chart’s top two spots for multiple weeks, according to Billboard. That’s a record that eclipses comparable single-cycle performances by Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

If the ACM performance pulls from the broader Dandelion album particularly “Butterfly Season,” another Lambert collaboration — the telecast could double as the most high-profile preview of the album’s remaining singles. Fans looking ahead to her summer run can check Langley’s expected Dandelion Tour setlist for what she’s been opening with on the road.

Women Leading the 2026 ACM Nominations A Signal Worth Reading

The nomination landscape at the 2026 ACMs tells a larger story about the direction of country music. Women lead the nominations pool this cycle in a way that industry observers haven’t seen in years. Moroney tops the field with nine. Lambert, Langley, and Wilson follow with eight and seven respectively.

As singer Ashley McBryde told the Associated Press, artists across country music’s female tier have been deliberately working to build a wider table and the 2026 ACM nominations suggest those efforts are registering with voters.

Last year, Langley’s “You Look Like You Love Me” alone accounted for six of her eight nominations. This cycle, her seven nods are distributed across songwriting, performance, and commercial categories a more durable kind of recognition. It’s the difference between a moment and a career.

How to Watch the 2026 ACM Awards

The 61st Annual ACM Awards stream live exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, as well as within the Amazon Music app. Coverage begins at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 17, 2026, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tickets for the live show and ACM Awards week events in Las Vegas are available through AXS.

ACM Awards week in Las Vegas includes several lead-up events: the Whiskey Jam Welcome Party at Ole Red Las Vegas on May 14, the ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends at Topgolf Las Vegas on May 15, and the ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash at Mandalay Bay Beach on May 16. Keith Urban headlines the Beach Bash alongside a roster that includes Ashley Cooke, Dasha, and Tucker Wetmore.

FAQ — Ella Langley at the 2026 ACM Awards

Is Ella Langley performing at the 2026 ACM Awards?

Yes. Ella Langley is confirmed as a performer at the 61st Annual ACM Awards on May 17, 2026, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

How many ACM Award nominations does Ella Langley have in 2026?

Ella Langley has seven nominations at the 2026 ACM Awards, including Female Artist of the Year and Single of the Year for “Choosin’ Texas.”

Where can I watch the 2026 ACM Awards?

The 2026 ACM Awards stream live on Prime Video, the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, and the Amazon Music app starting at 8 p.m. ET on May 17, 2026.

Who is hosting the 2026 ACM Awards?

Shania Twain hosts the 61st Annual ACM Awards — her first time hosting the show, after previously emceeing the People’s Choice Country Awards in 2024.

Could “Choosin’ Texas” win back-to-back ACM Single of the Year?

Yes. Langley won Single of the Year at the 2025 ACMs for “You Look Like You Love Me.” A win for “Choosin’ Texas” would make her just the fifth artist to claim back-to-back ACM Single of the Year honors, according to Billboard.

For historical background on the Academy of Country Music Awards and its history dating to 1966, see the Academy of Country Music Awards page on Wikipedia.