Ella Langley Is Having a Massive Year, and The CMA Nominations Prove It

The 2026 CMA Award nominations were announced on Thursday morning, September 10. Country legend LeAnn Womack and 2026 American Idol Winner Hannah Harper announced the nominations from the Grand Ole Opry. Ella Langley led the way with nine nominations, capping off a huge year for the singer-songwriter.

While Ella Langley’s CMA nominations grabbed headlines, there are plenty of other stories on the heels of the Country Music Association Award nominations, including the long-awaited return of Taylor Swift to the CMA stage.

Ella Langley Is Suddenly Everywhere

Ella Langley’s nine CMA nominations are certainly notable on their own, but they become even more impressive when you realize just how many parts of the ballot her name appears on. In addition to being up for Album of the Year for “Dandelion,” she’s also up for multiple awards that focus on songs, videos, and collaborations. She’s also up for Female Vocalist of the Year and Entertainer of the Year. The biggest category of the night sees Langley go up against reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Cody Johnson, defending CMA Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, and Chris Stapleton.

That breadth matters. An artist can have one enormous song without necessarily becoming one of the year's defining country performers. Langley's nominations suggest that the industry sees her as a major artist across multiple parts of the country music business.

"Choosin' Texas" Changed the Conversation

Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” became the defining hit of her year. In February, Langley became the only woman to simultaneously top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, and Country Airplay charts, an unusually broad achievement for a country artist. Langley co-wrote the song with Miranda Lambert, whose influence on Ella Langley’s career goes far beyond a single song.

As of the morning of the CMA award nominations, “Choosin’ Texas” had been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a staggering 26 weeks, making it the longest-running non-holiday track in Billboard history. That record is considered especially important, as it shows that Langley’s music is reaching listeners who may not typically consider themselves to be country music fans.

Speaking of Miranda Lambert…

Miranda Lambert isn’t only getting recognition for her co-writing credit on “Choosin’ Texas.” The 14-time CMA winner is up for seven awards, the second-highest number of nods for any artist. In addition to her nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, she’s also nominated for serving as a co-producer on Langley’s “Dandelion,” which is up for Album of the Year.

Lambert has spent years establishing herself as one of country music's most decorated women. Langley is now emerging as one of its newest major stars. Their collaboration has effectively connected two generations of country music without requiring Langley to simply imitate the artist who came before her. Lambert's influence is also showing up in the nominations themselves, making this year's CMA ballot partly a reflection of what the two artists have built together.

Girl Power is Dominating the New Artist of the Year Category

Langley and Lambert aren’t the only two women in the headlines after the 2026 CMA award nominations were announced. Of the five artists who are eligible for the New Artist of the Year Award, three of them are women.

Avery Anna won the ACM Award for New Artist of the Year earlier in 2026, and she’ll look to sweep the honors at the CMAs in November. Carter Faith, who has gained quite a following over the last year, is also nominated, as is Emily Ann Roberts.

Roberts, who competed on The Voice as a teenager in 2015, has spent the better part of the last decade working her way up the ranks in country music. In addition to being a singer-songwriter, the artist has developed a huge online following as the “Yeehaw Meemaw,” a tongue-in-cheek description of her love of knitting, gardening, and raising chickens in her backyard.

The Return of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift fans have been waiting for her to return to the CMA stage for the last decade, and they’re finally getting what they’ve longed for. Her song, “I Knew It, I Knew You,” from “Toy Story 5,” is up for Single of the Year. While there were initially some questions about whether Swift would attend in person, she put the discussion to rest on Thursday afternoon by announcing, “I haven’t yee’d my last haw.”

Langley, Lambert, Swift, and Roberts are just a few of the females who are looking to win big at the CMA Awards in 2026.

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