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Ella Langley Takes Seven ACMs; Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert Honored

5/19/2026

25 5 Full Breakdown

Summary

Ella Langley Wins

Ella Langley wins seven ACM Awards—including Female Artist, Song, Single, Artist-Songwriter and Music Event of the Year—on May 17, 2026.
Cody Johnson wins Entertainer and Male Artist of the Year.
Miranda Lambert co-writes “Choosin’ Texas,” earning her 20th ACM award and Song of the Year.
Shania Twain hosts ceremony, which streams to 240 countries, features 20 performances, and returns to Garden Arena in Las Vegas after three years in Texas.

Summary

Ella Langley Records

Ella Langley set a record with seven awards, beating the high of Chris Stapleton, Faith Hill and Garth Brooks.
Ella Langley and Riley Green won Event of Year for a year, matching pair Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
Ella Langley became third woman—after Miranda Lambert and Faith Hill—to win Single of the Year consecutively, joining Carrie Underwood as fourth female winner.
Ella Langley performed “Be Her” with a guitar and two supporting guitarists.

Summary

Ella Langley Tops

Alabama singer Langley was named to Forbes’ 2026 30 Under 30 list.
Her single “Choosin’ Texas” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks.
She will headline the 2026 Dandelion summer tour, performing nationwide.
Langley’s collaboration with Riley Green, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” won Music Event of the Year.
In her speeches, Langley thanked fellow female country artists and urged them to uplift women in the genre.

History

Historical Context

In 1995 the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas named Shania Twain Female Vocalist of the Year, the first solo female to win that category since Kathy Mattea in 1990. The ceremony featured 20 award categories and drew about 20 million TV viewers, highlighting country music’s expanding national audience. Twain’s win foreshadowed later female dominance, later echoed by artists such as Miranda Lambert.

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Ella Langley Wins

Ella Langley wins seven ACM Awards—including Female Artist, Song, Single, Artist-Songwriter and Music Event of the Year—on May 17, 2026.
Cody Johnson wins Entertainer and Male Artist of the Year.
Miranda Lambert co-writes “Choosin’ Texas,” earning her 20th ACM award and Song of the Year.
Shania Twain hosts ceremony, which streams to 240 countries, features 20 performances, and returns to Garden Arena in Las Vegas after three years in Texas.

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