The 2025 ACM Awards have announced their show-opening number. The 60th annual ACMs will kick off next Thursday, May 8, with what is being called a “Songs of the Decades” performance that highlights past Songs of the Year winners. Host Reba McEntire, Sugarland, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, LeAnn Rimes, and Clint Black are all set to take part in the medley.
The Academy of Country Music also announced a string of collaborations for this year’s extravaganza: Jelly Roll and Shaboozey will team up for a performance; Brooks & Dunn will unite with Cody Johnson; and Backstreet Boys, fresh off their Stagecoach Festival set with Luke Combs, will take the stage with Rascal Flatts.
Megan Moroney has also been added to the lineup, which already features Eric Church, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, and Lainey Wilson.
Ahead of next week’s ceremonies, the ACM Awards have been announcing winners in some key categories. Zach Top and Ella Langley were named New Male and Female Artist of the Year winners, respectively (they’ll also each perform), while Red Clay Strays won New Duo or Group of the Year.
This year marks the 60th ACM Awards and, like last year, the show will originate from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas. The ACM Awards stream live on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. ET on Prime Video and the Amazon Music Channel on Twitch.
Langley leads all nominees with eight nominations, driven by her hit duet with Riley Green, “You Look Like You Love Me.” Green received five nominations. Other top nominees include Johnson, Morgan Wallen, and the reigning ACM Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson, with seven each. Stapleton scored six, and Post Malone, on the strength of his F-1 Trillion country foray, earned five.
