The 2025 CMA Awards have selected a country music queen as Female Vocalist of the Year: Lainey Wilson.
Wilson’s win on Wednesday, November 19, marks her fourth straight victory in the category, making her only the third woman to win four consecutive times after Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert.
“It’s a good night. Thank you, Jesus, thank you so much,” Wilson, 33, began in her acceptance speech. “I am so proud to be in this category with these women. Miranda, you have poured into me. You have sat around a fire with me. Told me what to do, what not to do. It is because of women like you. Dolly [Parton] and Reba, all of the women have poured into me.”
The singer reminded her fans to “find those people, find those people that lift you up and encourage you and pray for you, pray with you. Love on you, on the good days [and] the bad days, all of it.”
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“For the folks that are sitting at home in your mama’s basement eating your Cheetos, trying to pit women against each other, y’all need to find something better to do,” Wilson concluded.
Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Ella Langley and Megan Moroney were also nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Of the category’s contenders, Langley, 26, Moroney, 28, and Wilson landed six total CMA nominations each this year.
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Langley earned her nods for New Artist of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green and Musical Event of the Year for “Don’t Mind If I Do” with Green. (Prior to the live event, Langley secured her first win for Music Video of the Year, while Post Malone and Blake Shelton prevailed over the Musical Event of the Year category with their collaboration, “Pour Me a Drink.”)
Moroney, for her part, was up for Album of the Year for Am I Okay?, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year for “Am I Okay?” and Musical Event of the Year for “You Had to Be There” with Kenny Chesney.
Wilson received her nominations for Entertainer of the Year, Album of the Year for Whirlwind, Single of the Year and Song of the Year for “4x4xU” and Music Video of the Year for “Somewhere Over Laredo.” (She won three total trophies on the night.)
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Meanwhile, Ballerini, 32, and Lambert, 42, both earned only one nod for Female Vocalist of the Year.
Prior to tonight, Lambert was also a former Female Vocalist of the Year winner, earning the coveted trophy seven times — more than any other artist in CMAs history — from 2010 to 2015 and again in 2017. She is also tied withMcEntire for the most career nominations in the category, with a total of 18.
Ballerini, for her part, has eight nods for Female Vocalist of the Year throughout her career, while Moroney has two. Langley earned her first-ever nomination in the category this year.
Ahead of the 2025 ceremony, Lambert was the most-awarded artist vying for Female Vocalist of the Year, with 14 career CMA wins. Wilson followed closely behind with nine trophies, Ballerini and Langley had two each and Moroney had one.
