The 2025 CMA Awards are right around the corner, which means folks from all over the country are getting ready to tune in to ABC on Wednesday, November 19 at 8/7c to find out whether or not their favorite country artist will win in the category for which they are nominated.
Megan Moroney is up for six awards heading into “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” including Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Music Video of the Year for her standout single “Am I Okay?” from her second studio album of the same name. She is also in the running for Female Vocalist of the Year and Musical Event of the Year for “You Had To Be There” featuring Kenny Chesney.
Jessie Jo Dillon and Luke Laird co-penned “Am I Okay?” alongside Moroney, which means the trio of songwriters shares the Song of the Year nomination. Meanwhile, Album of the Year and Single of the Year are presented to the artist as well as Producer(s), and Mix Engineer(s). Kristian Bush serves as producer for “Am I Okay?” while Justin Niebank is the mix engineer for the track.
Alexandra Gavillet served as the director on Moroney’s music video for “Am I Okay?” So she will also receive a win if the Georgia native, 28, claims the grand prize for Music Video of the Year, which goes up against Lainey Wilson’s “Somewhere Over Laredo,” Chris Stapleton’s “Think I’m In Love With You,” Cody Johnson’s “I’m Gonna Love You,” featuring Carrie Underwood, and Ella Langley and Riley Green’s “you look like you love me.” Lastly, Musical Event of the Year, for which Moroney’s “You Had To Be There” received a nod, will be shared with Chesney and Bush, who produced the collaboration.
There’s no question this year Moroney shines in the major awards categories. But she is no stranger to having relished in past well-deserved wins. Last year, she took home the CMA for New Artist of the Year. With plenty of accolades under her belt, she says she’s just “most excited” to be able to celebrate potential victories with “my whole team and all my collaborators.”
“Especially with Song of the Year that highlights my songwriters that I wrote ‘Am I Okay’ with,” Moroney told Music Mayhem at Raising Cane’s in Athens, Georgia. “Album of the Year obviously highlights my producer and all of the songwriters and all of the musicians that played on it, even my band, and just everybody. So those two nominations, I think I’m most excited about because I get to celebrate with everyone as a team.”
“And obviously the Kenny [Chesney] nomination, we’ll be there together,” she beamed. “So we’re really excited, and I love highlighting the entire team because I definitely can’t do anything without them.”
Moroney was on site at Raising Cane’s in Athens, Georgia, to celebrate the announcement of her upcoming album entitled Cloud 9, due out on February 20. During her appearance, she met with fans, signed memorabilia items, and worked behind the counter of the restaurant.
The visit was an especially nostalgic and full-circle moment for the singer/songwriter, as the location is mere steps away from where she attended college at the University of Georgia and was a Kappa Delta sorority sister. Speaking on her nominations further, Moroney acknowledged the sea of fans who turned out just to meet her outside of Raising Cane’s, which traded its signature red color to pink, matching Moroney’s new season of color and era of music.
“Even hearing all those nominations, I don’t feel like I would be as recognized in the industry if it wasn’t for y’all showing up the way you do for me,” Moroney told her fans. “They see that y’all can pull all this off in less than a day and show up like this. And I don’t get to do this without you guys. So if you take anything from today, just thank you so much and don’t give up on your dreams because the impossible is very possible.”
Not giving up one’s dreams and exuding confidence is a theme that runs through the forthcoming Cloud 9, which is set to include a handful of collaborations. When asked to describe her forthcoming album in one word, Moroney says: “Empowering.”
“I hope that the messages and these songs just help my fans and whoever listens get through life, because I love music. I mean, like music, it helps me get through life. So I hope that I can be that artist for some people,” she explains.
Along with her list of award nominations, Moroney is scheduled to perform at the upcoming 2025 CMA Awards. The self-proclaimed “Emo Cowgirl” will deliver a rendition of “6 Months Later,” her current single and highest Billboard Hot 100 debut to date. The uptempo breakup anthem, penned alongside Ben Williams, David “Messy” Mescon, and Rob Hatch, finds Moroney offering a humorous take on finding the ball in her court with an ex who initially broke her heart.
“Hey Meg, I think I want you back/ I’m a couple drinks in, thinkin’ it’s my bad/ That I let you walk away (let you walk away) and let you go” (go)/ It’s the tale as old as time, I guess/ When you couldn’t care more, I couldn’t care less,” she sings throughout the chorus of the song. “You’re a little too late to the party (little too, little too late), heartbreaker/ What doesn’t kill you calls you six months later.”
In addition to Moroney, the 2025 CMA Awards will also feature performances by BigXThaPlug, Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Luke Combs, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Old Dominion, Patty Loveless, Riley Green, Shaboozey, Stephen Wilson Jr., The Red Clay Strays, Tucker Wetmore, Zach Top and more.
The 59th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Lainey Wilson, will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 8/7c on ABC.
