Tucker Wetmore is both nominated and performing at the 2025 CMA Awards, as he’s up for New Artist of the Year and will perform during the show. This is his first CMA Awards nomination, and he’ll have someone special by his side to help him celebrate — his mom, Sia Gould.
Wetmore brought his mom to the ACM Awards earlier this year and shared how excited he is to now have her at the CMAs. “I got my mom coming again…I don’t get to see her too often and this is kind of like the moment where I get to share it with her,” he told Country Now during a backstage interview. “And so I’m going to take that.”
Ahead of the ACM Awards in May, Wetmore told Country Now that it “means the world… in a lot of ways” to have his mom attend the show with him. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her,” he explained. “She’s the one that pushed me to do music to kind of chase this dream that I had, and she’s one of the best women I’ve ever met in my life. She’s like my best friend and so it’s going to be really cool.”
Sia will get a front-row seat to her famous son’s performance during the CMA Awards, where Wetmore will take the stage with his 2x Platinum No. 1 hit, “Wind Up Missin’ You,” and he’s “feeling all the emotions” ahead of the big night.
“Definitely a little nervous,” he admitted. “There’s a lot of big names and cool people out in that crowd, so I hope I do alright…but it should be fun.”
Backstage ahead of the show, he told the Country Music Association (CMA) that he’ll give the performance “my best shot,” though fans shouldn’t expect anything “crazy.”
“It’s just me sitting up on a stage with my band guys and singing a song,” he revealed. “I’m a little nervous, I’m not going to lie. I am a little nervous. We just did rehearsal, so we ran through the song a couple of times up there on stage, and I’m feeling a lot better after rehearsal, but I’m sure I’ll be a little nervous when showtime comes.”
He’s also competing for New Artist of the Year against Stephen Wilson Jr., Ella Langley, Shaboozey and Zach Top, and shared that the nomination “means the world to me.”
“It was probably 7:30, 8 o’clock in the morning, my manager calls me, I’m like, ‘Yes,’” he recalled of learning the news. “And she goes, ‘Hey, you’re probably sleeping, but congratulations. I want to be the first to tell you, yada yada.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s amazing.’ But I was groggy and tired, so I fell asleep for another hour and a half, and then I woke up finally. I was like, ‘Was I dreaming that?’ And it still feels like I’m dreaming it, but it’s such an honor. Just happy to be here.”
In addition to Wetmore, The 59th Annual CMA Awards will also feature performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, Chris Stapleton, BigXThaPlug, Luke Combs, Riley Green, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Stephen Wilson Jr. and more.
This year’s CMA Awards will feature a wide range of presenters and special guests, including Lady A, Jessica Capshaw, Billy Ray Cyrus, Lauren Daigle, Jordan Davis, Elizabeth Hurley, Cody Johnson, Bert Kreischer, Brandon Lake, Ella Langley, Steve Martin, Leanne Morgan, NE-YO, Chris O’Donnell, Kimberly Perry of The Band Perry, LeAnn Rimes, Alan Ritchson, Lara Spencer, Billy Bob Thornton, Grace Van Patten, Gretchen Wilson, and Bailey Zimmerman.
Hosted by country superstar Lainey Wilson, “Country Music’s Biggest Night” will broadcast live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, November 19 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) on ABC and is available the next day on Hulu.
