The 2025 Country Music Association Awards nominations have been revealed, and there are, of course, some snubs and surprises.
The 12 categories reflect the breadth of the genre, but, as country weilds a cultural influence more potent than ever, it also may be struggling to balance the depth of its talent pool.
Country music, which had roughly three dozen radio chart-toppers in the past few years, now regularly represents half the spots on Billboard’s all-genre Hot 100 charts.
Here are three snubs and three surprises among the CMA nominations that show how the genre is handling its growth.
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Snub: Jelly Roll
The heavily tatted country-rap star was not nominated for entertainer of the year.
Luminate data from July revealed that pop’s fastest reviving fanbase, rock-loving male millennials, favor Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll as their favorite “new” stars. In May, Jelly Roll and Wallen were locked in a dead-heat tie for weeks atop Billboard’s country radio charts.
Jelly Roll performs onstage during Jelly Roll & Friends at Billy Bob’s Texas on May 6, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas.
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However, considering Jelly Roll’s influence is now bigger than “country music” alone, the CMAs may be making an intentional statement about crossover stars.
He’s a pop cultural icon who pro-wrestled social media influencer Logan Paul at WWE’s Summerslam, regularly appears on late-night programming and is featured in television commercials. Plus musically, he has blended hip-hop swagger and rock’s edge with classic country and bluesy, “beautifully broken” gospel vocals. Ultimately, the CMAs may need to evaluate whether the entertainer of the year should be “pop cultural bridge-builder and social advancer” of the year as well.
Snub: Where’s Bailey Zimmerman?
The infectious energy and Justin Bieber-style appeal of 25-year-old country hitmaker Bailey Zimmerman was not reflected in the CMA nominations.
The move is surprising, given the popularity of “All The Way,” his hit collaboration with Dallas rapper BigXThaPlug. Zimmerman has also toured successfully with Wallen and released a new album, “Different Night Same Rodeo” which features the No. 1 hit “Backup Plan.”
It may be that his collaborative streak with pop artists like The Kid Laroi put him in the “too pop for country” vein.
Bailey Zimmerman performs during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena on Sept. 7, 2025, in Elmont, New York.
Snub: Solo love for Riley Green?
Very few country stars have Alabama native Riley Green’s collection of critically acclaimed and top-selling album cuts. Songs like “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” and “Jesus Saves” reflect poignant songwriting and a type of soulful earnestness beloved over 100 years of country music’s history.
Yes, his duets with Ella Langley for “You Look Like You Love Me” and “Don’t Mind If I Do” are great. And yes, they certainly call to mind beloved conversational ballads by Conway and Loretta, George and Tammy, and Kenny and Dolly, but surely there should be room for him as a solo artist, too.
Riley Green sings “Worst Way” on Lower Broadway in Nashville for Big Machine’s 20th anniversary concert on Aug. 29, 2025.
Surprise: Who runs the (country) world? Girls.
By July 2023, four years of music industry growth saw female artist representation skyrocket from 20% of the songs on Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart to 20% of the No. 1 singles on the chart. However, the genre’s pop crossover has drastically shifted. Billboard’s 2024 data showed women being de-emphasized again, achieving just 8.39% of country radio airplay overall.
Don’t tell Ella Langley, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson that, though. They each lead the CMA field with six nominations in 2025, and together they have 43 nominations since 2022. The success of three female artists could be an outlier, driven by the influence of social media and streaming portals. Or it could indicate how female standouts can sustain country music’s growth.
Megan Moroney poses with her new artist of the year award backstage during the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024.
Surprise: Stephen Wilson Jr. a best new artist at 46?
Stephen Wilson Jr. has developed over the past three years from the underground’s favorite rock star to a dominating force in country’s mainstream. If Wilson wins on Nov. 19, he’ll top Jelly Roll, who became the oldest CMA best new artist winner at 39 in 2023.
Wilson, who emerged as a songwriter married to Sixpence None the Richer frontwoman Leigh Nash, was initially championed by Music City’s alt-pop station Lightning 100 and now may earn one of mainstream country’s most notable awards.
Stephen Wilson Jr. performs at EXIT/IN in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Jan. 19, 2024.
Surprise: Zach Top’s superstardom-cementing moment
At CMA Fest in June, Dierks Bentley called Zach Top was “the future of country music.” He may just be right.
The 27-year-old bluegrass performer pulled in five CMA Award nominations this year, clearly charming critics with his grooving neo-traditional stylings that hearken back to the1990s.
Zach Top performs at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, Feb. 28, 2025.
“Artists, especially country ones that are remembered for generations, tend to stand out in a massive way when they (debut in) the genre’s mainstream,” Top said in a 2024 interview with the Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.
“Sometimes you have to give people what they want, right down the middle.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMA Awards snubs and surprises include Jelly Roll, Riley Green