Shania Twain to Host 61st ACM Awards with Megan Moroney Leading Nominations
Country-pop crossover superstar Shania Twain will host the ACM Awards in May, the Academy of Country Music and Dick Clark Productions announced Wednesday. It will mark Twain's first time as host.
"I'm thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home," Twain said in a statement. "It's such an honor to be part of this incredible night celebrating country music's biggest stars, especially with so many talented women leading nominations this year. I can't wait to welcome all of the fans and artists out for this unforgettable night."
The dominance by women artists referred to in Twain's statement is seen in Megan Moroney leading the pack of nominees with nine nods, followed closely by Miranda Lambert with eight and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven each. Chris Stapleton has six nominations, Zach Top earned five, and Riley Green and Cody Johnson are tied with four.
The show takes place May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and will be seen live across all time zones on Prime Video, the Amazon Music app and Amazon Music's Twitch channel.
Performers announced so far for the show include Wilson, Lambert, Kacey Musgraves, Johnson, Green and Little Big Town.
"We are honored to welcome global music superstar Shania Twain as our host this year," ACM CEO Damon Whiteside said. "We couldn't imagine a more perfect icon to follow our previous iconic hosts, Dolly, Garth and Reba, blending one of the most important nights in country music with the excitement of Las Vegas. Shania has an impressive history on the ACM Awards stage, including her win of the coveted ACM Entertainer of the Year trophy and receiving the ACM Poet's Award honoring her prolific songwriting career."
Reba McEntire hosted the program the previous two years and in total had performed the duty 18 times. Parton and Brooks co-hosted the year before that, in 2023. This year also marks a break as far moving from the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas back to the show's more traditional Las Vegas base.
Twain was named the ACMs' entertainer of the year in 2000 and won the honorary Poet's Award in 2023.
Tickets for the live awards show and its attendant events in Las Vegas are available here.
