Ella Langley, Cody Johnson clean up at 61st annual ACM Awards

May 17 (UPI) -- Rising star Ella Langley and top-selling "Texas red dirt" hero Cody Johnson emerged as the biggest winners Sunday at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards gala in Las Vegas.

Langley, dubbed the new queen of modern country, nabbed Female Artist of the Year, defeating an all-star roster including Kelsea Ballerini, Miranda Lambert, Megan Moroney and Lainey Wilson.

"Thank you, to the women in this category, to the women in this life," Langley said through tears. "This is a weird thing to do, and today, I was having a strange day ... and I walked right into Lainey's room, and I just got emotional, and she hugged me and wrapped me up and started praying for me.

"And then all of a sudden, here comes Miranda Lambert in her little pink hat. Y'all, I would not be standing up here without encouragement from so many women. Kelsea, thank you so much for lovin' on me."

Johnson, whose hit single The Fall reached No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart, was named Entertainer of the Year as well as Male Entertainer of the Year, beating out Luke Combs, Riley Green, Chris Stapleton and Zach Top in the latter category.

Parker McCollum won Album of the Year for his self-title LP, beating out Zach Top's Ain't In It For My Health, Carter Faith's Cherry Valley, Riley Green's Don't Mind If I Do (Deluxe) and Morgan Wallen's I'm The Problem.

Earlier, Langley's Choosin' Texas won song and single of the year and the Red Clay Strays nabbed Group and the Year.

Choosin' Texas, which tells the story of a woman watching her man get swept away by a Texas girl, was co-written by Langley, Joybeth Taylor, Luke Dick and fellow star performer Lambert, who herself was nominated in eight categories.

"I'm just so thankful Ella has entrusted me with her art," Lambert said while accepting the award. "Thank y'all for loving a country song!"

With Shania Twainhosting the ACM Awards for the first time, expectations for a top-notch ceremony were high, as was the anticipation for a performance roster filled with the likes of Langley, the Strays, Kacey Musgraves and Wilson.

The star power was further reinforced with a list of award presenters including Keith Urban, Shaboozey, Ashley McBryde and other stars.

Before the show even began in earnest, two award winners were announced: New female artist of the year went to Avery Anna while Tucker Wetmore nabbed new male artist of the year.

The evening started with a bang as Wilson opened the proceedings with a rousing version of her new song Can't Sit Still while dressed in a black-and-silver ensemble and backed by a bevy of dancers.

Lambert, the most decorated artist in ACM Awards history, followed with her song Crisco which she performed beneath a rhinestone disco saddle suspended from the ceiling.

Thomas Rhett and Jordan Davis followed with their No. 1 collaboration Ain't a Bad Life in front of a forest backdrop commemorating the song's origin during the two friends' hunting trip.

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This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 9:11 PM.