In a new interview with Billboard, longtime Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern teased what fans can expect from the upcoming 60th Annual CMA Awards and explained why Lainey Wilson is the right person to return as the show’s sole host.
With just 20 days remaining until country music’s biggest night, excitement is building for the milestone celebration. Trahern, who will step down from her role as CMA CEO in December after serving in the position since January 1, 2014, recently sat down with Billboard to offer insight into what’s in store for this year’s ceremony.
As the CMA Awards mark their 60th anniversary, fans can expect the organization to celebrate its history and the legacy of country music, much like it did for the 50th Annual CMA Awards in 2016. This time, however, Trahern said the celebration will place a greater emphasis on the influence of ’90s country music and the legends who continue to inspire today’s artists.
“You can’t get hotter than the ’90s now in a lot of ways. When we did the 50th, we reached way back to the very beginning. We’ll reach back some to the early days of the CMAs, but really, the hot artists today, their heroes are the stars of the ’90s. So the ability in this show to really focus on reaching back to there and what’s more relevant in that versus necessarily going back to Tammy Wynette and George Jones and Charley Pride and the people that I came into the business listening to,” Trahern told Billboard. “Those may be names that the current fans don’t know, but the current fans are going to know Tim McGraw, who’s going into the Country Music Hall of Fame. They’re going to know Brooks & Dunn, who are out touring today. They’re going to know Faith Hill, Martina McBride [and] all those heroes the artists today lean back to. That will be the thing that we can celebrate with the 60th a little bit more.”
Trahern also revealed that fans can expect some changes to this year’s stage design to reflect the history of country music.
“We are redesigning some elements of our set to be able to really play into visually the history of our genre. We’re not just about listening to tracks. The artists live country music, so the ability to utilize that set to both be a contemporary element and honor the history,” she explained.
While the CMA has yet to announce performers or presenters for the upcoming celebration, one familiar face will return to the stage: Lainey Wilson. The reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year is set to host the ceremony for the third consecutive year and will once again take on the role solo. Wilson first hosted the show in 2024 alongside co-hosts Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan before leading the ceremony on her own in 2025.
Trahern called Wilson the “perfect person” to host this year’s show, pointing to her success as an artist, growing international presence and appreciation for country music’s history.
“She also has such a deep, deep love of the history. I remember the year that she won new artist of the year [in 2022], and her talking about how it was a 10-year town and now just to watch her continue to explode on a global basis, what you see is what you get. The power of country music is being genuine and authentic, and that’s how Lainey walks into a room.”
The milestone 60th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18, at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+, with the broadcast available to stream on Hulu the following day.
Performers, presenters, special guests and additional details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. A complete list of nominees can be viewed HERE.