Ella Langley fought back tears while accepting her award for female artist of the year at the ACM Awards Sunday night, capping off a streak of major wins.
The “Choosin’ Texas” singer had a sweeping night at the 61st annual ACM Awards show, taking home a historic seven wins, including song of the year. Langley set the record for most awards won by an artist in a single year and completed a perfect sweep by winning every category in which she was nominated.
Langley shared a warm embrace with fellow country musician Lainey Wilson before returning to the stage to accept her seventh trophy of the night from T.J. Osborne.
Overcome with emotion, Langley paused through tears for nearly a minute to regain her composure. “I’m trying to get to say something but I can’t,” she whispered.
“Thank you. The women in this category, to the women in this life ... this is a weird thing to do,” she added.
Langley then revealed she had been having a “strange day” heading into the show.
“I walk right into Lainey’s (Wilson) room and I just got emotional,” Langley said. “She hugged me, wrapped me up and started praying for me.”
Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini and Megan Moroney were also nominated for female artist of the year.
“I would not be standing up here without just encouragement of so many women,” she said. Langley also thanked Ballerini, her parents and her “family, for showing up and being weird as always.”
“Thank you, Jesus, for letting me do this for a living,” she concluded. “Thank you to the women. I would not be standing up here without them.”
The rising country superstar recently won the iHeartRadio Music Award for best new country artist — and even beat a record previously held by Taylor Swift.
Langley’s award-winning song “Choosin’ Texas” holds the record for most weeks ever spent atop of the Hot 100 by a woman among songs that also reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, according to Billboard.
The record was previously held by Swift, whose 2012 hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” spent three weeks atop the chart.
“It shows you the power of what a song can do. You think we’re just going in there and just having fun with the people we love making music with, and you don’t realize that that could be the song that changes your life forever,” Langley told Country Now. “And so to me, this song just keeps reinforcing that, that every song matters.”
The 2026 ACM Award winners
Entertainer of the year
- Winner: Cody Johnson
- Luke Combs
- Jelly Roll
- Megan Moroney
- Chris Stapleton
- Morgan Wallen
- Lainey Wilson
Female artist of the year
- Winner: Ella Langley
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Miranda Lambert
- Megan Moroney
- Lainey Wilson
Male artist of the year
- Winner: Cody Johnson
- Luke Combs
- Riley Green
- Chris Stapleton
- Zach Top
Group of the year
- Winner: The Red Clay Strays
- 49 Winchester
- Flatland Cavalry
- Old Dominion
- Rascal Flatts
Duo of the year
- Winner: Brooks & Dunn
- Brothers Osborne
- Dan + Shay
- Muscadine Bloodline
- Thelma & James
Album of the year
- Winner: “Parker McCollum” – Parker M—Collum; Producers: Frank Liddell, Eric Masse; Record Company-Label: MCA
- “Ain’t In It For My Health” — Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33
- “Cherry Valley” — Carter Faith; Producer: Tofer Brown; Record Company-Label: Gatsby Records / MCA
- “Don’t Mind If I Do (Deluxe)” — Riley Green; Producers: Dann Huff, Michael Knox; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
- “I’m The Problem” — Morgan Wallen; Producers: Joey Moi, Charlie Handsome, Jacob Durrett; Record Company-Label: Big Loud Records
Song of the year
- Winner: “Choosin’ Texas” — Ella Langley; Songwriters: Ella Langley, Luke Dick, Miranda Lambert, Joybeth Taylor; Publishers: Bada Bing & Bada Langley Publishing; Little Louder Songs; Sony Music Publishing
- “A Song To Sing” — Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Miranda Lambert, Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure; Publishers: I Wrote These Songs; Pink Dog Publishing; Songs for the Munch Music; Songs of Influence; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp
- “Am I Okay?” — Megan Moroney; Songwriters: Megan Moroney, Luke Laird, Jessie Jo Dillon; Publishers: Big Ass Pile of Dimes Music; Big Music Machine
- “I Never Lie” — Zach Top; Songwriters: Zach Top, Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols; Publishers: Music and Magazine Publishing; Rio Bravo Music Inc; Sony/ATV Tree Publishing; Too Broke to Quit Music; Zach Top Music
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Lainey Wilson; Songwriters: Lainey Wilson, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson, Andy Albert, Harold Arlen & Yip Harburg; Publishers: Concord Sounds; Dtown Boogie Music; Emi Feist Catalog Inc; Songs of Riser House; Songs of Wild Cat Well Music; Sony/ATV Countryside; Story Farmer; Tacklebox Music Publishing
Single of the year
- Winner: “Choosin’ Texas” — Ella Langley; Producers: Ella Langley, Miranda Lambert, Ben West; Record Company-Label: SAWGOD / Columbia Records
- “6 Months Later” — Megan Moroney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records
- “I Never Lie” — Zach Top; Producer: Carson Chamberlain; Record Company-Label: Leo33
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Lainey Wilson; Producer: Jay Joyce; Record Company-Label: BBR Music Group / BMG Nashville / Broken Bow Records
- “The Fall” — Cody Johnson; Producer: Trent Willmon; Record Company-Label: CoJo Music / Warner Records Nashville
Visual media of the year
- Winner: “Cuckoo” — Stephen Wilson, Jr.; Producer: Tim Cofield; Director: Tim Cofield
- “6 Months Later” — Megan Moroney; Producers: Christen Pinkston, Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: CeCe Dawson, Megan Moroney
- “A Song To Sing” — Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: James Stratakis; Director: Alexa King Stone, Stephen Kinigopoulos
- “Somewhere Over Laredo” — Lainey Wilson; Producer: Katie Babbage; Director: TK McKamy
- “The Fall” — Cody Johnson; Producers: Christen Pinkston & Wesley Stebbins-Perry; Director: Dustin Haney
Music event of the year
- Winner: “Don’t Mind If I Do” — Riley Green feat. Ella Langley; Producer: Dann Huff; Record Company-Label: Nashville Harbor Records & Entertainment
- “A Song To Sing” — Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton; Producer: Dave Cobb; Record Company-Label: Republic Records
- “Amen” — Shaboozey & Jelly Roll; Producers: Danny Majic, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook; Record Company-Label: Empire
- “Trailblazer” — Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson; Producers: Tony Brown, Reba McEntire; Record Company-Label: MCA
- “You Had To Be There” — Megan Moroney & Kenny Chesney; Producer: Kristian Bush; Record Company-Label: Sony Music Nashville / Columbia Records
Songwriter of the year
- Winner: Jessie Jo Dillon
- Ashley Gorley
- Charlie Handsome
- Chase McGill
- Blake Pendergrass
Artist — songwriter of the year
- Winner: Ella Langley
- Luke Combs
- Riley Green
- Megan Moroney
- Morgan Wallen
New female artist of the year
- Winner: Avery Anna
- Mackenzie Carpenter
- Dasha
- Caroline Jones
- Emily Ann Roberts
New male artist of the year
- Winner: Tucker Wetmore
- Gavin Adcock
- Vincent Mason
- Shaboozey
- Hudson Westbrook