By SDCN Staff
Nashville, TN–Academy of Country Music, Prime Video, and Dick Clark Productions have announced the first wave of performers for the 61st Academy of Country Music Awards, featuring Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, and Riley Green. Additional performers are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Returning to the Sunday night timeslot, the Emmy-nominated, star-powered experience will feature unprecedented performances, exclusive collaborations, and unexpected moments from the biggest Country Music stars, all while celebrating the genre’s most iconic and emerging talent. ACM Award winner Cody Johnson will take the stage following his 2025 win for ACM Song of the Year. Reigning Entertainer of the Year and 16-time ACM Award recipient Lainey Wilson returns to the ACM Awards stage with the world premiere performance of “Can’t Sit Still.” Four-time ACM Award winner and 2026 ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green headliner, Riley Green, will deliver a performance of his hit song “Change My Mind.”
Previously announced ACM Awards week events include “ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green and Friends” at Topgolf Las Vegas, Friday, May 15, and “ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash” at Mandalay Bay Beach on May 16.
The Academy of Country Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions. Raj Kapoor and Patrick Menton are executive producers, with Kapoor also serving as showrunner. Damon Whiteside serves as executive producer for the Academy of Country Music, and Jay Penske and Barry Adelman serve as executive producers for DCP. John Saade will also continue to serve as consulting producer for Amazon MGM Studios.
The show will stream live exclusively for a global audience over 240 countries and territories on Prime Video on Sunday, May 17 at 5 p.m. from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fans will also be able to watch the broadcast on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch, as well as in the Amazon Music app.
