On November 18, the CMA Awards will celebrate more than some of the biggest artists of the year. It will also mark the 60th anniversary of the awards. A special night for all of country music, the Country Music Association CEO, Sarah Trahern, was excited to tease the upcoming awards. And while the name might be the same, Trahern promised a CMA Awards unlike any other. Introducing new elements and highlighting the 90s era of country, Trahern believed there was no better person to host the 2026 CMA Awards than Lainey Wilson.
Speaking with Billboard, Trahern looked back at her legacy as the CEO of the organization. First embracing the role back in January 2014, she has spent the last decade expanding the CMAs to a global market. Shortly after the CMA Awards, Trahern will step down from her role as CEO in December.
Not focusing on her own career, Trahern continued to promote one of the biggest nights in country music. And she promised, “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.”
[RELATED: Lainey Wilson Honored With Stunning New Mural at Congress of Country Music]
CMA Awards Bringing Fresh Look With Lainey Wilson At The Helm
Bringing a crucial era of country music to the CMA stage in 2026 was a bold move from Trahern. But again, that was just the start as she added, “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.”
New designs, more throwbacks, and pure country – Wilson was at the center of it all. Besides expanding her grasp on the genre, she has spent the last few years growing a relationship with the CMAs. She hosted alongside Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning in 2024. Last year, she hosted the awards on her own. And in a few weeks, she will return to that familiar spot.
And according to Trahern, Wilson was the “perfect person” for the job. “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.”
With Wilson back at the helm and the CMA Awards celebrating 60 years of country music, fans won’t want to miss the historic night. Catch the 60th CMA Awards on November 18, airing live on ABC with streaming available the following day on Hulu.
(Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)
The post CMA Awards CEO Teases Major 90s Country Nostalgia for 60th Anniversary Show Hosted by Lainey Wilson appeared first on American Songwriter.