2025 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Female Artist Of The Year

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 37th annual MusicRow Awards, presented by City National Bank, we take a closer look at the Female Artist of the Year category.

This category honors the achievements of a Nashville female artist during the eligibility period.

This year’s winners will be announced online on all MusicRow platforms on Wednesday, Sept. 3.

Click here to see the full list of MusicRow Awards nominees.

Winners are determined solely by MusicRow Magazine subscribers. Voting is now open and closes on Aug. 15 at 5:00 p.m. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.

Kelsea Ballerini continues to help shape the sound and direction of modern country music. Her 2024 studio album Patterns debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Albums Chart and No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking the highest debut of her career. The Gold-certified single “Cowboys Cry Too” anchored the project, which was followed by Patterns (Deluxe) featuring five new tracks that further expanded the album’s narrative. In spring 2025, Ballerini launched her first arena headline run, the 36- date “Kelsea Ballerini Live on Tour,” across major U.S. markets. These achievements followed the 2023 release of Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, a six-song project and accompanying short film that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album and critical praise for its honesty and craft. A five-time Grammy nominee with seven No. 1 singles and 34 RIAA certifications, Ballerini remains a consistent presence on both the charts and the stage. She recently made her Saturday Night Live debut, appeared on the cover of TIME and served as a coach on NBC’s The Voice.

Ashley Cooke’s breakout year was defined by career-firsts and continued momentum across radio, touring, and releases. Her debut album shot in the dark, released via Big Loud/Back Blocks Music, introduced a 24-track collection that showcased her range as both a vocalist and songwriter. The album produced her first No. 1 at country radio with “your place,” and earned her the 2024 CMT Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year. She also received nominations for ACM New Female Artist of the Year and iHeartRadio’s Best New Country Artist. In addition to making her debuts at the Grand Ole Opry and Ryman Auditorium, Cooke has become a standout live performer, wrapping multiple headline tours in 2024 and early 2025 while also opening for acts including Luke Bryan, Brett Young, Cole Swindell, and Kane Brown. She’s made national TV appearances on The Bachelorette and TODAY, and will head out as direct support for Parker McCollum this August. With new music on the way, Cooke enters her next chapter with a growing audience and a sharpened creative voice.

Before moving to Nashville in 2019, Ella Langley cut her teeth gigging around bars and festivals in her home state of Alabama. After a few years in Music City, her 2023 debut EP Excuse The Mess introduced fan-favorite singles and set the stage for her breakout. In August 2024, she released her debut album Hungover, co-writing all 14 tracks and giving fans a raw look into her story. The project earned praise from The New York Times and Rolling Stone, landing on both outlets’ “Best of 2024” lists. Its standout track, “You Look Like You Love Me” featuring Riley Green, marked Langley’s Billboard Hot 100 debut and her first No. 1 on country radio, making her the first and one of only two women to top the Billboard Country Airplay chart in 2024. The Platinum-certified hit also earned CMA and ACM honors, including Musical Event and Single of the Year. After opening for acts like Morgan Wallen and Luke Bryan, Langley sold out her first headline tour in 2024 and is currently back on the road, supporting Wallen and Green this summer.

Just a few years after her debut, Megan Moroney has quickly established herself as a standout in modern country music. Her 2023 album Lucky introduced her to a wide audience with the 3X Platinum No. 1 hit “Tennessee Orange,” while her 2024 follow-up, Am I Okay? debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and became one of the year’s biggest releases by a female country artist. The album includes her second No. 1 at country radio, “Am I Okay?,” as well as “No Caller ID,” which broke the record for the largest U.S. streaming debut for a female country track. Moroney’s catalog has now surpassed 3 billion global streams. Her work has earned recognition from the ACMs, CMAs, and Billboard Women in Music, where she was honored with the Rulebreaker Award in 2025. In addition to festival appearances and international dates, she’s joined Kenny Chesney on stadium dates and is currently headlining her largest shows to date on the “Am I Okay? Tour.” a 50-date run across North America.

Kacey Musgraves released her fifth studio album Deeper Well in March 2024, marking the biggest chart debut of her career. The project landed at No. 1 on the Top Album Sales chart and became her fifth album to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Deeper Well follows 2021’s star-crossed and 2018’s Golden Hour, the latter earning Musgraves Album of the Year honors at the Grammy, CMA and ACM Awards. In 2023, she scored her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “I Remember Everything,” a duet with Zach Bryan which marked the first country duet to top the chart since 1983. The song won Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 2024 Grammy Awards, making Musgraves the only artist to win in all four country Grammy categories. In recent years, she’s been recognized by TIME, GLAAD, Billboard, and Variety, and was the subject of a full-length exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Lainey Wilson’s work continues to shape the current landscape of country music, both on the charts and within the broader creative community. In 2025, she earned four ACM Awards: Entertainer of the Year (for the second year in a row), Female Artist of the Year (third consecutive win), Album of the Year, and Artist-Songwriter of the Year. Her single “Somewhere Over Laredo” became the most added at country radio upon release and marked her biggest first-day streaming debut to date. The track will appear on the deluxe edition of her album Whirlwind, out August 22. Across her catalog, Wilson has tallied eight No. 1 singles, including “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” and “4x4xU.” She has also collaborated on tracks with Jelly Roll, Hardy, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Dolly Parton and Post Malone. A Grand Ole Opry member, she contributed to the Twisters soundtrack and is currently on her sold-out “Whirlwind World Tour.” Her upcoming role in Reminders of Him follows her on-screen debut in Yellowstone.