Chris Willman Receives 2025 CMA Media Achievement Award

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Shaboozey, Chris Willman and Stephen Wilson Jr. at Variety CMA Awards Interview Lounge presented by Duke Cannon at Anzie Blue on November 18, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo: Michael Buckner

Variety‘s Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Chris Willman has been honored with the 2025 CMA Media Achievement Award. Willman was surprised with the honor last night (Nov. 18) by Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr. at Variety’s CMA Awards Interview Lounge at Anzie Blue.

The award honors the outstanding achievements of print and online journalists, columnists, authors, editors, television writers, producers and bookers, and syndicated radio reporters in country music media. The winner is determined by CMA publicist members.

Willman has been a full-time music journalist for four decades, making him Los Angeles’ longest-standing reporter. During his time at Variety, he has helped create the inaugural Power of Women Nashville live event and special issue, producing stories on Sheryl Crow and Mickey Guyton. Throughout 2024-2025, he has conducted interviews with Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Parker McCollum, among others.

His other career stops include Entertainment Weekly, Billboard, and the Los Angeles Times. Willman is also the author of Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music, and is a two-time Entertainment Journalist of the Year at the SoCal Journalism Awards (2020, 2025) and was named Print Journalist of the Year at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards last year.

Madison Hahnen
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