2026 MusicRow Awards Nominees For Female Artist Of The Year

Following the announcement of this year’s nominees for the 38th 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. 2.

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. 14 at 5:00 p.m. To receive a ballot to vote in the MusicRow Awards, become a MusicRow subscriber here.

 

Warner Records Nashville artist Avery Anna first garnered attention by sharing videos online before releasing her debut EP, Mood Swings, in 2022. Since then, the Arizona native has developed a catalog that blends country, pop and singer-songwriter influences, earning more than 1.7 billion global streams. Her 2022 single “Narcissist” was certified Platinum. Last year, her sophomore album, let go letters, inspired by the real life stories of her fans, was named one of Billboard’s “50 Best Albums of 2025.” In 2026, she took home ACM New Female Artist of the Year and completed her “Girl of Constant Sorrow” headline run. In March, Anna released her EP forgive, forget., featuring “Fear In God,” a faith-inspired duet with Sam Barber. The pair previously reached the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with “Indigo” and later performed the song together on The Kelly Clarkson Show. Alongside her headlining dates, Anna has also toured with Megan Moroney, Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell and others. Anna is currently amidst a run of festival dates throughout the summer.

Black River Entertainment’s Kelsea Ballerini entered a new creative chapter in 2026 with the release of her EP Mount Pleasant, a project that continues the personal songwriting that has become a hallmark of her recent work through songs that explore personal identity, relationships and the changing priorities that come with adulthood. She followed the EP this summer with collaborations including “Another Drink” with Marshmello and “Math of Us” with Patrick Droney. Earlier in 2025, Ballerini wrapped her 35-date “KELSEA BALLERINI LIVE ON TOUR,” performing in arenas across the country. Those releases followed her 2024 album PATTERNS, which debuted atop Billboard’s Country Albums chart, and the acclaimed 2023 Rolling Up The Welcome Mat. Ballerini earned nominations for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2025 CMA Awards, Female Artist of the Year at the 2026 ACM Awards and Best Contemporary Country Album at the 2026 GRAMMY Awards for Patterns, continuing a career that has included seven No. 1 singles, induction into the Grand Ole Opry and collaborations spanning country and pop.

Before moving to Nashville in 2019, Columbia Records’ Ella Langley cut her teeth playing bars and festivals throughout her home state of Alabama. After a few years in Music City, her 2023 debut EP Excuse the Mess introduced fan-favorite songs before she released her debut album, hungover, in 2024. She followed it with her 2026 sophomore album, Dandelion, which debuted at No. 1 and was executive produced by Langley alongside Miranda Lambert and Ben West. The album includes the four-times Platinum single “Choosin’ Texas” and the Platinum-certified “Be Her.” “Choosin’ Texas” spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the longest-running No. 1 by a woman with a country hit on the chart. The song also recorded six separate runs at No. 1 during a single release cycle while spending 29 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Langley is currently on her headlining “Dandelion Tour” after earning seven ACM Awards in 2026, including Female Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, Single of the Year and Musical Event of the Year alongside Riley Green for “Don’t Mind If I Do.”

Sony Music Nashville’s Megan Moroney entered 2026 with the February release of her third studio album, Cloud 9, which includes the chart-topping singles “Beautiful Things” and “6 Months Later,” her highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. The album follows her Gold-certified sophomore release, Am I Okay?, which debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 in 2024 and became one of the year’s biggest releases by a female country artist. The project produced the double-Platinum No. 1 hit “Am I Okay?” and the Platinum-certified “No Caller ID,” which set the record for the largest U.S. streaming debut for a female country song. Moroney’s catalog has now surpassed 3.9 billion global streams, led by her four-times Platinum No. 1 hit “Tennessee Orange” from her 2023 debut album, Lucky. Following the sold-out 50-date “Am I Okay? tour,” Moroney returned to the road earlier this year with an international headline run featuring arena dates across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom in support of Cloud 9.

Lost Highway’s Kacey Musgraves returned in 2026 with her sixth studio album, Middle of Nowhere, a 13-song collection she cowrote and co-produced with longtime collaborators Daniel Tashian and Ian Fitchuk. Inspired by the sounds and stories of her Texas upbringing, the album features collaborations with Willie Nelson, Miranda Lambert, Billy Strings and Gregory Alan Isakov. Later this year, Musgraves will launch the “Middle of Nowhere Tour” in support of the new album. It follows 2024’s Deeper Well, which delivered the biggest debut sales week of Musgraves’ career, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Album Sales chart and became her fifth No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart. The album’s single “The Architect” earned the Grammy Award for Best Country Song. In 2023, Musgraves scored her first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with “I Remember Everything,” her duet with Zach Bryan, becoming the first country duet in 40 years to top the chart. The song also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Across her career, Musgraves has earned eight Grammy Awards.

Lainey Wilson continued the Whirlwind era in 2025 with the release of the album’s deluxe edition, featuring five additional tracks, including her No. 1 single “Somewhere Over Laredo.” The Louisiana native carried that momentum into 2026 by headlining Stagecoach, launching a run of stadium shows with Chris Stapleton and becoming the subject of the Netflix documentary Lainey Wilson: Keepin’ Country Cool. At the 2025 CMA Awards, Wilson became the first solo female host since Reba McEntire in 1991 while winning Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year for Whirlwind. A member of the Grand Ole Opry, Wilson has earned nine No. 1 singles, including “Heart Like a Truck,” “Watermelon Moonshine,” “Wildflowers and Wild Horses,” “4x4xU” and “Somewhere Over Laredo,” and more. She also earned three nominations at the 2026 Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Somewhere Over Laredo,” as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Trailblazer,” her collaboration with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert. Wilson recently released her latest single, “Phone Keys Wallet,” featuring John Mayer.