Kenny Chesney, Riley Green Added to 2025 CMA Awards Performers List

Chris Stapleton, Kenny Chesney, Patty Loveless and Riley Green are among the newest additions to the 2025 CMA Awards performers list.

The nine new performers include two Country Music Hall of Famers, another Entertainer of the Year nominee and one of the purest voices in music in Brandi Carlile.

• The 2025 CMA Awards air on ABC on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
• Ella Langley, Lainey Wilson and Megan Moroney are among the nomination leaders.
• In 2024, there were 20 performance slots with some featuring multiple songs.

Related: 2025 CMA Awards Nominees Revealed — Here's the Full List

These additions make for 18 performances at the 2025 CMA Awards. It's a diverse group that includes contemporary country stars, veterans and BigXThaPlug, a Dallas rapper who has become a favorite collaborator with country singers.

His songs with Jelly Roll and Bailey Zimmerman have brought him positive attention in recent years. At the 2025 CMAs, he'll take the stage with Combs to sing "Pray Hard," a song about overcoming adversity through the power of prayer.

Typically, all five Entertainer of the Year nominees perform at the CMA Awards but this year could be different with Cody Johnson recovering from a busted eardrum and Morgan Wallen choosing to skip recent awards shows. That leaves Wilson, Combs and Chris Stapleton, all of whom will take the stage.

Wilson was the only one of the initial nine performances announced without a song, but it's also not clear what Carlile, Chesney or Loveless will sing. The "Somewhere Over Laredo" singer will also be hosting the CMA Awards by herself for the first time, after a year partnering with Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning.

2025 CMA Awards Performers (With Songs If Known):

BigXThaPlug and Luke Combs, “Pray Hard”
Brandi Carlile
Chris Stapleton, "Bad as I Used to Be"
Ella Langley, “Choosin’ Texas”
Kelsea Ballerini, "I Sit in Parks"
Kenny Chesney
Lainey Wilson
Luke Combs, “Back In the Saddle”
Megan Moroney, “6 Months Later”
Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton, "A Song to Sing"
Old Dominion Medley
Patty Loveless
Red Clay Strays, "People Hatin'"
Riley Green, "Worst Way"
Shaboozey and Stephen Wilson Jr., “Took a Walk”
Stephen Wilson Jr., “Stand by Me”
Tucker Wetmore, “Wind Up Missin’ You”
Zach Top, “Guitar”