Riley Green Heads Into the 2025 CMA Awards With Four Major Nominations
Riley Green is gearing up for a huge night as the 2025 CMA Awards approach on November 19.
Broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, the ceremony will be one of the biggest nights of his career so far.
Green is nominated for four CMA Awards, including Single, Song, and Music Video of the Year for his viral hit “You Look Like You Love Me” with Ella Langley. Their follow-up collaboration, “Don’t Mind If I Do,” is also up for Musical Event of the Year.
“I Never Expected This” — Riley Green Reflects on His Nominations
For Green, the recognition still feels surreal.
“It’s never something that you really expect,” he admitted.
He added that he still looks at the world “as a fan of country music,” and finds it overwhelming to see his name listed alongside artists he grew up admiring.
“To get thrown in with that is a big deal,” he said. “I’m excited to have it lifted up there with all these other great songs and collaborations.”
The Viral Power of “You Look Like You Love Me”
Green also acknowledged the runaway success of his duet with Ella Langley — a song he didn’t anticipate would explode the way it did.
“I thought talking verses were too traditional,” he admitted with a laugh.
But the country world proved him wrong.
“It’s been amazing to see what that song has become. Ella’s had such a great moment with it. It’s really fun to play live.”
A Solo-Penned Nominee: “Don’t Mind If I Do”
Among all four nominations, one stands out to Green in a personal way.
“Don’t Mind If I Do,” also featuring Langley, is up for Musical Event of the Year — and it’s a song he wrote entirely by himself.
“That makes it special,” he said. “It became the title track on my album, and it’s one of my favorites to play on the road.”
For him, having a solo-written song receive CMA recognition is “a big deal.”
A Steamy CMA Performance Ahead
Along with his nominations, Riley Green will take the stage to perform his chart-topping hit “Worst Way.”
“It’s such a cool thing to be able to actually perform,” he said. “To play a song that was a big hit this year… that’s going to be a really great moment.”
A Star-Packed Night in Nashville
The 59th Annual CMA Awards will be loaded with talent, featuring performances by:
Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Keith Urban, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, The Red Clay Strays, Zach Top, Brandi Carlile, Old Dominion, Patty Loveless, and many more.
The presenter list is stacked as well, including Lady A, Alan Ritchson, Lauren Daigle, LeAnn Rimes, Steve Martin, Gretchen Wilson, Cody Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Elizabeth Hurley, NE-YO, and Bailey Zimmerman.
Hosted by Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson will host “Country Music’s Biggest Night,” airing live November 19 from 8–11 PM ET on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.
For Riley Green, it’s shaping up to be a night he’ll never forget — no matter how many trophies he takes home.