Country music‘s biggest stars gathered at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 19 to celebrate country music and honor the best songs and performances from 2025 at the annual Country Music Association Awards.
CMA Awards 2025 Recap
Lainey Wilson hosted the 2025 CMA Awards, making her the first woman to host the awards show solo in over 30 years. She’s the reigning CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, and a six-time nominee at this year’s show.
Along with hosting, Wilson also performed, along with other iconic country artists, such as Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Riley Green, Little Big Town, Patty Loveless, Keith Urban, Ella Langley, and Megan Moroney.
The presenters for the 2025 CMA Awards included Elizabeth Hurley, Steve Martin, Lady A, Ne-Yo, and Jordan Davis.
Kidman & Urban Split
Urban’s performance at the 2025 CMA Awards was his first awards show performance since his divorce from actress Nicole Kidman after nearly two decades of marriage. She filed for divorce from Urban on September 30, 2025, citing irreconcilable differences.
Kidman and Urban married in 2006 and share two daughters, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, who are now 17 and 14. Kidman asked to be primary residential parent in the custody agreement as part of the divorce filing.
Urban and Kidman’s last CMA Awards appearance together was in 2023, for the 57th Annual CMA Awards.
Urban’s Performance at the 60th ACM Awards
Prior to his performance on November 19, Urban’s last awards show performance was at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards on May 8, 2025, where he performed as part of a tribute to receive the ACM Triple Crown Award.
GettyThe prestigious accolade celebrates artists who have achieved wins in three of the ACM’s most prestigious categories. Urban completed his Triple Crown journey with previous wins as ACM’s Top New Male Vocalist (2001), Male Vocalist of the Year (2005, 2006) and Entertainer of the Year (2019). He is the first artist to receive this honor during the ACM Awards since Carrie Underwood in 2010 at the 45th ACM Awards, according to Country Now.
Keith Urban joined the Brothers Osborne onstage to play a guitar solo during their performance of his 1999 hit “Where the Blacktop Ends.”
Watch the full performance below, including Megan Moroney performing “Stupid Boy” and Chris Stapleton singing “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” as a tribute to Urban.
Urban Takes the Stage at the 59th CMA Awards
Urban performed “Where the Blacktop Ends” alongside Wilson. Their duet to his song served as the finale to her show introduction.
GettyWatch a video of the performance here.
