Stephen Wilson Jr CMA Awards — From viral songs and national TV spots to festival debuts, the singer-songwriter now heads to the CMA Awards.
Written by Amanda Tempel

Seymour, Indiana, native Stephen Wilson Jr. scored his first nomination for the Country Music Association Awards with a nod in the New Artist category. Other contenders include Ella Langley, Shaboozey, Zach Top, and Tucker Wetmore. The CMA Awards air on Wednesday, November 19, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

Upon hearing the news of the nomination, Stephen took to social media to say, “So I guess I will see you at the CMAs. Tank was low, heart is full, mind is blown. Thank you. Love You all. Congrats to all the nominees!

It was also announced that he will be performing on the CMA Awards in a can’t-miss collaboration with Shaboozey. The pair will sing “Took A Walk” from the recently released film “The Long Walk,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel.

It’s been a busy year for Stephen Wilson Jr. He released a deluxe edition of his acclaimed debut double album søn of dad, which features his moving rendition of “Stand By Me,” now streamed tens of millions of times and included in a primetime Pampers commercial. He also put out his Blankets EP, featuring covers of songs by Nirvana, Temple of the Dog, The Postal Service, and The Smashing Pumpkins. Fans also saw him perform the national anthem at this year’s NFL Draft.

In between headline shows, Stephen supported Eric Church during his three-night run at Red Rocks this July, made his Newport Folk Festival debut and joined HARDY on his Jim Bob World Tour. He will kick off 2026 with a performance at Mile 0 Festival in Key West and will join Eric Church again for a trio of shows in February before performing at Railbird Music Festival and Under The Big Sky Festival next summer.