Thelma & James Earn First CMA Award Nomination for Vocal Duo of the Year

The married duo celebrates its first CMA nomination.

Written By: Amanda Tempel

Date Published: September 26, 2026

Thelma & James have earned their first CMA Award nomination. The married duo of MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge is nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 2026 CMA Awards alongside Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, and Muscadine Bloodline.

The nomination comes after a busy year for the pair. They completed their first stadium tour with Luke Combs, received an ACM Award nomination for Duo of the Year, and released new music, including “Home In Your Broken Heart,” “Alternate Ending,” “If You Ain’t In Love By Now,” and “The Way That It Wasn’t.”

How Thelma & James began

Porter and Etheridge were already married and working as songwriters when they wrote together for the first time in more than a decade. That song, “Happy Ever After You,” became the beginning of Thelma & James.

After sharing an impromptu video of the song online, they began building a following as a duo. The pair signed with Big Loud Records in 2025 and released their debut EP, Starting Over, last fall.

Their recent releases include “The Way That It Wasn’t,” which arrived in September.

A CCMA Award win before the CMAs

Thelma & James received five nominations at the 2026 Canadian Country Music Awards. They won Video of the Year for “Parking Lot Prayers” and performed at the September 19 ceremony in Saskatoon.

Now, they are among five acts nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the CMA Awards. CMA named Thelma & James among this year’s first-time nominees.

When are the 2026 CMA Awards?

The 60th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, November 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. The show will be available the following day on Hulu.

For more on this year’s ceremony, visit our 2026 CMA Awards guide.