Avery Anna Takes ACM New Female Artist Award Ahead of Ceremony

The 61st Academy of Country Music Awards won’t take the stage in Las Vegas until May 17, but one trophy already has its name on it. Avery Anna is this year’s New Female Artist of the Year.

The Arizona singer learned she’d won after a set at the Lone Star Smokeout in Arlington, Texas, over the weekend. She beat out Mackenzie Carpenter, Dasha, Caroline Jones, and Emily Ann Roberts. Anna’s recent EP Forgive, Forget arrived in April and builds on the emotional palette of her 2024 debut Breakup Over Breakfast. Her live cover of Ozzy Osbourne’s “No More Tears” turned heads last month, a reminder that her range extends beyond the writerly heartbreak that defined early singles.

In a short video, Anna said, “I’m just so grateful for this, I’m so honored. Thank you guys for rallying for me, supporting me and cheering me on.” The ACM’s decision to announce this category early continues a pattern of spotlighting emerging talent ahead of the main broadcast. Anna’s win isn’t a coronation but a nod to steady work and a distinctive voice that doesn’t lean on radio formulas.