rising duo Thelma & James earned their first Academy of Country Music Awards nomination for Duo of The Year, which will stream live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 17. Nominated alongside them in the category are legendary duos Brooks & Dunn, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay and Muscadine Bloodline.
The married duo, comprised of MacKenzie Porter and Jake Etheridge, took to social media celebrating the news from their kitchen.
Their most recent release, “Alternate Ending,” adds to their “growing canon of tragedy” (Country Central) following their first heartbreaker of the year, “If You Ain’t In Love By Now.” The pair are currently on their first-ever tour run as a duo supporting Luke Combs‘ stadium My Kinda Saturday Night Tour – hitting Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa this weekend.
Last fall Thelma & James released their debut EP Starting Over – the culmination of an unexpected whirlwind year. Not realizing the best writing partner was with each other all along, their first co-write in over a decade produced viral track “Happy Ever After You” that Billboard noted as a “pared-back ballad of love undimmed by the time and miles between.” Garnering over 31 million global streams since its release, the impromptu song made waves online with support from Kendall Jenner, John Mayer, Brandi Carlile and more – which led to their record deal, invitation to open for Combs on his stadium tour and fast-tracked rise.
For more information or tickets, visit thelmaandjames.com.
Thelma & James 2026 Tour Dates
April 11 – Ames, IA – Jack Trice Stadium*
April 18 – South Bend, IN – Notre Dame Stadium*
April 25 – Columbus, OH – Ohio Stadium*
May 2 – Knoxville, TN – Neyland Stadium*
May 9 – Norman, OK – Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium*
May 15 – Green Bay, WI – Lambeau Field*
May 16 – Green Bay, WI – Lambeau Field*
May 29 – Montreal, Quebec – Parc Jean-Drapeau*
May 30 – Montreal, Quebec – Parc Jean-Drapeau*
June 5 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium*
June 6 – Toronto, Ontario – Rogers Stadium*
Aug 8 – Oro Station, Canada – Boots and Hearts Music Festival 2026
Aug 29 – Edmonton, Canada – Boots and Hearts West 2026
