Allison Moorer

When 26-year-old Allison Moorer contends for the Academy of Country Music's Top New Female Vocalist award on May 5 in L.A., she shouldn't have any award-night jitters. At least nothing compared to what she faced in March when she appeared onstage at the Academy Awards—and onscreen before one billion worldwide television viewers—to perform her Oscar-nominated song from The Horse Whisperer, "A Soft Place to Fall." "When I first saw the auditorium, I said, 'Shoot, this isn't big, I've done this a million times,' " Moorer recalls. "I just tried to tell myself, 'It's not on TV.' "

An Alabama native, Moorer followed her older sister, singer Shelby Lynne, to Nashville after graduating from college six years ago. Although she had only planned on doing background singing, song-writing partner (and now husband) Butch Primm encouraged her to launch a solo career, and her debut album, Alabama Song, was released last fall to critical acclaim. Moorer lost her Oscar bid (to songwriter Stephen Schwartz and his Prince of Egypt tune), but at least she has one less thing to worry about at this week's country music telecast. This time her performance was taped in advance.