Awards
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While Jason Aldean’s performance at the 2024 CMT Music Awards was fairly straightforward for the country hitmaker, his appearance on the network’s signature awards show had some people raising their eyebrows. Singing “Let Your Boys Be Country,” a twangy rocker from his 2023 album Highway Desperado and top 20 hit on Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart, […]
The biggest names in country music headed to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Sunday (April 7) for the 2024 CMT Music Awards hosted by Kelsea Ballerini. The 2024 CMT Music Awards red carpet boasted appearances from Ballerini, Trisha Yearwood, Jelly Roll, Brandi Cyrus, rapper GloRilla, Little Big Town, Keith Urban, Cody Johnson and […]
The 2024 CMT Music Awards are here!
Going into Sunday night’s (April 7) show, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini and Megan Moroney all lead the nominations with three apiece. Ballerini returns as host this year for the show, which is airing live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on CBS and streaming live and on-demand via Paramount+.
You can follow along with all the night’s biggest winners as Billboard brings you coverage from the red carpet, the show and beyond. Find the 2024 CMT Music Awards winners below:
Video of the year Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
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Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)”
Female video of the year Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.
Ashley McBryde – “Light On In The Kitchen”
Gabby Barrett – “Glory Days”
Kacey Musgraves – “Deeper Well”
Kelsea Ballerini – “Penthouse”
Lainey Wilson – “Watermelon Moonshine”
Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty”
Reba McEntire – “Seven Minutes In Heaven”
Male video of the year Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.
Bailey Zimmerman – “Religiously”
Cody Johnson – “The Painter”
HARDY – “Truck Bed”
Jelly Roll – “Need A Favor”
Jordan Davis – “Next Thing You Know”
Luke Combs – “Fast Car (Official Live Video)”
Morgan Wallen – “Last Night (One Record At A Time Sessions)”
Duo/group video of the year
Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.
Brothers Osborne – “Nobody’s Nobody”
Dan + Shay – “Save Me The Trouble”
Old Dominion – “Memory Lane”
Parmalee – “Girl In Mine”
The War And Treaty – “Have You A Heart”
Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”
Collaborative video of the year Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.
Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton – “We Don’t Fight Anymore”
Ella Langley feat. Koe Wetzel – “That’s Why We Fight”
Jon Pardi, Luke Bryan – “Cowboys And Plowboys”
Justin Moore & Priscilla Block – “You, Me And Whiskey”
Lukas Nelson + Promise of The Real feat. Lainey Wilson – “More Than Friends”
Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown – “Nothing Compares To You”
Old Dominion & Megan Moroney – “Can’t Break Up Now”
Breakthrough female video of the year, presented by Walt Disney WorldBest video from a female artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
Anne Wilson – “Rain In The Rearview”
Ashley Cooke – “your place”
Brittney Spencer – “Bigger Than The Song”
Tigirlily Gold – “Shoot Tequila”
Breakthrough male video of the year, presented by Walt Disney WorldBest video from a male artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.
Chayce Beckham – “23”
Tyler Childers – “In Your Love”
Warren Zeiders – “Pretty Little Poison”
Zach Bryan – “Oklahoma Smokeshow”
CMT performance of the yearMusical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
Amber Riley – “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.” (from CMT Smashing Glass)
Bret Michaels & Chris Janson – “Nothing But a Good Time” (from CMT Crossroads)
Carrie Underwood – “Hate My Heart” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Cody Johnson – “Human” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane” (from CMT Storytellers)
Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
Hozier & Maren Morris – “Take Me To Church” (from CMT Crossroads)
Jelly Roll – “Need a Favor” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
Kelsea Ballerini – “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)
The War And Treaty – “On My Own” (from CMT Smashing Glass)
CMT digital-first performance of the year
Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT digital / social channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo).
Chase Rice – “Goodnight Nancy” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Dylan Scott – “Don’t Close Your Eyes (Keith Whitley Cover)” (from CMT Digital Campfire Sessions)
Megan Moroney – “I’m Not Pretty” (from CMT Digital Campfire Sessions)
Nate Smith – “Whiskey On You” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Stephen Wilson Jr. – “Year to Be Young 1994” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Scotty McCreery – “It Matters To Her” (from CMT Stages)
The Castellows – “I Know It Will Never End” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
When the CMT Music Awards return to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, for a second run in the venue on Sunday (April 7), five-time Billboard Country Airplay chart-topper Kelsea Ballerini will host the evening, guiding viewers through the performance-packed, awards-filled event. The awards show will air live on CBS and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
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“I think last year, with it being the first year there, the fans were so excited and you could really feel that in the room,” Ballerini tells Billboard via Zoom ahead of Sunday’s awards show. “I felt like that really translated to the folks at home watching. To be here again, I feel like we worked out any kinks that may have happened and now we’re comfy and we’re ready.”
This year, Ballerini is hosting the CMT Music Awards solo, after co-hosting the show for the past three years. In 2021 and 2023, Ballerini led the CMT Music Awards with Kane Brown, while in 2022, she co-hosted the show remotely.
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“I was just joking that I’m not so much worried about messing up the prompter,” Ballerini says of this year’s solo hosting duties. “I’m a little more worried that there’s a lot of stairs and stage to navigate without an arm to lean on. But I think Kane taught me well, so I’m excited. The script is really funny, in my opinion. It’s light and celebratory.”
Ballerini will pull double-duty on CMT Music Awards night as not only host, but a performer. Last year, she poured the journey of pain and healing post-divorce into her acclaimed and Grammy-nominated project Rolling Up the Welcome Mat. But on Sunday, she will celebrate a decade in the music spotlight when she sings a reimagined version of her debut single “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Ballerini wrote the song alongside Lance Carpenter, Josh Kerr and Forrest Glen Whitehead, and after Ballerini released it as her debut single in 2014, the song became her first No. 1 Country Airplay hit.
“I wanted to bookmark it and wanted to find a way to honor that and also challenge myself to reconstruct it as a 30-year-old,” Ballerini says. “The message of it is still something I believe in, which is that you accept the love that you believe you deserve and we’re all deserving of good, loyal love. But how I would sing it now sounds different than how 19-year-old me recorded it. First of all, my voice has changed so much. When I listen to the original, my voice sounds so much higher, so I wanted to play in this lower register that I’ve gotten as I’ve grown up. I wanted to keep the integrity of the melodies that made it hooky, so you hear that in the chorus and you hear that in a mandolin or kind of like a synth in the background. It keeps the integrity of the original but moves it forward.”
Her role as host of the CMT Music Awards also marks a full-circle moment for Ballerini, who first attended the CMT Music Awards as a fan.
“My first memory of the CMT Music Awards was when I was in high school. I had just moved to Nashville and me and a friend waited outside of the barricade at the CMT Music Awards when they were still in Nashville. We just waited for artists to come over because we wanted to meet them and take pictures with them. I remember Keith Urban came over and I have a picture with him. As a fan, it was one of the craziest moments of my life, so it feels very full-circle to go from the kid outside the barricade to being the host of the show. That’s not lost on me and I’m very excited to be here.”
Looking back over her previous CMT Music Awards appearances and performances, she says a standout was last year’s performance of “If You Go Down (I’m Going Down Too),” when Ballerini was joined by top drag queen performers including Manila Luzon, Kennedy Davenport, Jan Sport and Olivia Lux.
“I think when I ride off into the sunset one day, that will be something that I will hang my hat on forever. I’m proud of that,” Ballerini says.
For Ballerini, one of the most anticipated moments moments during this year’s show will be the collaboration between Little Big Town and Sugarland. “I feel like that’s a country music team win,” she says. “I remember I saw them when they toured together when I was still in [Ballerini’s hometown of] Knoxville, Tennessee and it was one of the best shows I’ve seen. Then they did ‘Life in a Northern Town’ [with Jake Owen] at the CMT Music Awards and it was iconic, so to have them team up again, I’m excited to see what they do. I know what they are going to do, because [Little Big Town’s] Karen [Fairchild] is one of my good friends, but I’m excited for everyone else to see what they do.”
If she was given the chance to add one artist to the CMT Music Awards billing, Ballerini says one performer in particular immediately comes to mind: Beyoncé.
Ballerini says of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, “I think it’s incredible, I really do. I think having one of the biggest superstars in music history make a country record is a team win for country. The record is so beautiful. That will absolutely be my getting ready soundtrack on Sunday.”
The Lone Stars are aligned for two Nashville-based country awards shows.
After testing the Brazos waters in 2023, both CMT and the Academy of Country Music are bringing their annual awards shows back to Texas this year. The CMT Music Awards air April 7 on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin. The ACM, meanwhile, announces finalists for its awards on April 9, with the trophy ceremony streaming May 16 on Amazon Prime from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
Texas has not traditionally been a big awards market, and for the country industry — centered primarily in Nashville — it means a few extra nights away from home for the show and lead-in activities. In exchange, awards producers showcase the genre’s talent in one of country’s primary markets, where the fan base hasn’t gotten jaded — as it might in Nashville or Los Angeles — from regular proximity to multi-artist events.
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“It’s packed to the ceiling, and the fans were wild and crazy and danced the whole time,” ACM CEO Damon Whiteside recalls of last year’s show, which featured co-hosts Garth Brooks and Dolly Parton. “It was probably more cowboy boots and cowboy hats than we’d ever seen in our venues before, which was fun, too. All I can say is the energy and the passion in the room was kind of off the charts.”
The ACM and CMT arrived in Texas via different roads. The ACM took a risk in 2015 by presenting its awards at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, marking the first time that a major awards show had aired from a stadium. From the moment Whiteside arrived at the ACM in 2020, following a stint with the Country Music Association, Texas talk was on the table.
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The Dallas Cowboys, he says, “were very excited at the thought of having our show come back.”
CMT, however, transferred to Texas somewhat unexpectedly. The awards had been held on the eve of Nashville’s CMA Fest in June since 2002, but when CBS’ contract with the ACM Awards expired, the network rescheduled subsidiary CMT’s ceremony as a spring event. That created conflicts with the host venue — producers needed access to Bridgestone Arena for at least 10 days, but the NHL’s Nashville Predators had priority. Austin had courted CMT for years, and that groundwork paid off.
“Austin is the live-music capital of the world — that definitely played into it,” CMT executive producer Margaret Comeaux says. “If we were going to go anywhere outside of Music City, we wanted to make sure that we were going to a place that appreciated music as much as Nashville and CMT.”
Texas is fertile ground for country music. Both shows indicate that current Texas-bred hit-makers Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum will likely have a role in their shows. The two artists will perform at the CMT Awards, which also has appearances by native son Lukas Nelson and former Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens. McCollum will also host a golf tournament for the ACMs, which will make performance decisions after nominees are announced. Last year, the ACMs employed Frisco-based Corey Kent for the week’s ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
Johnson and McCollum are graduates of Texas’ red-dirt music scene, which has its own thriving concert scene, providing careers for such acts as Aaron Watson, Casey Donahew, Wade Bowen, The Randy Rogers Band and Bri Bagwell. The subgenre likewise has its own awards show: the Texas Regional Radio Report (T3R) Awards, named after the publication that produces them. Its charts appear weekly in the Billboard Country Update (see page 4).
The mainstream country community “still [doesn’t] recognize this fully,” says T3R event coordinator Tami Millspaugh, who also markets to red-dirt programmers through her Fort Worth-based company, Texas Record Chick Promotions. “They are starting to, in Nashville, more and more, because they are obviously cherry-picking some of the talent from here.”
The T3R Awards, presented for the 14th time on March 25, have been held in smaller venues — the 700-seat Arlington Music Hall and the event multiplex Texas Live! — but the show, much like Texas music, is in expansion mode. The most recent ceremony was filmed for the first time and could end up on a cable station or a streaming platform such as Netflix.
“We will have a show here within the next few weeks that we are going to be pitching to various networks,” Millspaugh says, “and just show off what we’ve done.”
The Texas Music Office is apparently keen to pull in more trophy presentations. Both the ACM and CMT received incentives from the state for bringing their events to town.
Austin has another event heading its way, too. The city is in the path of totality for the solar eclipse on April 8. More than 1 million tourists are expected to descend on the Texas capital to watch, according to KVUE-TV Austin.
“Lots of people are worried that their flights are going to get canceled, so they’re trying to get out early,” Comeaux says. “I am not one of those. There’s a few of us that might be standing out at the arrivals gate at the airport, watching it and then going inside to get on my flight.”
The ACMs, meanwhile, are connected to an ongoing Texas attraction. The Star is a 91-acre campus that houses the business center for the Cowboys’ NFL team. The built-in amenities — shops, restaurants, hotels, a golf course — make for a comfortable getaway for industry attendees, many of whom go home after a Nashville awards show.
“You’ve got industry everywhere you go and you’re bumping into people,” Whiteside says of the Frisco layout. “There’s a lot of meeting up for drinks at the Omni Hotel bar, which is where our board stays and it’s attached to the venue.”
The ACMs, which were originally centered in Los Angeles, spent roughly 20 years in Las Vegas, creating a similar temporary community on the Strip. It’s possible that CMT and/or the ACM are at the start of another 20-year out-of-town run in the Lone Star State. But no one knows yet if these moves are permanent.
“There’s a lot of excitement about the Texas market for the future,” Whiteside says, “but we haven’t made a final decision yet.”
Songwriter Madison Love, film director Ang Lee and actor Corey Stoll will be honored by New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts on Monday, April 8 at Cipriani South Street in New York City. Love, 28, is the first alumnus of the NYU Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at Tisch to be honored […]
Deorro, Farruko, Gabito Ballesteros, Jay Wheeler, Justin Quiles, Peso Pluma and Yng Lvcas are set to perform at the 2024 Latin American Music Awards.
TelevisaUnivision announced its first round of performers on Thursday (Apr. 4) for the upcoming ceremony, which will be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas via Univision, UNIMÁS, Galavision and ViX on Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m. ET.
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Peso Pluma will return to the Latin AMAs stage, where he made his first televised performance at the ceremony last year. The Guadalajara native is one of the most nominated artists of the night with 12 entries, including artist of the year, new artist of the year, song of the year (“Ella Baila Sola” with Eslabon Armado) and best album – regional Mexican (Génesis), among others. To see the complete list of nominees, click here.
Música mexicana star Gabito Ballesteros is expected to perform his hit “Lou Lou” and “El Boss” on national television for the first time. The singer has two nominations: new artist of the year and best regional Mexican artist.
Farruko, who is nominated for best song – pop (“Pasa_je_ro”), will perform his latest song, “Confía,” for the first time on TV, and Jay Wheeler will celebrate his upcoming release Música Buena Para Días Malos.
Yng Lvcas — who earned three nods: new artist of the year, collaboration of the year (“La Bebe Remix” with Peso Pluma) and best album – urban (LPM (La Perreo Mixtape)) — will sing “Jimmy Choo.” Meanwhile, DJ/producer Deorro and Justin Quiles will also take the stage.
Co-hosted by Thalía, Alejandra Espinoza and Carlos Ponce, this year’s awards ceremony will celebrate the theme “We Speak Música.” For the latest news, visit LatinAMAs.com.
Charli XCX is slated to receive the ASCAP Global Impact Award at a party to celebrate the ASCAP Pop Music Awards 2024 winners on Wednesday, May 8 in Los Angeles. The invitation-only event will recognize the songwriters and publishers of ASCAP’s most-performed pop songs of the past year. Previous recipients of the ASCAP Global Impact […]
With three nods, Sarah Aarons has the edge leading into the 2024 APRA Music Awards, set for Wednesday, May 1 at ICC Sydney, on Gadigal land.
The chasing pack is close behind, and includes dual nominees Troye Sivan, Budjerah, Ainslie Wills, Styalz Fuego, Amy Shark, The Kid LAROI, James Johnston and MAY-A.
Aarons, the Los Angeles-based, Melbourne-raised songwriter, has a swag of APRA Awards in her collection. At the 2019 APRAs in her hometown, Aarons collected four circular trophies, including the coveted, peer-voted APRA song of the year. The following year, she entered APRA AMCOS’s The 1,000,000,000 List for one billion streams of her Grammy-nominated “The Middle,” performed by Zedd, Grey and Maren Morris; and won songwriter of the year at the inaugural Global APRA Music Awards in L.A. Last year, Aarons jointly won song of the year with Flume, for the EDM star’s “Say Nothing” featuring MAY-A.
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This time, she’s in the hunt for most performed Australian work, most performed pop work, and APRA song of the year with “Therapy,” co-written with Ajay Bhattacharyya and performed by Budjerah.
Also competing for APRA’s song of the year, the night’s top award, is previous winner Paul Kelly and the late David McComb (for “If Not Now”), Angie McMahon (“Letting Go”), Troye Sivan (for “Rush” with co-writer Styalz Fuego) and G Flip plus co-writer Aidan Hogg for “The Worst Person Alive.”
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Mega-stars Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith, and David Guetta are shortlisted for most performed international work.
Organizers APRA ring in the changes this year with the inaugural most performed hard rock/heavy metal work category, which sees five heavyweights duke it out: Alpha Wolf (“60cm of Steel”), Parkway Drive (“Darker Still”), King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (Dragon”), Polaris (“Inhumane”) and the Amity Affliction (“It’s Hell Down Here”).
And the breakthrough songwriter category is renamed emerging songwriter, with Beckah Amani, grentperez, MAY-A, Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell (Royel Otis), and Scarlett McKahey, Anna Ryan, Jaida Stephenson and Neve van Boxsel (Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers) cracking the shortlist.First time APRA Award nominees include Tex Perkins, The Buoys, Frank Sultana, Alan Boyle and Christian Harvey (pka Blues Arcadia), Ian Moss, Dean Brady, Kaylee Bell, Skin on Skin, Forest Claudette, Elliott Hammond, Jordan Samatua, Jack Madin and Edward Service (Shouse), Parkway Drive, the Amity Affliction, Polaris, Alpha Wolf and more.
Established in 1982, the Australasian Performing Right Association’s annual songwriters’ ceremony is one of the Australian music industry’s most treasured events, a worthy counterpart to Britain’s Ivor Novello Awards.
The special moments in the APRAs program includes the performance of those song of the year nominees, often completely reimagined, by another star from Australia’s scene, duties for which falls this year to musical director Julian Hamilton of The Presets. TV funnyman Tom Gleeson is host on the night, alongside guest presenters Jen Cloher and Bumpy.
Visit apraamcos.com.au for more.
Jason Aldean and newcomer Dasha have been added to the performance lineup for the 2024 CMT Music Awards. The three-hour show is set to air live on Sunday, April 7, on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Aldean is set to perform “Let Your Boys Be Country,” which jumps from No. 46 to No. 40 on this week’s Hot Country Songs chart. Dasha will perform her breakout hit, “Austin,” which jumps from No. 15 to No. 11 on that chart. The latter song will serve as a tribute to the show’s host city. The program, hosted by Kelsea Ballerini, will air from the Moody Center in Austin.
This will be Aldean’s ninth performance on the CMT stage. In 2022, he joined Bryan Adams for a performance of Adams’ 1985 smash, “Heaven.” His other memorable CMT appearances include his 2011 “Dirt Road Anthem” collab with Ludacris; his 2013 co-hosting stint with Kristen Bell, where he performed alongside Lenny Kravitz; and being part of the superstar Gregg Allman tribute in 2017.
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Trisha Yearwood will perform in tandem with Sam Hunt. She will also receive the inaugural June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award. The show will feature four other collaborative performances — Little Big Town and Sugarland, NEEDTOBREATHE and Jordan Davis, Old Dominion featuring Megan Moroney and Parker McCollum featuring Brittney Spencer.
Ballerini, Moroney, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll and Lainey Wilson lead nominations for the 2024 CMT Music Awards with three nods apiece. General voting is now closed. Voting for video of the year remains active into the show.
The event will air from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. on both coasts. Margaret Comeaux (CMT), John Hamlin (Switched on Entertainment), Leslie Fram (CMT) and Jason Owen (Sandbox Entertainment) are the executive producers.
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on demand the day after the show airs.
Performers
Bailey Zimmerman
Cody Johnson
Jelly Roll
Keith Urban
Kelsea Ballerini
Lainey Wilson
Little Big Town and Sugarland
Megan Moroney
NEEDTOBREATHE and Jordan Davis
Old Dominion featuring Megan Moroney
Parker McCollum featuring Brittney Spencer
Sam Hunt and Trisha Yearwood
Presenters
Amber Riley
Billy Bob Thornton (Landman)
Carly Pearce
Cody Alan
Cody Johnson
Emily Osment (Young Sheldon)
Emma Roberts
Gayle King (CBS Mornings)
James Van Der Beek
Jane Seymour
Jelly Roll
Max Theriot (Fire Country)
Megan Moroney
Melissa Etheridge
Mickey Guyton
Minnie Driver
Montana Jordan (Young Sheldon)
Parmalee
Paul Walter Hauser