Music

Following the passing of Southern rock star Gary Rossington in March, the 2023 CMT Music Awards decided to pay tribute to the late superstar and his impact with Lynyrd Skynyrd on Sunday night (April 2).

Taking to the stage for the evening’s final performance, country singers Cody Johnson, Wynonna Judd and LeAnn Rimes were joined by Guns N’ Roses’ Slash, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers and former Allman Brothers Band members Chuck Leavell and Warren Haynes for a tribute to the late guitarist, performing the band’s iconic tracks “Simple Man” and “Sweet Home Alabama.”

The star-studded group of performers was introduced by British rock star Peter Frampton, who lauded Rossington as a “Southern rock icon,” saying the star “helped define a band’s sound, and he inspired millions of fans and musicians” before joining his fellow bandmates “in rock n’ roll heaven.”

For their performance, the superstar group turned the stage into a Southern swamp of talent, backed by images of murky waters and reeds, as the musicians grooved their way through “Simple Man,” with Johnson and Rodgers trading verses back and forth. Once they finished out the classic track, the supergroup launched into a rollicking performance of “Sweet Home Alabama,” bringing the cheering crowd to its feet for a big finish to the annual ceremony.

Johnson, Judd, Rimes and company were far from the only performers to take to the CMT stage on Sunday. Stars including Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Jelly Roll and Carrie Underwood all performed at the awards show, while Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown hosted the telecast and delivered sets of their own.

Carrie Underwood delivered her highly anticipated CMT Music Awards performance on Sunday night (April 2) when she unleashed her Denim & Rhinestones hit “Hate My Heart” onstage in front of the capitol building in Austin.

Fittingly dressed in a Queen of Hearts-inspired blazer, corset and shorts — and holding a heart-encrusted microphone — the country superstar delivered the track as fireworks blasted off behind her. “Hate My Heart” was up for video of the year at this year’s ceremony, though it ultimately lost to Kane and Katelyn Brown’s “Thank God.”

Underwood’s “Ghost Story” was also nominated for female video of the year.

The singer is no stranger to the CMT Music Awards, as she’s taken home 25 total trophies throughout her career. She also has the most video of the year wins and female video of the year wins of any artist.

“I wanted to have fun from the get-go,” the 40-year-old star previously told Billboard of Denim & Rhinestones, which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums chart. “That was definitely mission No. 1. With some other albums, it took me writing for a while before I figured out where the album’s gonna go. It’s got a lot of vintage sparkle. It’s not solidly throwback, but we have a couple of songs that are a little more ’70s feel and some that are in the ’80s pop world and some ’90s rock stuff, and obviously country. But we wanted to have music that was fun and felt good.”

Honoring ten years of CMT’s “Next Women of Country” series, a quintet of female singer-songwriters delivered Alanis Morissette‘s star-making 1995 post-breakup anthem “You Oughta Know” at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. Morissette was joined by previous honorees Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Madeline Edwards and Morgan Wade for the performance.

Wearing a sequined shirt over a white tee, Alanis led the All-Star vocal group in a performance of the incendiary Jagged Little Pill classic — with, appropriately enough, an actual blaze going on behind them. The performance was a mostly faithful rendition, albeit with some more complex harmonies added to the chorus, befitting the vocal talents of the singers assembled, and Alanis still stole the show with her piercing “ohhhhhh“s on the song’s wordless bridge.

The performance was the second ’90s alt-rock crossover event of the evening, following Gwen Stefani and Carly Pearce teaming up for a run through “Just a Girl,” originally by the former’s best-selling band No Doubt. Lainey Wilson had previous taken the stage for her ballad “Heart Like a Truck,” and also picked up a pair of awards earlier in the evening: female video of the year (for “Heart Like a Truck”) and collaborative video of the year (for “Wait in the Truck,” along with HARDY).

“You Oughta Know” served as Morissette’s breakout hit in 1995, as the first single pulled from her Jagged Little Pill album, and made her a phenomenon with its furious (and much-debated) lyrics and impassioned delivery. Jagged Little Pill would ultimately go on to be certified diamond by the RIAA, and ranks at No. 7 on Billboard‘s Greatest of All-Time Billboard 200 chart.

Jelly Roll rocked the 2023 CMT Music Awards on Sunday night (April 2) with a performance of his genre-bending hit, “Need a Favor.”

Backed by a full gospel choir, the 38-year-old delivered his sermon for the sinners as church signs featuring the track’s lyrics flashed behind him. “I only talk to God, when I need a favor/ And I only pray, when I ain’t got a prayer,” he belted in the chorus.

Jelly Roll (born Jason DeFord) snagged his first CMT Music Award this year, as he won all three awards he was nominated for. “Son of a Sinner” won digital-first performance of the year, breakthrough male video of the year and male video of the year.

The rising country star made history earlier this year after he surpassed NLE Choppa for most weeks atop Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart, as “Need a Favor” peaked at No. 37 on Hot Country Songs and his most popular track to date, “Son of a Sinner,” peaked at No. 8.

“I think what I think I represent is just a beacon of hope,” the singer previously told Billboard of his success. “I don’t look like the guy that you would’ve assumed would’ve made it [in the music industry]. Sam Hunt’s a really dear friend of mine, and Sam is just a big striking, handsome guy. When you see him, you’re like, ‘Oh, I get it.’ When you see me, you don’t get it initially — then you meet me, and hear the story and hear the music. I just feel like I represent the guy who looks at himself in the mirror every day and goes, ‘Yeah, guys like me don’t make it.’”

Carly Pearce joined Gwen Stefani on stage in Austin at the 2023 CMT Music Awards for a performance of the latter’s first signature song with her ’90s and ’00s band No Doubt, 1995’s “Just a Girl.”

With co-host Kelsea Ballerini teasing a “scream-sing” moment for the old crowd, Stefani took the stage in a throwback sort of punk chic dress to deliver the song’s first verse and chorus. A black-clad Pearce then made her way to the stage to take the second verse and chorus, with Pearce and Stefani trading off vocals on the climactic refrain and singing together on the final “ohhh, I’ve had it up to here”s to loud audience appreciation.

The appearance was Pearce’s second time playing on the evening, having previously performed on her own for her country radio smash “What He Didn’t Do.” Pearce is also nominated for two awards at this year’s ceremonies: female video of the year and CMT performance of the year, both nods for “What He Didn’t Do.” (She lost female video shortly after her and Stefani’s performance, to Lainey Wilson for “Heart Like a Truck.”) Stefani’s husband Blake Shelton previously kicked off the show with his recent single “No Body.”

“Just a Girl” peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early Hot 100, the group’s first top 40 hit. Along with follow-up singles like “Spiderwebs” and “Don’t Speak,” “Girl” helped its parent album Tragic Kingdom become of the best-selling albums of the mid-’90s, earning diamond certification from the RIAA.

Shania Twain proved that she’s still the one on Sunday night (April 2) when accepting the equal play award at the 2023 CMT Awards.

The country icon was presented her award by rap superstar Megan Thee Stallion, who celebrated Twain for being “an outspoken ally against every hate of all kind,” while also celebrating her newfound kinship with the singer. “I don’t wanna cheese this hard because I just met her and that’s my new bestie,” Megan said with a laugh. “She’s hot girl Shania!”

Taking to the stage, Shania immediately proclaimed that one song title in particular appeared to be following her. “When I wrote the phrase, ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman,’ I had no idea at the time that it would be the undercurrent of a decades-long career, and get adopted by an array of fantastic communities around the world, and become a genuine path of power and progress for women in country music,” she said, grinning.

Reflecting on her history at the CMT Music Awards, Twain eventually cut to the heart of the issue, making a vow to keep uplifting “the many outstanding country artists who are not currently played, streamed, signed or awarded at the level they deserve.” She continued, saying “I believe in an all-inclusive country music. We’re a family … let us, the country music industry, do our part to close the gap and provide an equal workspace for all talent. Let’s ensure that all our fellow artists get equal play, regardless of gender, age or race.”

The “That Don’t Impress Me Much” singer was just one among a bevy of attendees on Sunday night — stars such as Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stefani and Tyler Hubbard all performed throughout the telecast. Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown served as the evening’s hosts, while Lainey Wilson led nominees with four nominations. Brown, Jelly Roll and Cody Johnson followed closely behind with three each.