CARRIE UNDERWOOD TOPS NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2015 "CMT MUSIC AWARDS" WITH FIVE NODS INCLUDING TWO FOR VIDEO OF THE YEAR PREMIERING LIVE FROM NASHVILLE ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10TH AT 8:00 PM ET/PT

05/13/15

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NASHVILLE – May 13, 2015 – CMT today announced the nominations for the 2015 “CMT Music Awards,” the loudest night in country music, airing live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 10th at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. On the heels of winning last year’s coveted video of the year, country superstar Carrie Underwood is in contention once again leading the pack with five nominations including two for “Video of The Year” (“Something in The Water” and “Somethin’ Bad” with Miranda Lambert), two for “Female Video of the Year” (“Little Toy Guns” and “Something In The Water”), and “Collaborative Video of the Year,” (“Somethin’ Bad” with Miranda Lambert). Close behind are Lady Antebellum and Kenny Chesney, garnering four each. Voting begins now at CMT.com and continues until Monday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

In addition to the lineup of popular country artists vying for awards, this year’s “CMT Performance of the Year” nominees span a myriad of genres. Pop royalty Katy Perry is nominated for her duet performance of “Roar” with Kacey Musgraves from “CMT Crossroads,” as is nine-time Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend and rock icon Bob Seger. Additionally, rapper-singer-songwriter Aloe Blacc is nominated for “Wake Me Up,” performed with Lady Antebellum at “CMT’s Ultimate Kickoff Party.”

CMT turned to a multiplatform rollout for today’s big announcement. The nominees were revealed in a series of phases kicking off at the TODAY show with a performance by Lady Antebellum. The trio debuted their new single “Long Stretch of Love” and announced nominees for the following categories: “Male of the Year,” “Female Video of the Year,” and “Video of the Year”. Nominations continued to rollout on social media, with Luke Bryan and Carrie Underwood, announcing “Group Video of the Year” and “Breakthrough Video of the Year,” respectively, via their social media accounts. Nashville locals got into the action from hot spots around Music City to announce “Duo Video of the Year” and “Collaborative Video of the Year” and “Performance Video of the year,” via CMT’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.

The 2014 “CMT Music Awards” was the second most-watched telecast in franchise history, experiencing growth across all screens, up +10% from the prior year with 3.0 million Total Viewers. Last year’s show also ranked as the #1 original cable telecast for the day and across Prime, CMT was the #1 cable network among P18-49, F18-49 and Total Viewer L+SD impressions. It was also the # 1 most social telecast on Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings for the day, and the # 1 most social show on cable for the week. CMT wrapped its most recent quarter on a high note, posting A18-49 gains in both Primetime (+32%) and Total Day (+8%) over the previous quarter.

Performers, presenters and this year’s host will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the show will go on sale Saturday, May 16 at 11 am CST at all Ticketmaster outlets and Bridgestone Arena Box Office.

The nominees for the 2015 “CMT Music Awards” are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director.? Final nominees announced during live telecast, with final voting held online at CMT.com during the show.
•   Carrie Underwood – “Something In The Water”
•   Darius Rucker – “Homegrown Honey”
•   Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane”
•   Florida Georgia Line – “Dirt”
•   Jason Aldean – “Burnin' It Down”
•   Kenny Chesney – “American Kids”
•   Lady Antebellum – “Bartender”
•   Lee Brice – “I Don't Dance”
•   Luke Bryan – “Play It Again”
•   Maddie & Tae – “Girl In A Country Song”
•   Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood – “Somethin' Bad”
•   Sam Hunt – “Leave The Night On”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
•   Dierks Bentley – “Drunk On A Plane”
•   Eric Church – “Talladega”
•   Jason Aldean – “Burnin' It Down”
•   Keith Urban – “Somewhere In My Car”
•   Kenny Chesney – “American Kids”
•   Luke Bryan – “Play It Again”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
•   Carrie Underwood – “Little Toy Guns”
•   Carrie Underwood – “Something In The Water”
•   Lee Ann Womack – “The Way I'm Livin'”
•   Miranda Lambert – “Little Red Wagon”
•   RaeLynn – “God Made Girls”
•   Reba – “Going Out Like That”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists
•   A Thousand Horses – “Smoke”
•   Eli Young Band – “Dust”
•   Lady Antebellum – “Bartender”
•   Little Big Town – “Day Drinking”
•   The Band Perry – “Chainsaw”
•   Zac Brown Band – “All Alright”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists
•   Big & Rich – “Look At You”
•   Brothers Osborne – “Rum”
•   Florida Georgia Line – “Dirt”
•   Florida Georgia Line – “Sun Daze”
•   Maddie & Tae – “Girl In A Country Song”
•   The Swon Brothers – “Later On”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video that featured a special collaborative appearance by artists; awarded to the artists (individual, group or duo)
•   Blake Shelton feat. Ashley Monroe – “Lonely Tonight”
•   Brantley Gilbert feat. Justin Moore and Thomas Rhett – “Small Town Throwdown”
•   Jennifer Nettles feat. Brandy Clark – “His Hands”
•   Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter – “Wild Child”
•   Miranda Lambert with Carrie Underwood – “Somethin' Bad”
•   Tim McGraw feat. Faith Hill – “Meanwhile Back At Mamas”

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
•   Bob Seger and Jason Aldean – “Turn The Page” from CMT Crossroads: Bob Seger and Jason Aldean 
•   Brett Eldredge – “Beat of the Music” from CMT's Ultimate Kickoff Party
•   John Legend and Lee Ann Womack – “You & I (Nobody In The World)” from CMT Crossroads
•   Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves – “Roar” from Crossroads
•   Keith Urban – “It's a Man's, Man's, Man's World” from 2014 CMT Artists of the Year
•   Kenny Chesney – “American Kids” from Instant Jam
•   Lady Antebellum and Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up” from CMT's Ultimate Kickoff Party
•   Lady Antebellum and Chris Stapleton – “Drink A Beer” from 2014 CMT Artists of the Year

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)
•   Chase Rice – “Gonna Wanna Tonight”
•   Frankie Ballard – “Sunshine & Whiskey”
•   Kelsea Ballerini – “Love Me Like You Mean It”
•   Maddie & Tae – “Girl In A Country Song”
•   RaeLynn – “God Made Girls”
•   Sam Hunt – “Leave The Night On”

Fans can vote online at CMT.com and on their mobile device at CMT Mobile now through June 8th to determine the winners. The six finalists for Video of the Year will be announced at the beginning of the live show and fans can then vote at CMT.com, CMT mobile and via text message throughout the live telecast (ET/CT only) to determine the night’s big winner.

Official sponsors of the 2015 “CMT Music Awards” include Aveeno®, Crown Royal®, Dentastix®, Dove, Kellogg’s® Special K®, KIA Motors, Little Ceasar’s, Mountain Dew®, Nationwide Insurance, Olive Garden and Verizon.

For more information as it becomes available, follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.
To request press credentials for the 2015 “CMT Music Awards,” please visit cmtmusicawardspress.com.

ABOUT CMT
CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network’s digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.


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