CMT LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL MUSIC SERIES ‘NEXT WOMEN OF COUNTRY LIVE’

07/12/16

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Series Features Exclusive New Performances Each Week Beginning with Haunting Acoustic Rendition of Kelsea Ballerini’s “Peter Pan”

NASHVILLE – July 12, 2016 – CMT unveiled its new digital performance series “Next Women of Country LIVE” today at CMT.com, giving voice to some of the most powerful female singers in country music. The new shareable series kicked off the first of 20 artists with a haunting acoustic performance of Kelsea Ballerini’s ballad “Peter Pan,” filmed live from CMT’s Nashville studio. Each week, the network will reveal exclusive fresh performances from its roster of “Next Women,” a franchise that helps to raise the profile of female artists.

Additional performances and interviews will launch weekly featuring CMT’s Next Women artists Cassadee Pope, Maren Morris, Clare Dunn, Cam, Kelleigh Bannen, RaeLynn, Mickey Guyton, Jana Kramer, Lauren Alaina, Maggie Rose, Brooke Eden, Lucie Silvas, Lindsay Ell, Carly Pearce, Brandy Clark, Ruthie Collins, Danielle Bradbery, Tara Thompson and Courtney Cole.

“’Next Women’ grew out of a need to expose these incredibly talented ladies to the fans, and I’m so excited that we get to add yet another layer with the launch of LIVE,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy and Talent, CMT. “Now every week, fans can experience the best female voices in our genre in a unique, new way at CMT.com.”

CMT’s “Next Women of Country” campaign emerged in 2013 to give more attention and airplay to emerging female artists. The franchise was a precursor to critical acclaim for a number of artists on its roster, and subsequently spawned two female-fueled tours in 2015 and 2016 with Jana Kramer, Kelsea Ballerini, Jennifer Nettles, Brandy Clark, Lindsay Ell and Tara Thompson.

For more on the latest rising female stars in country music, visit NextWomen.CMT.com and follow #NextWomen on Twitter. Here, fans can find exclusive content from the NEXT WOMEN artists including video premieres, performances and more.