Lainey Wilson leads star-studded list with four nominations

Cody Johnson, first time nominee Jelly Roll and co-host Kane Brown follow with three apiece

CMT’s all-time leader Carrie Underwood looks to extend “Video of the Year” streak
as highly-coveted award category boasts most-ever nominees

21 artists receive first-time nods as CMT spotlights rising stars, country icons and out-of-genre superstars; expands “Breakthrough Video of the Year” category

Vote now at vote.cmt.com

WATCH: “CBS Mornings” announce “Collaborative Video of the Year” here  

**logos + key art

AUSTIN, TX + NASHVILLE, TN – (March 8, 2023) – CMT today unveiled the highly-anticipated nominations for the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS, Paramount Global’s signature country music tentpole entirely fan-voted award show. Hosted by 2023 nominees Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the show airs LIVE from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center on Sunday, April 2, 2023 (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.* Each winner is selected by the fans, with voting now open at vote.cmt.com.

Breakout superstar Lainey Wilson leads this year’s star-studded list with a total of four nominations, including the highly coveted “Video of the Year,” “Female Video of the Year,” “Collaborative Video of the Year” and “CMT Performance of the Year.” Artists with three nods this year include Cody Johnson,  first-time nominee Jelly Roll and co-host Kane Brown. 

The first round of nominations for the highly coveted “Video of the Year” award includes 16 acts, including another nod for Carrie Underwood, who reigns as the most awarded artist in CMT history with a total of 25 wins and is also slated to perform. Also facing off for the night’s biggest award: Ashley McBryde with Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark + Pillbox Patti, Blake Shelton, Cody Johnson, Elle King + Dierks Bentley, Gabby Barrett, HARDY + Lainey Wilson, Jimmie Allen, Keith Urban, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Walker Hayes, plus co-hosts Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown with wife Katelyn. 

New this year, CMT continues its longstanding history of recognizing the next wave of rising stars by expanding its “Breakthrough Video of the Year” category into Male and Female for the first time, recognizing the tremendous increase in the genre’s breakout talent with a total of 12 nominees across the twin categories. This year’s “Breakthrough Female” nominees include Avery Anna, Kylie Morgan, MacKenzie Porter, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wade and Tiera Kennedy; Bailey Zimmerman, Corey Kent, Drake Milligan, Jackson Dean, Jelly Roll and Nate Smith will compete in “Breakthrough Male.”

Across all categories, CMT is recognizing 21 first-time nominees: Avery Anna, Bailey Zimmerman, Charley Crockett, Corey Kent, Drake Milligan, Jackson Dean, Jelly Roll, Katelyn Brown, Kylie Morgan, Lukas Nelson, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wade, Nate Smith, Pillbox Patti, The War And Treaty, Tiera Kennedy and Wynonna Judd, who receives two nominations, including one with her late mother, Naomi Judd, for their final performance together at the 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS. The show continues to celebrate out-of-genre range of talent with first time nominees Black Pumas, Emmy Russell and Jake Scott; Katy Perry also receives her first nomination since 2015.

The nominees for the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS are:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top 6 nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on March 27. The final 3 nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 2. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

• Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti - “Bonfire At Tina's”

• Blake Shelton - “No Body”

• Carrie Underwood - “Hate My Heart”

• Cody Johnson - “Human”

• Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley - “Worth A Shot”

• Gabby Barrett - “Pick Me Up”

• HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson - “wait in the truck”

• Jimmie Allen - “Down Home”

• Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown - “Thank God”

• Keith Urban - “Wild Hearts”

• Kelsea Ballerini - “HEARTFIRST”

• Little Big Town - “Rich Man”

• Luke Bryan - “Country On”

• Luke Combs - “The Kind Of Love We Make”

• Morgan Wallen - “You Proof”

• Walker Hayes - “AA”

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist.

• Carly Pearce - “What He Didn't Do”

• Carrie Underwood - “Ghost Story”

• Gabby Barrett - “Pick Me Up”

• Kelsea Ballerini - “HEARTFIRST”

• Lainey Wilson - “Heart Like A Truck”

• Maren Morris - “Humble Quest”

• Miranda Lambert - “Actin' Up”

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist.

• Bailey Zimmerman - “Rock and A Hard Place”

• Cody Johnson - “Human”

• Cole Swindell - “She Had Me At Heads Carolina”

• Jelly Roll - “Son Of A Sinner”

• Kane Brown - “Like I Love Country Music”

• Luke Combs - “The Kind Of Love We Make”

• Morgan Wallen - “Wasted On You”

GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists.

• Dan + Shay - “You (Performance Video)”

• Lady A - “Summer State Of Mind”

• Little Big Town - “Hell Yeah”

• Parmalee - “Take My Name”

• The War And Treaty - “That's How Love Is Made”

• Zac Brown Band - “Out In The Middle”

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from a female artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

• Avery Anna - “Narcissist”

• Kylie Morgan - “If He Wanted To He Would”

• MacKenzie Porter - “Pickup”

• Megan Moroney - “Tennessee Orange”

• Morgan Wade  - “Wilder Days”

• Tiera Kennedy - “Found It In You”

BREAKTHROUGH MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from a male artist's major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist.

• Bailey Zimmerman - “Fall In Love”

• Corey Kent - “Wild as Her”

• Drake Milligan - “Sounds Like Something I'd Do”

• Jackson Dean - “Don't Come Lookin'”

• Jelly Roll - “Son Of A Sinner”

• Nate Smith - “Whiskey On You”

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists.

• Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley - “Worth A Shot”

• HARDY feat. Lainey Wilson - “wait in the truck”

• Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt - “Wishful Drinking”

• Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown - “Thank God”

• Midland feat. Jon Pardi - “Longneck Way To Go”

• Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott - “She Likes It”

• Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry - “Where We Started”

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).

• Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton - “Colors” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

• Chris Stapleton - “Whenever You Come Around” (from CMT Giants: Vince Gill)

• Cody Johnson - “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

• Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson - “Never Say Never” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards) 

• Darius Rucker - “Let Her Cry” (from CMT Storytellers)

• Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson - “Lay Me Down” (from Coal Miner's Daughter: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Loretta Lynn)

• Keith Urban - “Wild Hearts” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

• LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce - “One Way Ticket” (from CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends)

• The Judds - “Love Can Build A Bridge” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)

• Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile - “The Rose” (from Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration)

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).

• Charley Crockett - “Time of the Cottonwood Trees“ (from CMT Campfire Sessions)

• Chris Young - “Gettin’ You Home” (from CMT Stages)

• Ingrid Andress - “Wishful Drinking” (from CMT Studio Sessions) 

• Jelly Roll - “Son of A Sinner” (from CMT All Access)

• Megan Moroney - “Tennessee Orange” (from CMT Viral To Verified) 

• Scotty McCreery - “Damn Strait” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)

CMT will additionally air CMT MUSIC AWARDS EXTENDED CUT with an added 30 minutes of new performances and extra bonus content on Thursday, April 6th (8:00-11:30 PM, ET/PT), in addition to all new programming as part of CMT MUSIC AWARDS WEEK. Additional details to be announced at a later date. 

Official sponsors of the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS include Ram Truck Brand.

Performers, presenters and additional details about the 2023 CMT MUSIC AWARDS on CBS will be announced soon. For more information and news, visit CMTPress.com and ParamountPressExpress.com, use hashtag #CMTAwards and follow @CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tik Tok.

About the CMT MUSIC AWARDS:

Celebrated for its high-powered, world-premiere and cross-genre performances, the CMT MUSIC AWARDS have aired live since 2005, delivering Nashville’s biggest party to music fans across the globe. The 2022 show, hosted by superstars Anthony Mackie, Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, featured performances from country music’s biggest stars with epic first-time collaborations and cross-genre pairings, including Jimmie Allen, Monica + Little Big Town, Kenny Chesney, Mickey Guyton + Black Pumas, Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris + Ryan Hurd, Keith Urban, the last televised performance from legendary duo The Judds, and Carrie Underwood, who remains the most-awarded artist in CMT Awards history with 25 wins. 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS highlights here. 

ABOUT MOODY CENTER:

Moody Center provides the nation’s 11th largest city with a premier venue to host the biggest artists and acts on the planet. Designed specifically for concerts, the new arena replaces the 45-year-old Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center at The University of Texas and is home to The University of Texas Women’s and Men’s basketball games, family shows, and other sporting and community events. Moody Center is the first of its kind in the industry with an unrivaled partnership between Oak View Group, Live Nation/C3 Presents, The University of Texas at Austin and Minister of Culture, Matthew McConaughey. In 2022, Moody Center ranked #1 highest grossing venue in its category by Billboard Magazine and received the 2022-23 New Venue of the Year Award by Pollstar Magazine. Additional information and news, follow @moodycenteratx on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tik Tok. 

*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.

^Source:  Nielsen Media Research, Most Current Ratings for April 11, 2022.

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Press Contacts: 

CMT
Ali Marszalkowski | ali.marszalkowski@paramount.com 

Shannon Leigh Keenan | shannonleigh@triple7pr.com

CBS

Kate Fisher | khfisher@viacomcbs.com

Mallory Mason | Mallory.Mason@viacomcbs.com 

Moody Center

Veronica Cantu |vcantu@moodycenteratx.com