We’re just a few hours away from one of country music’s biggest nights of the year: theCMT Music Awards!
The annual fan-voted awards show will air live on CMT from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET. With performances from country superstars likeCarrie UnderwoodandJason Aldean, and more nominations than ever from stars outside of country music, the show will have fans of all genres singing along and rooting for their favorite stars.
Want to be the most knowledgeable one at your viewing party? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who’s Hosting?
Little Big Townis not only emceeing the event—they’re also scheduled to perform and are nominated for three awards. Karen Fairchild,Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook earned two nominations for performance of the year and one for group video of the year for their hit song “When Someone Stops Loving You.”
Wednesday night marks the first time the quartet will take the stage as hosts for amajor awards show. In a recentinterview with CMT.com, the band joked about how many “jeans and t-shirt” outfit changes they have planned, and shared that they probably won’t be roasting any of their fellow country stars in fear of retaliation in the future.
“I think if we roast with four people it might be overwhelming,” Sweet said. “When you prank four-times over, you’re bound to get pranked back.”
Lester Cohen/Getty
Who Are the Nominees?
Blake Shelton,Brothers Osborne,Carly Pearce,Dan + Shay,Danielle Bradbery,Kane Brown,Keith Urban,Kelsea Ballerini,Lady Antebellum,LANCOandMaren Morrisall garnered two nominations each.
However, many of the nominations don’t solely belong to country artists. The show’s biggest award, video of the year, features nominees from other music genres for the first time in history.
Frederick M. Brown/AMA2017/Getty Images for dcp
Justin TimberlakeandBebe Rexhagained their first ever CMT nominations with two each. Timberlake, who partnered with Stapleton on their hit song “Say Something” are nominated for video of the year and collaborative video of the year. Rexha earned the same two nominations for her partnership with duo Florida Georgia Line on their song “Meant to Be.”
Ludacriswas also nominated for three CMT awards for his collaboration with Underwood to produce the song “The Fighter,” and theBackstreet Boyspicked up a nod for performance of the year when they took the stage withFlorida Georgia Lineto sing “Everybody” at CMT Crossroads.
Voting for the winners closed on Monday. On Wednesday morning, Shelton andTodayshow hostHoda Kotbannounced the five finalists for video of the year from Shelton’s newly opened restaurant and bar Ole Red in Nashville. Fans can continue to cast their votes for video of the year throughout the day on Twitter.
John Shearer/Getty
Who’s Performing?
There will be plenty of times country fans can sing along throughout the two-and-a-half-hour broadcast. “Cry Pretty” singer Carrie Underwood is scheduled to perform, along with superstars Jason Aldean, Backstreet Boys, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton and Sam Hunt.Luke Bryanis scheduled to take the stage withDarius Rucker, Jason Aldean and Charles Kelley, andDierks Bentleyis expected to perform alongside Brothers Osborne. Kelsea Ballerini, Sam Hunt and Chris Stapleton are also scheduled to take the stage.
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
Be sure to check outPEOPLE’s full CMT Awards coverageto get the latest news on country’s big night.
Who’s Presenting?
How Do You Watch?
A preshow will air from 7-8 p.m. onCMT’s Facebook page, and the actual show will be broadcast live on CMT beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Those searching for online streaming can sign in with a cable provider on CMT.com, or purchase a 24-hour day pass to watch the show live. Fans can also access the live stream through CMT’s app.
The 2018 CMT Music Awards are broadcast live from Nashville on Wednesday, June 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CMT.
source: people.com
