Cassadee Pope to Perform with Pitbull and Leona Lewis at 2016 CMT Awards
"That’s a classic example of different worlds colliding that is unexpected, but when you see it, it fits. It works,” says the show's producer.
Mr. Worldwide, coming to you live from the 2016 CMT Music Awards!
That’s right, y’all. Pitbull will be performing at the Wednesday, June 8 awards show with The Voice winner Cassadee Pope and pop singer Leona Lewis, reports Billboard.
“They’re going to perform his new single ‘Messin’ Around,’ which he recorded with Enrique Iglesias, and we’re having Leona and Cassadee do the Enrique part,” says the award show’s producer John Hamlin, who is president and CEO of Switched On Entertainment. “That’s a classic example of different worlds colliding that is unexpected, but when you see it, it fits. It works.”
The show will also feature previously announced collaborations between Cam with Fifth Harmony and Dierks Bentley will Elle King. “[Cam and Fifth Harmony’s] collaboration is seamless. We’re doing one of Cam’s songs, into one of theirs, and back and forth. The construction of how that works together is super cool,” Hamlin told Billboard. “The second I heard ‘Different for Girls,’ I fell in love with it. It’s a great statement for Dierks to make. Elle is such a tremendous singer, and the message of the song has such a broad appeal.”
For those wondering why the CMT Awards would pull in such different acts, the reason is simple.
“Every year, these shows need to have a different personality,” admitted Hamlin. “If you made the same show year after year, that would be too predictable. But balancing that with being unpredictable — which is what a lot of people expect from the brand — that is what I’m trying to do. The goal is always to create a fresh and interesting new show. Every awards show should have a narrative, a point of view that represents that network or that evening. I think it’s very clear that the CMT Music Awards — over the last 10 years — has created its own lane, which is a good thing. But it is challenging to top yourself year after year so that you aren’t doing the same thing all over again.”
The 2016 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville’s own Bridgestone Arena on June 8 at 8 p.m. ET. Fans can go on CMT.com to vote for their favorite videos leading up to the show.
See a complete list of CMT Music Awards nominees HERE.
