CMT Announces 2022 Next Women of Country Class

Here's a look at some of country's most promising new female talent.

Written by Chris Parton
CMT Announces 2022 Next Women of Country Class
Courtesy of CMT

Ten talented newcomers have been chosen by CMT for its prestigious Next Women of Country class, with the network announcing its 2022 field on Friday (January 21).

Established as an effort to “support and expose developing female talent” in the country genre, the CMT Next Women of Country initiative was founded in 2013 after the genre was shown to disproportionately favor male artists in key metrics like radio play. The program has already featured current stars like Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Gabby Barrett, Mickey Guyton and more as they were still getting started, and now CMT is hoping to help another generation climb the superstar ladder.

The “CMT Next Women of Country” Class of 2022 is:

“We are so excited to welcome our newest class of ultra-talented female artists into our beloved CMT Next Women of Country franchise,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music & Talent at CMT. “Each is boldly blazing their own spirited path on their own terms, destined to make a lasting impact on country music. We celebrate this diverse group of women and look forward to supporting their work and their careers in 2022 and beyond.” 

For the second year in a row, CMT Hot 20 Countdown will officially introduce the new class with a three-hour special episode this weekend, on Saturday (January 22) and Sunday (January 23) at 9AM ET on CMT. The special will feature exclusive interviews and performances with each new member, plus an exclusive interview with Maren Morris, who reflects on her experience with the program in 2015.

With this year’s group raising the total number of artists supported to a total of 95, those selected will now receive cross-brand support for their music and videos across CMT, CMT Music, PlutoTV’s ‘CMT Equal Play’ channel, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com and @CMT social channels, in addition to cross-promotional opportunities for ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Group brands with live events, the ViacomCBS Times Square NYC Billboard and more. Other previous honorees include Ashley McBrydeBrandy ClarkBrittney SpencerCarly Pearce, and more.