Nominations for the April 11 2022 CMT Music Awards have been announced, revealing a crowded field of superstars and rising talent.
Hitmaker Kane Brown leads all nominees with four nods, and he’s joined by a large group of female artists and first-timers as the network continues to advocate for a new era of country diversity. The show will air on CBS on April 11, presenting three hours of primetime performances and awards.
Known as the only 100-percent fan voted awards show in country music, the polls for the 2022 CMT Music Awards are open now at CMT.com. Along with Brown, who co-hosted the show last year with Kelsea Ballerini, other top nominees include Ballerini, Mickey Guyton, BRELAND and Cody Johnson, who have each earned three nods.
In the night’s biggest category — Video of the Year — 12 videos have been chosen for the first round of fan voting. That field will be paired down to a small group of finalists and a winner will ultimately be chosen just before the show. Those Video of the Year nominees include Brandi Carlile (“Right On Time”), Cody Johnson (“‘Til You Can’t”), Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson (“Never Say Never”), Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood (“If I Didn’t Love You”), Kacey Musgraves (“justified”), Kane Brown (“One Mississippi”), Kelsea Ballerini feat. Kenny Chesney (“half of my hometown”), Luke Combs (“Forever After All”), Maren Morris (“Circles Around This Town”), Miranda Lambert (“If I Was A Cowboy”) and Taylor Swift feat. Chris Stapleton (“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).”
Meanwhile, first-time nominees are BRELAND, Brittney Spencer, Cody Johnson, Caitlyn Smith, Elvie Shane, MacKenzie Porter, Priscilla Block, and Tenille Arts, plus non-country artists H.E.R, Paul Klein of LANY, Nelly and Gladys Knight.
One new category has also been launched, with the brand new “CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year” celebrating performances created specifically for the CMT Digital platform. Brittney Spencer, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Josh Turner and Lainey Wilson will vie for the inaugural award.
Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Anthony Mackie, the 2022 CMT Music Awards will broadcast live from Nashville on April 11 at 8:00-11:00 PM LIVE ET/delayed PT. This marks the inaugural broadcast of the CMT Music Awards on the CBS Television Network after the two companies merged, and the show will also stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Performers and presenters will be revealed soon.
Full list of 2022 CMT Music Awards nominees:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on April 4. Final nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 11. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists
BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR, Presented by SONIC®
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)
COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists
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)
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)
