The 2021 CMT Music Awards show took place on Wednesday, June 9th live from Nashville. Hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the annual show is a celebration of country music and its fans. The special event is the only entirely fan-voted award show in the country music world honoring the genre’s best and most fan-favorite artists.

Courtesy CMT

Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert were the most nominated artists, and Carrie Underwood and John Legend’s collaboration on “Hallelujah” won the most prestigious award of the night, Video of the Year. In addition, there were thirteen first-time nominees this year, including HARDY, Mickey Guyton, Niko Moon, Blanco Brown, Lainey Wilson, and Dylan Scott, among others.

Actual fans were in attendance from the show’s main location in Nashville. Lady A kicked off the night with a performance of “Like A Lady.” Fellow female artists, including Carly Pearce, Lindsay Ell, and The Shindellas joined them on stage as well. This energetic performance set the tone for an exciting show full of first-time collaborations. Chris Stapelton followed this with a fiery performance of “Arkansas” from the Bonnaroo Farm.

Little Big Town won the first award of the night, Group/Duo Video of the Year for “Wine, Beer, Whiskey.” Newcomer, Hailey Whitters was the first to perform on the Ram Truck Stage, singing “Fillin’ My Cup,” which features Little Big Town.

Luke Combs kept the party going with “Cold As You” from Assembly Hall. After, Mickey Guyton announced the CMT Equal Play award, which was given to the first black woman in country music, Linda Martell.

After an intimate performance from Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, and Jack Ingram of “Tequila Does” around a campfire, Ballerini took home her first CMT Award for Performance of the Year with Halsey for “The Other Girl” from last year’s CMT Awards. In her award speech, she addressed the “chatter” that occurred after this performance last year.

“The fact that you voted this as the winning performance tells me that you know where my roots are and that you know who I am, Ballerini explained. “But it also tells me that you hear music as music, and it also tells me that you love when people push boundaries and explore their artistry and as I make a new record that means the absolute world to me.”

After the rocking performance from Brothers Osborne and Dierks Bentley of the duo’s song “Lighten Up,” Thomas Rhett slowed it down, singing the title track from his new album, Country Again. Ballerini and the lead singer of the group LANY, Paul Klein, debuted their new cross-genre song “I Quit Drinking.”

Right before Ingrid Andress performed her current single “Lady Like” on the piano, Chris Young and Kane Brown were awarded the Collaborative Video of the Year for “Famous Friends.” Another first-time collaboration took place after; Guyton and trap-country artist Breland, sang “Cross-Country” together. Both are fresh faces making a name for themselves in the genre.

Brett Young announced the Breakthrough Video of the Year, which was given to Dylan Scott for his song, “Nobody.” Scott performed this song on the Ram Truck stage earlier in the show. This was not only his first CMT Award, but his first-ever mainstream country award. Lauren Alaina and Jon Pardi followed this announcement with their fun breakup collaboration “Getting Over Him.”

Little Big Town came back on stage to announce the Male Video of the Year, which was awarded to Kane Brown for “Worship You.” The video was directed by Alex Alvga, which Brown said was the third award he has won with him. The video features Brown’s wife, Katelyn, and daughter, Kingsley, who he thanked in his speech.

“Everyone knows that I love family, and the merch that I sell is not just for my family at home, but my family that works for me and everyone in country music,” Brown confessed.

Later, Gladys Knight announced the Female Video of the Year to Gabby Barrett for her hit song, “The Good Ones.” After Luke Bryan sang his latest number-one hit, “Down to One.” Fireworks went off behind him at Assembly Hall in Nashville when the song concluded.

The show ended with the announcement of Video of the Year, which was awarded to Carrie Underwood and John Legend for “Hallelujah.” She gave a shoutout to the video’s director, Randee St. Nicholas in her acceptance speech. This is Underwood’s highly impressive 23^rd CMT award, and Legend’s first. Brown and Young came back on stage and closed out the show with an epic performance of their CMT Award-winning song, “Famous Friends.”

Click here for the full list of winners from the show.

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The CMT Music Awards Nominations have been revealed!

CMT Music Awards 2021

Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert lead with three nominations each. Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, and Mickey Guyton also racked up multiple nominations. While many rising stars received their first-ever nominations for the special accolades. Check out the full list of nominations below.

Hosted by Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini, the show is set to air on Wednesday, June 9th at 8PM ET / 7PM CT on CMT.  The 2021 CMT Music Awards will be a celebration country music fans will not want to miss. The show will honor country music’s biggest stars bringing next-level energy and one-of-a-kind performances and collaborations.

The annual show is the only entirely fan-voted award show in the country music world honoring the genre’s best and most fan-favorite artists. Fan voting begins today at vote.cmt.com.

Fans can tune in from home on several different networks who will be broadcasting the show including CMT, MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network, and TV Land.

HERE ARE THE 2021 CMT MUSIC AWARDS NOMINATIONS:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top five nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on June 1. Top 3 nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on June 8. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

• Carrie Underwood with John Legend – “Hallelujah”
• Dierks Bentley – “Gone”
• Elle King and Miranda Lambert – “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
• Ingrid Andress – “Lady Like”
• Kane Brown – “Worldwide Beautiful”
• Keith Urban with P!nk – “One Too Many”
• Kelsea Ballerini – “hole in the bottle”
• Kenny Chesney – “Knowing You”
• Maren Morris – “Better Than We Found It”
• Mickey Guyton – “Heaven Down Here”
• Miranda Lambert – “Settling Down”
• Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris – “Chasing After You”
• Sam Hunt – “Breaking Up Was Easy In The 90’s”
• Willie Jones – “American Dream”

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

• Carly Pearce – “Next Girl”
• Gabby Barrett – “The Good Ones”
• Kelsea Ballerini – “hole in the bottle”
• Maren Morris – “To Hell & Back”
• Mickey Guyton – “Heaven Down Here”
• Miranda Lambert – “Settling Down”

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

• Chris Stapleton – “Starting Over”
• Darius Rucker – “Beers and Sunshine”
• Kane Brown – “Worship You”
• Luke Bryan – “Down To One”
• Luke Combs – “Lovin’ On You”
• Thomas Rhett – “What’s Your Country Song”

DUO/GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists

• Brothers Osborne – “All Night”
• Lady A – “Like A Lady”
• Little Big Town – “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
• Old Dominion – “Never Be Sorry”
• Parmalee and Blanco Brown – “Just The Way”
• Runaway June – “We Were Rich”

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

• Dylan Scott – “Nobody”
• Hailey Whitters feat. Little Big Town – “Fillin’ My Cup”
• HARDY – “Give Heaven Some Hell”
• Lainey Wilson – “Things a Man Oughta Know”
• Mickey Guyton – “Black Like Me”
• Niko Moon – “GOOD TIME (Ride Along Video)”

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

• Carrie Underwood with John Legend – “Hallelujah”
• Chris Young and Kane Brown – “Famous Friends”
• Elle King and Miranda Lambert – “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)”
• Keith Urban with P!nk – “One Too Many”
• Ryan Hurd with Maren Morris – “Chasing After You”
• Tim McGraw and Tyler Hubbard – “Undivided”

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)

• From the 2020 CMT Music Awards – Brooks & Dunn and Luke Combs “1, 2 Many”
• From the 2020 CMT Music Awards – Dan + Shay “I Should Probably Go To Bed”
• From the 2020 CMT Music Awards – Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus “This Is Us”
• From the 2020 CMT Music Awards – Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey “The Other Girl”
• From the 2020 CMT Music Awards – Little Big Town “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
• From CMT Crossroads – Nathaniel Rateliff and Margo Price “Twinkle Twinkle”

Performers and presenters to be announced at a later date.

Country artists Kane Brown and Ashley McBryde, along with Modern Family star, Sarah Hyland hosted this year’s CMT Awards that took place in unique locations all over Nashville, Tennessee. Take a look below to see which artists took home hardware.

This year’s award show was very different than previous years in certain ways, as winners accepted their awards virtually and artists performed their songs from all different venues throughout Nashville, including Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Cherokee Dock, The Barn at Sycamore Farms, and Ruskin Cave.

One thing remained the same though; all the winners were chosen by the fans. They even got to vote for their favorite Video of The Year throughout the night, which started with fourteen nominees and dwindled down to just three by the start of the show. Carrie Underwood’s “Drinking Alone,” directed by Randee St. Nicholas, beat out Keith Urban’s “Polaroid” and Tanya Tucker’s “Bring My Flowers Now.” Underwood also took home the Female Video of the Year award with the certified gold song. For Underwood, this was her 21^st and 22^nd CMT award, making her the winningest artist in CMT history.

“Fan, you guys never cease to amaze me at how hard you work,” Underwood expressed after winning the Video of the Year. “I’ve seen you guys throwing Twitter parties and doing your thing and voting…this one is really all about you guys, especially because we haven’t been together, but I feel so loved this evening.”

CMT’s own Cody Alan and Katie Cook hosted a small, but live viewing party presented by Ram Trucks. The select, socially-distanced fans got to watch the show live from Cumberland Park on a big screen.

Luke Combs got the show off to a raging start with his upbeat, drinking tune “1, 2 Many.” Brooks and Dunn, who are featured on the studio version of the track, surprised fans and came out to perform their verse. Kix Brooks brought Combs a beer, which he then quickly shot-gunned. Sam Hunt was on next, performing his latest number one song, “Hard To Forget.”

McBryde handed out the first award of the night; the Duo Video of the Year award presented to Dan + Shay for “I Should Probably Go To Bed,” continuing their incredible success at award shows. They also performed this song later in the show. Shortly after, CMT honored their first Equal Play award winner to Jennifer Nettles for her contribution and dedication to getting women more airplay on country radio.

One aspect that made this show stand out from other years was the elaborate, music video-styled sets put together for the artists. A few sets we loved included Shania Twain’s, who performed her classic hit “Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under” in a western-themed jail cell with realistic mannequins beside her, and Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey’s performance of “The Other Girl” in an old saloon in Los Angeles.

Speaking of memorable performances, Chris Young took home the award for CMT Performance of the Year for “Drowning” at the CMT Artists of the Year special. That night honored five artists who had tremendous years in 2019 and Kane Brown was one of the recipients. However, that week his friend and drummer, Kenny Dixon passed away in a car accident and Young stepped in for Brown who was too emotional to perform.

“It was a really difficult moment for me, to get up there and play that knowing that he (Brown) was watching, knowing everything he was going through,” Young reflected. “I can’t imagine, even still, what his passing does to you.”

CMT continued their tradition of showcasing new artists throughout the show from the Ram Truck stage. Artists who performed snippets of their hits included Ingrid Andress, Travis Denning, Caylee Hammack, Riley Green, Mickey Guyton, and HARDY.

Old Dominion won the Group Video of the Year award for “One Man Band,” and Luke Bryan took home Male Video of the Year for “One Margarita.” He said the video was a blast to shoot and was a perfect song to lift our spirits as we entered the uncertainties of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gabby Barrett, making her CMT Awards debut, gave us an explosive performance of her double-platinum smash hit, “I Hope.” Later, Taylor Swift, who won the Breakthrough Video of the Year at the CMT’s thirteen years ago, announced Barrett as this year’s winner.

Later in the show, Jimmie Allen and Noah Cyrus performed “This Is Us” on stage together for the first time. This was followed by the announcement of the Collaborative Video of the Year; Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani for “Nobody But You.”

“I really do believe that these award shows are beginning to lose credibility over the last few years and fan-voted awards, to me, are really the only stand-up award shows left in our industry, Shelton stated after winning, “because you guys buy the records and come to the shows and vote on these things.”

Other performances included “Martha Divine” by McBryde, “Chasin’ You” by Morgan Wallen, “What She Wants Tonight” by Bryan, “Worship You” by Brown, and an acoustic rendition of “Hell and Back” by Maren Morris. A drinking song began this fun and incredible night, so it was fitting that a drinking song would end the show as well. Little Big Town performed their energetic current single, “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” from the Ruskin Cave.

HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration) and the video director. 

• Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone” * WINNER
• Keith Urban – “Polaroid”
• Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
• Luke Combs – “Beer Never Broke My Heart”
• Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”
• Tanya Tucker – “Bring My Flowers Now”

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

• Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
• Carrie Underwood – “Drinking Alone” * WINNER
• Gabby Barrett – “I Hope”
• Kelsea Ballerini – “homecoming queen?”
• Maren Morris – “The Bones”
• Miranda Lambert – “Bluebird”

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

• Jason Aldean – “Got What I Got”
• Luke Bryan – “One Margarita” * WINNER
• Luke Combs – “Even Though I’m Leaving”
• Morgan Wallen – “Chasin’ You (Dream Video)”
• Sam Hunt – “Hard To Forget”
• Thomas Rhett – “Remember You Young”

GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a group; awarded to the artists

• Lady A – “Champagne Night”
• Little Big Town – “Wine, Beer, Whiskey” (Live Cut)
• Midland – “Cheatin’ Songs (Live From the Palomino)”
• Old Dominion – “One Man Band” * WINNER
• The Chicks – “Gaslighter”
• The Highwomen – “Crowded Table”

DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo; awarded to the artists

• Brothers Osborne – “All Night (Studio Performance)”
• Dan + Shay – “I Should Probably Go To Bed” * WINNER
• Florida Georgia Line – “Blessings”
• LOCASH – “One Big Country Song”
• Maddie & Tae – “Die From A Broken Heart”

BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)

• Blanco Brown – “The Git Up”
• Caylee Hammack – “Family Tree”
• Gabby Barrett – “I Hope” * WINNER
• Ingrid Andress – “More Hearts Than Mine”
• Riley Green – “I Wish Grandpas Never Died”
• Travis Denning – “After a Few”

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

• Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani – “Nobody But You” * WINNER
• Carly Pearce and Lee Brice – “I Hope You’re Happy Now”
• Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber – “10,000 Hours”
• Kane Brown featuring Nelly – “Cool Again”
• Marshmello and Kane Brown – “One Thing Right”
• Thomas Rhett featuring Jon Pardi – “Beer Can’t Fix”

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)

• From CMT Artists of the Year: Ashley McBryde – “One Night Standards”
• From CMT Crossroads: Brooks & Dunn and Luke Combs – “Brand New Man”
• From CMT Artists of the Year: Chris Young – “Drowning” * WINNER
• From CMT Crossroads: Halsey and Kelsea Ballerini – “Graveyard”
• From CMT Artists of the Year: Sam Hunt – “Fancy”
• From CMT Crossroads: Sheryl Crow and Chris Stapleton – “Tell Me When It’s Over”

QUARANTINE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
*favorite video created during quarantine

• Big & Rich – “Stay Home”
• Brad Paisley – “No I In Beer”
• Carly Pearce – “It Won’t Always Be Like This (The Social Distance Sessions)”
• Charlie Worsham ft. Billy Justineau, Molly Tuttle, Rachel Loy, Jillian Jacqueline, Tucker Wilson, Stephen Wilson Jr., Leigh Nash, Fancy Hagood, Lucie Silvas, John Osborne & Sadler Vaden – “With A Little Help From My Friends” (Beatles Cover)
• Dave Haywood (of Lady A) & Kelli Haywood – “Just Another Day In Quarantine”
• Dolly Parton – “When Life Is Good Again”
• Granger Smith – “DON’T COUGH ON ME!” * WINNER
• Luke Combs – “Six Feet Apart”
• Tenille Townes ft. Abby Anderson, Kassi Ashton, Keelan Donovan, Alex Hall, Adam Hambrick & Caylee Hammack – “Lean On Me” (Bill Withers Cover)
• Thomas Rhett ft. Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin & Keith Urban – “Be A Light” (Fan Video)

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