What To Expect On Next Week’s 53rd Annual CMA Awards

It’s almost time, the 53rd Annual Country Music Association Awards are only one week away. The live broadcast from the Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville is always a fall highlight, but we put together a list to get you even more excited for country music’s biggest night!

1. Who run the world…girls! The theme of this years’ show is Women In Country Music and from the hostess(es) with the mostest(es) (Carrie Underwood and her legendary special guests Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire have won 124 CMA awards between them) to the night’s nominees (Maren Morris tops the list with 6 nominations), we expect the women to truly shine.

2. Teamwork makes the dream work. Awards shows are a great place for collaborations and this year is no different. Steller pairs will take the stage all night long including Garth Brooks with Blake Shelton, Kacey Musgraves with Willie Nelson, Brooks & Dunn with Brothers Osborne, and Dolly Parton with for King & Country.

3. It’s not just a country party. While the night is about the genre’s best and brightest, the CMA Awards always include superstars from other types of music. Performances by Lady Antebellum with pop star Halsey, and Chris Stapleton with pop star Pink have already been announced, but we’re hoping for a few more surprises (maybe Justin Bieber with Dan + Shay to play their new smash, “10,000 Hours”?!)

4. Family-focused red carpet. Everyone in country music feels like family, but 2019 was the year of weddings and babies! Newlyweds walking the carpet will include Carly Pearce and Michael Ray, Devin Dawson and wife Leah Sykes, and Chris Lane with wife and Bachelor alum Lauren Bushnell. We may also catch glimpses of new dads Brett Young, Kane Brown, and Tyler Hubbard, as well as glowing expectant mothers Lauren Atkins, Cam, and Maren Morris.

5. Sparkles, sparkles, and more sparkles. The women and men of country love to bring out the bling, and the CMAs will likely follow suit. Underwood joked in a recent interview that between herself, Parton and McEntire there may be more costume changes and sequins than there will be awards presented.

6. All eyes will be on the night’s biggest award. With a year of unprecedented success in touring for all five nominees, the Entertainer of the Year award is anyone’s game. Will the reigning winner Keith Urban or his predecessor Garth Brooks add another trophy to their CMA shelf? Or will Eric Church, Chris Stapleton or Carrie Underwood get their first win? Underwood is the only woman in the category, and if crowned, would be the first female winner since Taylor Swift in 2011.

7. New season, new music. Many artists will be debuting singles or albums during the broadcast. Tune in to catch first award show performances of Kelsea Ballerini’s “homecoming queen?”, Carrie Underwood’s “Drinking Alone”, and Thomas Rhett’s “Remember You Young” just to name a few.

The CMA Awards air Wednesday, November 13th at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm Central on ABC. NYCountry Swag’s Christina and Stephanie will be in Nashville for awards week, be sure to follow their adventures on Instagram for awards coverage!