The fan-voted 2023 CMT Awards is airing live this evening from Austin, TX on CBS.  Please visit this post often as we update it throughout the night!

• The show started with a cold-open of Kelsea Ballerini giving an impassioned speech about the recent school shooting in Nashville.
• After the show’s official intro, we got started with Blake Shelton standing in a darkened arena with a spotlight on him, proclaiming that he still loves Austin (in a nod to his smash hit debut single “Austin”) before performing his current single “No Body”
• The voice-over announcer listed off the evening’s performers before Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown came out as hosts, welcoming the crowd and pointing out some of the stars in attendance.  They then exchanged gifts, Kelsea getting a beige cowboy hat, and Kane getting a pink cowboy hat.
• The nominees for Video of the Year were announced, as it is live-voted on during the show.  Visit cmt.com now to vote!
• They then kicked it over to the front of the Texas State Capitol where Tyler Hubbard performed his new single “Dancing in the Country”
• Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown came back on to introduce Gary Clark Jr. who performed Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “The House is Rockin'”
• As they have done in past years, they go to commercial break with breakout artists performing snippets of their music.  The first commercial break featured Lily Rose performing “Whatcha Know About That”
• They came back from commercial with Kelsea introducing the “new Texas CMT Awards Trophy” which featured a red button on it.  When she pressed it, you heard Matthew McConaughey’s famous “Alright, Alright, Alright.”  A video clip then aired of McConaughey saying he wanted one, and Kelsea quipping that he’d have to win one first
• Stranger Things’ Noah Schnapp came out to announce the CMT Award for Collaborative Video of the Year:
  • “Worth a Shot” by Elle King & Dierks Bentley
  • “Wait in the Truck” by Hardy & Lainey Wilson – WINNER
  • “Wishful Drinking” by Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt
  • “Thank God” by Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown
  • “Longneck Way to Go” by Midland & Jon Pardi
  • “She Likes It” by Russell Dickerson & Jake Scott
  • “Where We Started” by Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry
• Jon Pardi came out to introduce Carly Pearce who performed her current hit single “What He Didn’t Do”
• Cody Alan appeared backstage for the Solitaire Grand Harvest Game Lounge along with a cameo from Dustin Lynch
• Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown brought us back from commercial to introduce Parker McCollum, who came out to give out the award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year:
  • “Narcissist” by Avery Anna
  • “If He Wanted to He Would” by Kylie Morgan
  • “Pickup” by Mackenzie Porter
  • “Tennessee Orange” by Megan Moroney – WINNER
  • “Wilder Days” by Morgan Wade
  • “Found In You” by Tiera Kennedy
• He then gave out the award for Breakthrough Male Video of the Year:
  • “Son of a Sinner” by Jelly Roll – WINNER
  • “Fall in Love” by Bailey Zimmerman
  • “Wild as Her” by Corey Kent
  • “Sounds Like Something I’d Do” by Drake Milligan
  • “Don’t Come Lookin'” by Jackson Dean
  • “Whiskey On You” by Nate Smith
• Kelsea then came back out to promote an upcoming TV special for The Judds Final Tour.  She then introduced Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde who came out to perform a cover of Foreigner’s “I Wanna Know What Love Is” which she performed during The Judds Final Tour
• We come back from commercial with the announcer introducing Megan Thee Stallion, who presented Shania Twain as this year’s Equal Play Award Recipient
• The star of the new show True Lies, Steven Howey, came out to introduce Cody Johnson, who performed his current hit single “Human”
• Kane Brown was back out to introduce Keith Urban, who performed his current single “Brown Eyes Baby” on the outdoor Capitol Stage
• Kelsea came back out and noted that the Group/Duo Video of the Year winner was announced earlier, before the broadcast:
  • “You (Performance Video)” by Dan  + Shay
  • “Summer State of Mind” by Lady A
  • “Hell Yeah” by Little Big Town
  • “Take My Name” by Parmalee
  • “That’s How Love is Made” by The War and Treaty
  • “Out in the Middle” by Zac Brown Band – WINNER
    
• Kelsea then introduced Nate Smith, who performed part of his single “Whiskey On You” as they went to commercial
• Cody Alan brought us back from commercial break to introduce Jennifer Landon and Ian Bohen from Yellowstone and Hardy to introduce Lainey Wilson who performed her newly minted #1 hit single “Heart Like a Truck”
• The announcer introduced Jackson Dean who performed part of his hit “Don’t Come Lookin'” as we go to commercial
• Kelsea Ballerini brings us back from commercial to introduce Gwen Stefani and Carly Pearce who performed No Doubt’s “I’m Just a Girl”
• The announcer introduced Shania Twain who brought out the Boykinz to do a brief a capella version of Shania’s “Giddy Up” before Shania gave out the award for Female Video of the Year:
  • “What He Didn’t Do” by Carly Pearce
  • “Ghost Story” by Carrie Underwood
  • “Pick Me Up” by Gabby Barrett
  • “HEARTFIRST” by Kelsea Ballerini
  • “Heart Like a Truck” by Lainey Wilson – WINNER
  • “Humble Quest” by Maren Morris
  • “Actin’ Up” by Miranda Lambert
• The announcer took us to commercial by letting us know that Jelly Roll will be taking the stage soon
• We come back to find Kane Brown wearing a “This Shirt Saves Lives” t-shirt, which promotes the work that St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital does.  He then introduced Jelly Roll, who came out with a choir to perform his new single “I Need a Favor”
• The announcer then introduced Charles Esten and Madison Bailey from the TV Show Outer Banks to give out the CMT Award for CMT Performance of the Year:
  • “Colors” by Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton (from 2022’s CMT Music Awards)
  • “Whenever You Come Around” by Chris Stapleton (from CMT Giants)
  • “Til You Can’t” by Cody Johnson (from 2022’s CMT Music Awards) – WINNER
  • “Never Say Never” by Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson (from 2022’s CMT Music Awards)
  • “Let Her Cry” by Darius Rucker (from CMT Storytellers)
  • “Lay Me Down” by Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson (from Coal Miner’s Daughter:  A Celebration of the Life and Music of Loretta Lynn)
  • “Wild Hearts” by Keith Urban (from 2022’s CMT Music Awards)
  • “One Way Ticket” LeAnn Rimes w/ Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce (from CMT Crossroads)
  • “Love Can Build a Bridge” by The Judds (from 2022’s CMT Music Awards)
  • “The Rose” by Wynonna Judd and Brandi Carlile (from Naomi Judd:  A River of Time Celebration)
• We come back from commercial with the announcer introducing Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, who was in the crowd to introduce Kelsea Ballerini who performed her single “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” with four drag queens dancing around her
• The announcer then introduced Max Thieriot of CBS’s SEAL Team and Fire Country to introduced Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown to perform their duet “Thank God” from the outdoor Capitol Stage
• We go to commercial with Avery Anna performing a clip of her song “Narcissist”
• We come back to Carrie Underwood introducing The Black Crowes and Darius Rucker who performed “She Talks to Angels”
• LeAnn Rimes came out to announce the winner of the 2023 CMT Award for Best Male Video of the Year
  • “Rock and a Hard Place” by Bailey Zimmerman
  • “Human” by Cody Johnson
  • “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell
  • “Son of a Sinner” by Jelly Roll – WINNER
  • “Like I Love Country Music” by Kane Brown
  • “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs
  • “Wasted on You” by Morgan Wallen
• Carly Pearce brought us back from commercial talking about the CMT’s Next Women of Country program before introducing Alanis Morissette with Lainey Wilson, Ingrid Andress, Madeline Edwards and Morgan Wade who performed “You Oughta Know”
• We go to commercial break with Megan Moroney performing a clip of her hit single “Tennessee Orange”
• We come back to Dustin Lynch, who introduced Dixie D’Amelio, who then introduced Carrie Underwood who performed “I Hate My Heart” on the outdoor Capitol Stage
• The final performance of the night from the Dodge Ram Stage as we go to another commercial is “You Can Have Him Jolene” by Chapel Hart
• We come back from commercial with Darius Rucker, who was out to announce the CMT Award for Video of the Year:
• Finalists:
  • “Hate My Heart” by Carrie Underwood
  • “Wait in the Truck” by Hardy & Lainey Wilson
  • “Thank God” by Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown – WINNER
• Runners-Up
  • “Bonfire at Tina’s” by Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark, Pillbox Patti
  • “No Body” by Blake Shelton
  • “Human” by Cody Johnson
  • “Worth a Shot” by Elle King & Dierks Bentley
  • “Pick Me Up” by Gabby Barrett
  • “Down Home” by Jimmie Allen
  • “Wild Hearts” by Keith Urban
  • “HEARTFIRST” by Kelsea Ballerini
  • “Rich Man” by Little Big Town
  • “Country On” by Luke Bryan
  • “The Kind of Love We Make” by Luke Combs
  • “You Proof” by Morgan Wallen
  •  “AA” by Walker Hayes
• Peter Frampton came out to honor Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd.
• The show ended with an all-star performance of “Simple Man” and “Sweet Home Alabama” honoring Lynyrd Skynyrd by members of ZZ Top, Bad Company, Guns N Roses, and The Allman Brothers.  The performers were Cody Johnson, Billy Gibbons, Paul Rodgers, Slash, Chuck Leavell, Warren Haynes, Wynonna Judd, and LeAnn Rimes!  That was one hell of a performance to wrap up the show!

Artist Name: Savannah Jaine
Hometown: Tampa, Florida, and my husband/collaborator is from Adlington, Lancashire

What project(s) are you currently working on?

We finished our album SLOWBURNBABY which will be released in June and are now also working on an EP entitled Constant Motion for release in the Fall

What inspired you to pursue a career in music and when did you know?

I’ve been singing since I was 4- I’ve never really known anything else!

If you weren’t pursuing a career in music, what would you be doing for a living?

Something music adjacent like teaching guitar or music therapy

What is your favorite downtime activity?

Meditating and writing!

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?

I’m pretty obsessed with Harry Styles – I just think he’s fab

Who is your favorite sports team(s)?

I honestly don’t watch sports too much!! I like going to see local teams wherever we are – the smaller local games are always fun.

What is the last movie that you watched?

In my apartment we always watch The Princess Diaries, it’s our comfort movie.

What is the last album you listened to?

Kelsea Ballerini’s “Rolling Up The Welcome Mat” EP came out yesterday and I listened 3 times through – really her best work as a writer, brilliant.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Taylor Swift’s Evermore is a pretty much a perfect album.

What is the greatest country song of all time?

Probably something by the queen Dolly Parton – Jolene or I Will Always Love You

What has been your favorite city/town that you’ve visited out on the road?

When I worked on ships we got to play really crazy places – I liked Fiji, Ibiza and Amsterdam the most!

What is your favorite meal?

I love Indian food – spicy South Indian garlic chicken and paneer

Who is your dream duet partner?

I’d love to be on a track by the Highwomen – singing with Brandi Carlile would be a dream come true.

Who would you like to go on tour with?

I’d love to open for Maren Morris or Lainey Wilson – I think I could fit into their show/style quite well

What is your ultimate career goal(s)?

I just want to make a living making music – and I’ve been able to do that for almost 10 years now so everything else is just icing on the cake

Artist Name:  Tamara Stewart

What project(s) are you currently working on?

New Single and New album are imminent. I’m excited about those finally happening.  I also am in the process of recording a new podcast series that kicks off in a few weeks called “Heal My Story’ . It’s a deep dive into the ways Creativity can be utilized for healing and it’s an absolute combination of my favorite subjects- Creativity and Personal Growth.

What inspired you to pursue a career in music and when did you know?

Mum says from when I was about two, my grandmother would say “she’s going to be an entertainer this one!” and she was right. I was always writing poems or singing songs and trying to make people laugh or cry with music. I started writing songs at 10 and hit the stage for the first time at 11.

The tornado really kicked off for me at 10 when I heard Dolly Parton on the radio and I had no idea who it was but I remember the way her voice and songs struck me in that instant- I wanted to do or be or go whatever and wherever THAT was coming from.  Now I live in Nashville and write and sing songs for a living.

If you weren’t pursuing a career in music, what would you be doing for a living?

Painting. I’d be an artist, I think. I deeply love it and still do paint on the side, or maybe move into the mental health world, I’m passionate about that too, but Art is definitely my second love.

I’ve only recently re-introduced it into my life and have my own art studio to work in, in Nashville and trying to keep it in my weekly schedule.

What is your favorite downtime activity?

I love paddle-boarding and spending time with my fave people. I am also extremely happy in my own company, and love to sit in the solitude of my life and zone out on the couch. I’m also an avid walker and do ridiculous amounts of steps each week. The gym is a passion, especially when I’m in the groove if it.

Who is your biggest celebrity crush?

Ha! I’m not sure about that. I think Harry Styles is an incredible human. I am a sucker for an English or Irish Accent too, so that helps.

Who is your favorite sports team(s)?

Geelong Cats! Australian Rules Football. Nashville has an Aussie Rules team called “Nashville Kangaroos” I need to get on board with those guys and go to some games.  And I am about to sign up to the Nashville Predators for Hockey and I think I’m going full-fledged Titans fan now too. (American Football)

What is the last movie that you watched?

Oh my. I went to the cinema and saw “The Whale”. It is still with me. Achingly beautiful and deeply touched by it. Brendan Frazer is beyond Oscar worthy for his role in that.

What is the last album you listened to?

I can’t get enough of Taylor Swift’s most recent new albums. Midnights, Evermore and Folklore are masterpieces. I also have just discovered “Ren” and he has a song out called “Hi Ren” that is a stroke of human genius.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Yikes. Don’t make me do it. That question is too hard.  Something James Taylor-esque.

What is the greatest country song of all time?

“This Shirt” by Mary Chapin Carpenter. And also one million others that are slapping me in the face for not choosing them. “Picasso and Me” by Gretchen Peters… so many.

What has been your favorite city/town that you’ve visited out on the road?

Hmm. I adore London. I think I lived there in another life.  Nashville, of course, then eventually made it my home. I love Boise, Idaho and I played a songwriters Festival a few times in Key West, Florida that is an absolutely gorgeous part of the world. Too many to mention but those come to mind.

What is your favorite meal?

When I’m indulging, a good Indian Curry! I don’t eat meat, but Pescatarian so Seafood is on the menu.  Anything with Prawns/Shrimp or I can get just as excited about a kick ass salad with fried tofu. I am an avid Whole30 compliant gal, so I love clean eating.

Who is your dream duet partner?

I’d love to sing with Wynonna Judd or one of my childhood hero’s. But in today’s climate, I think for me dream collaborations are more about writing songs and I’d give my last plectrum away to write with Lori McKenna. Like me, she writes a lot on her own and I’m curious what we would come together and trust each other to say in song.

Who would you like to go on tour with?

Lori Mc Kenna, Brandy Carlisle – if it was the 3 of us on one show I would explode into a ball of glitter every night. I think it’s fair to end that sentence with “Literally!”

What is your ultimate career goal(s)?

At this point, after being blessed by a career of music for over 20 years, just to be able to keep doing it in a way that feels authentic and inspiring. The longer I am in this business the deeper my gratitude runs for staying ppen to wherever this darn journey takes me!