With just two days until the loudest night in country music, the “2016 CMT Music Awards,” CMT today revealed more superstars acts set to join already-impressive roster of performers. Multiple nominee Carrie Underwood, who holds the record for most “Video of the Year” wins and is also nominated this year, will perform her hit “Church Bells.” For the first time, Pitbull will take the CMT stage joined by nominee Leona Lewis and CMT Music Award-winner Cassadee Pope for a can’t-miss performance. Additionally new acts Brothers Osborne, LOCASH, Maren Morris and Michael Ray will perform on the Firestone stage. Hosted by Erin Andrews and J.J. Watt, “2016 CMT Music Awards” will broadcast LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 8th at 8:00 PM ET/PT, and will air on CMT.
Other previously announced “2016 CMT Music Awards” performers include Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett. Collaborations include Blake Shelton and The Oak Ridge Boys, Billy Ray Cyrus and Cheap Trick, Dierks Bentley and Elle King, Fifth Harmony and Cam, Keith Urban with special guests Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris.
Carrie Underwood, is set to protect her “Video of the Year” crown against powerhouse Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Cam and Thomas Rhett who also top nominations for the fan-selected “2016 CMT Music Awards.” With three nominations each, including the coveted “Video of the Year,” they will face off in top categories against superstars Brothers Osborne, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Old Dominion and Sam Hunt who each garnered two nominations.
Tickets to the “2016 CMT Music Awards” are currently on sale via Ticketmaster.
Last year’s “CMT Music Awards” once again earned its title as the loudest in country music garnering nearly 17 million cumulative viewers for the premiere and subsequent airings, according to Nielsen. #CMTawards trended worldwide on Twitter from the start of the live telecast and throughout, and the show ranked as the #1 most social telecast of the day with over 18 million impressions according to Nielsen Twitter TV ratings. The awards ranked as the #2 most social non-sports telecast of the week and CMT.com saw double-digit gains for “CMT Music Awards” content, with unique visitors up +33% from the prior year.
Follow @CMT on Twitter and Instagram, use hashtag #CMTawards and like the CMT Music Awards on Facebook.
In recognition of country artists continuous and innovative creativity in engaging fans through social media, CMT today announced a brand new category and nominations for the “2016 CMT Music Awards,” the #SocialSuperstar category. The award honors artists who are pioneering social media as a tool to regularly interact with fans through a multitude of platforms and apps.
The nominees for the inaugural award are Brett Eldredge, Blake Shelton, Jake Owen, Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell and Thomas Rhett. Nominees Blake Shelton and Thomas Rhett are now tied for the most nominations with Carrie Underwood, Cam and Chris Stapleton, with three each. Winners will be revealed in the live show premiering Wednesday, June 8 at 8pm ET/PT from Nashville.
Fans can vote via Twitter and Instagram using the hashtags #CMTawards and an artist specific tag. Voting will continue to be open during the live show on June 8th. Fans are encouraged to post with #CMTawards plus the hashtag for their favorite artists: #VoteBlake, #VoteBrett, #VoteJake, #VoteKelsea, #VoteLindsay and #VoteThomas.