2024 CMT Music Awards REPORT

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson & More Lead 2024 CMT Music Awards Nominations

Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Warren Zeiders and Ashley Cooke were among the evening’s winners.

Country stars pay tribute to late Toby Keith

CMT 2024 Winners: AT A GLANCE

VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Jelly Roll — Need A Favor

FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Lainey Wilson — Watermelon Moonshine

MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Jelly Roll — Need A Favor

DUO/GROUP VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Dan + Shay — Save Me The Trouble

COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton — We Don't Fight Anymore

BREAKTHROUGH FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Ashley Cooke — your place

BREAKTHROUGH MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR: Warren Zeiders — Pretty Little Poison

CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Jelly Roll — Need a Favor (from 2023 CMT Music Awards)

CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Scotty McCreery — It Matters to Her (from CMT Stages)

JUNE CARTER CASH HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Trisha Yearwood — Inaugural Winner

Scroll down to view all the Nominees below

The fan-voted award show aired live from The Moody Center in Austin, Texas on April 7, 2024 with Country music’s biggest stars stepping out.

The 2024 CMT Music Awards were back on Sunday, April 7 for its 23rd iteration, with a star-studded list of nominees and performers.

Going into the awards Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Cody Johnson, Kelsea Ballerini and Megan Moroney lead the nominations for the 2024 CMT Music Awards, with three nods each.

Last year, Jelly Roll was the evening’s most-awarded artist with three wins, while in 2022, Johnson earned that distinction with two wins.

This year, CMT recognized 14 first-time nominees: Amber Riley, Ashley Cooke, Bret Michaels, Chayce Beckham, Hozier, Koe Wetzel, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tyler Childers, Warren Zeiders, Zach Bryan and four women artists who were honoured as part of this year’s CMT Next Women of Country class: Anne Wilson, Ella Langley, The Castellows and sister duo Tigirlily Gold.

Video Of The Year VOTING

Best Video Of The Year; awarded to the artist (Male, Female, Group/Duo Or Collaboration).

Top 6 nominees from the first round of voting, were announced on April 1.

The final 3 nominees, from the second round of voting, were announced on show day, April 7. Final voting was determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.

On April 7th CMT revealed the top three finalists for their top award, Video Of The Year. Fan voting opened on the CMT Music Awards Facebook using specific hashtags and Instagram commenting with artist name and #cmtawards.  The nominees were Cody Johnson’s “The Painter” (#VoteCodyCMT), Jelly Roll’s “Need a Favor” (#VoteJellyCMT), and Kelsea Ballerini’s “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” (#VoteKelseaCMT).

The three finalists were culled from a list of six semi-finalists (and before that, a list of 16 initial candidates) were all each vying for their first video of the year win.

Video of the year 16 initial candidates were: Ashley McBryde (“Light On In The Kitchen”), Brandy Clark feat. Brandi Carlile (“Dear Insecurity”), Brothers Osborne (“Nobody’s Nobody”), Cody Johnson (“The Painter”), Darius Rucker (“Fires Don’t Start Themselves”), HARDY (“Truck Bed”), Jason Aldean (“Let Your Boys Be Country”), Jelly Roll (“Need A Favor”), Jordan Davis (“Next Thing You Know”), Kacey Musgraves (“Deeper Well”), Kelsea Ballerini (“If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too))”, Lainey Wilson (“Watermelon Moonshine”), Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown (“Nothing Compares To You”), Parmalee (“Gonna Love You”), Tyler Childers (“In Your Love”) and Zach Bryan (“Nine Ball”)

Jelly Roll Dominates Back-To-Back CMT Music Awards As Most-Awarded Artist, Including The Top Honor For "Video Of The Year"; Lainey Wilson Takes “Female Video Of The Year” For The Second Consecutive Year & Honors The Legendary Toby Keith.

Jason Aldean returned to the CMT Music Awards with a Performance of His Current Single "Let Your Boys Be Country"

Austin, TX (April 8, 2024) - The 2024 CMT Music Awards in Austin, TX proved to be an electrifying and monumental night for Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Jason Aldean. 

BBR Music Group/Stoney Creek Records' Jelly Roll would take home three wins, for the second consecutive year, earning him the accolade as the most-awarded artist of the night, including the top honor of "Video of the Year" for "Need a Favor." The self-proclaimed "Trailer Park Tornado" delivered a fiery performance of "Halfway to Hell" to close the program and also took home buckle awards for "Male Video of the Year" for "Need a Favor" and "CMT Performance of the Year" for "Need a Favor" (from the 2023 CMT Music Awards).

BBR Music Group/Broken Bow Records' Lainey Wilson would secure a win for "Female Video of the Year" for "Watermelon Moonshine." Throughout the broadcast, she performed "Country's Cool Again," the namesake for the 2024 U.S. domestic tour that kicks off on May 31, and returned to join Brooks & Dunn and Sammy Hagar to honor the legendary Toby Keith performing "How Do You Like Me Now?!"

BBR Music Group/Broken Bow Records' Jason Aldean made his return to the CMT Music Awards performing his current single "Let Your Boys Be Country" from the University of Texas at Austin stage.

Jelly Roll: Credit: Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for CMT

During his "Video of the Year" acceptance speech for "Need a Favor", viewable HERE (Instagram Reel), Jelly Roll stated: "Billy Bob Thornton just gave me my third trophy of the night, y'all. Cody Johnson, I'm not gonna tell you anything up here that I wouldn't tell you on the phone, but I love you brother. You are my favorite cowboy for ever and ever and ever and one of my best friends in the business. I love you. Kelsea Ballerini, you know what I think of you too, girl. You go baby! I want to thank my manager John Meneilly. I want to thank my publicist, Jennifer Vessio. I want to thank my label Stoney Creek. I want to thank country radio. I want to thank everybody who had anything to do with this. Jon Loba, I love you. I love you so much. My beautiful wife, Ms. Bunnie DeFord. I am blessed to have you as a best friend. I am blessed to have you as a partner. You find beauty in broken things and I love you. I'm fixing to come back out on this stage and set it on fire! It's going down! Gayle King, I'm gonna be a little late in the morning cause we're gonna party Austin. Let's go!"

Lainey Wilson: Credit: Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for CMT

In her "Female Video of the Year" acceptance speech for "Watermelon Moonshine," viewable HERE, Lainey Wilson shared: "My heart is beating out of my chest. I'm not even gonna lie. I just want to say, first of all, every single girl that was in this category, all of them are dear friends. They work their tails off and they just dedicate their life to creating music and creating this vision and bringing it to life. I am so honored to be a part of this category. It's really unreal watching these girls do what they do. I am pretty sure all of them would let me say thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for supporting women in country. It's a big dang deal! Thank you so much. 'Watermelon Moonshine' is about that young, wild, crazy love --- a time in your life when nothing else mattered. It takes you back to that certain time, that place, that smell, that sound --- that's what country music is right there. It's just about telling a story and thank y'all so much for letting me do that with this video. God bless y'all."

Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton won Collaborative Video Of The Year for their song, “We Don’t Fight Anymore.” She thanked Stapleton, who wasn’t in attendance, and “Fans, fans, fans, fans, fans!”

The legendary Trisha Yearwood received a special honour receiving the inaugural "June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award", which "recognizes an artist, duo/group or industry veteran who demonstrates an exceptional dedication to the community and their fellow artists as Cash did." Actress and friend of Carter Cash, Jane Seymour, presented the award.

TV RATINGS: Idol Slayer: The 2024 CMT Music Awards, which aired April 7 on CBS drew a 0.68 rating among Adults 18-49, off slightly from last year's 0.7, according to TVRatingsGuide. The show drew 5.38 million viewers and helped CBS win the evening, with the awards show topping American Idol's 4.36m viewers on ABC and the 1.26m viewers of NBC's repeat of The Voice. By comparison, last fall's CMA Awards drew 6.61m viewers on ABC.

HOSTING: 

Kelsea Ballerini hosted the awards for fourth time in a row, opening with a comedic sketch about reading the minds of country music’s biggest names that ended with Keith Urban hugging the beaver mascot of beloved Texas gas station chain Buc-ee’s.

Her many outfit changes were only the first of a few surprises, which also included Melissa Etheridge appearing on a duet of “Come to My Window” with Ballerini.

Kelsea shared, "It's my fourth year hosting, so I feel like I've learned a lot. And the good thing about CMTs is there's such a light energy, so there's not a pressure that I feel to be perfect. I just want to be fun, honor the night and help people have a good time."

She also described the night feeling like "a big reunion" with her friends in the country music community and even teased she may have some surprises in store. "I might just ask for some help where I can get it," the "Half of My Hometown" singer noted.

Kelsea also announced she was done hosting the CMT Music Awards toward the end of Sunday night's (April 7) show in Texas. Ballerini put her two-weeks' notice in at the end of the show. She made clear she wouldn't be back, and that kind of thing just doesn't seem to happen on these stages.

The move was not a knee-jerk reaction to anything that happened during Sunday night's show or the build up to it. Talking to Variety ahead of time, she shared that hosting the CMT Music Awards for four years pushed her outside her comfort zone into new professional realms. She's simply ready to do that again in different ways….Read More: 2024 CMT Music Awards: 5 Things You Missed

PRESENTERS:

Emily Osment and Montana Jordan (introduced Megan Moroney)

Paul Walter Hauser (presented Collaborative Video of the Year)

Amber Riley (introduced Parker McCollum and Brittney Spencer)

Megan Moroney and Max Theriot (presented Breakthrough Female Video of the Year and Breakthrough Male Video of the Year)

Melissa Etheridge (introduced Jordan Davis and Needtobreathe (sang "Come To My Window" with Kelsea Ballerini)

Jane Seymour (presented the June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award to Trisha Yearwood)

Jelly Roll (introduced Lainey Wilson)

Cody Alan (introduced Bailey Zimmerman and Old Dominion with Megan Moroney)

Emma Roberts (introduced Keith Urban)

Carly Pearce (presented CMT Performance of the Year)

Parmalee (introduced Sam Hunt)

James Van Der Beek (introduced Kelsea Ballerini)

Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer (presented Duo/Group Video of the Year)

Roger Clemens, Lukas Nelson and Riley Green (introduced Tribute to Toby Keith)

Cody Johnson (introduced Trisha Yearwood's performance)

Mickey Guyton (introduced Dasha)

Minnie Driver (presented Male Video of the Year)

Gayle King (presented Female Video of the Year)

Billy Bob Thornton (presented Video of the Year)

BILLBOARD: 2024 CMT Music Awards Performances, Ranked

Of note: Trisha Yearwood was feted for her philanthropic efforts as the recipient of the inaugural June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award returning to the stage to perform a song she co-wrote, “Put It in a Song,” from her upcoming album. Appropriately, the composition celebrated the power of pouring pain, memories and emotions through the vessels of pen and paper into a song. Three-time Grammy winner Yearwood was joined onstage by her co-writers, Erin Enderlin and Jim “Moose” Brown.

2024 CMT Music Awards Backstage POV Footage

ICYMI: Performances from Sunday night's (4/7) 2024 CMT Music Awards included: 

·         Jelly Roll's "Halfway To Hell"

·         Brooks & Dunn's "Should've Been A Cowboy"

·         Sammy Hagar's "I Love This Bar"

·         Lainey Wilson's "How Do You Like Me Now" and "Country's Cool Again"

·         Little Big Town and Sugarland's "Take Me Home"

·         Trisha Yearwood's "Put It In A Song"

·         Dasha's "Austin"

·         Old Dominion and Megan Moroney's "Can't Break Up Now"

·         Moroney's "No Caller ID"

·         Kelsea Ballerini's "Love Me Like You Mean It"

·         Keith Urban's "Straight Line"

·         Sam Hunt's "Locked Up"

·         Bailey Zimmerman's "Where It Ends"

·         Parker McCollum and Brittney Spencer's "Burn It Down"

·         Jordan Davis and NeedToBreathe's "Next Thing You Know"

·         Jason Aldean's "Let Your Boys Be Country"

·         Cody Johnson's "That's Texas"

 

****  USE the Playlist play control 2nd left from top of the screen to see the playlisted..tracks and select one to play from the drop down menu  ***  👇

2024 CMT Music Awards Nominees and Winners

Video of the Year

Jelly Roll — "Need a Favor" – WINNER

Kelsea Ballerini — "If You Go Down (I'm Goin' Down Too)"

Cody Johnson — "The Painter"

Female Video of the Year

Lainey Wilson — "Watermelon Moonshine" – WINNER

Gabby Barrett — "Glory Days"

Kelsea Ballerini — "Penthouse"

Ashley McBryde — "Light On In The Kitchen"

Reba McEntire — "Seven Minutes In Heaven"

Megan Moroney — "I'm Not Pretty"

Kacey Musgraves — "Deeper Well"

Male Video of the Year

Jelly Roll — "Need a Favor" – WINNER

Luke Combs — "Fast Car"

Jordan Davis — "Next Thing You Know"

Hardy — "Truck Bed"

Cody Johnson — "The Painter"

Morgan Wallen — "Last Night"

Bailey Zimmerman — "Religiously"

Duo/Group Video of the Year

Dan + Shay — "Save Me the Trouble" – WINNER

Brothers Osborne — "Nobody's Nobody"

Old Dominion — "Memory Lane"

Parmalee — "Girl in Mine"

Tigirlily Gold — "Shoot Tequila"

The War and Treaty — "Have You a Heart"

Female Breakthrough Video of the Year

Ashley Cooke — "Your Place" – WINNER

Brittney Spencer — "Bigger Than The Song"

Tigirlily Gold — "Shoot Tequila"

Anne Wilson — "Rain in the Rearview"

Male Breakthrough Video of the Year

Warren Zeiders — "Pretty Little Poison" – WINNER

Chayce Beckham — "23"

Zach Bryan — "Oklahoma Smokeshow"

Tyler Childers — "In Your Love"

Collaborative Video of the Year

Carly Pearce feat. Chris Stapleton — "We Don't Fight Anymore" – WINNER

Mickey Guyton feat. Kane Brown — "Nothing Compares To You"#

Ella Langley feat. Koe Wetzel — "That's Why We Fight"

Justin Moore and Priscilla Block — "You, Me, & Whiskey"

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real feat. Lainey Wilson — "More Than Friends"

Old Dominion feat. Megan Moroney — "Can't Break Up Now"

Jon Pardi and Luke Bryan — "Cowboys And Plowboys"

CMT Performance of the Year

From 2023 CMT Music Awards: Jelly Roll — "Need a Favor" – WINNER

From CMT Campfire Sessions: Dustin Lynch and MacKenzie Porter — "Thinking 'Bout You"

From CMT Crossroads: Hozier and Maren Morris — "Take Me To Church"

From CMT Crossroads: Bret Michaels and Chris Janson — "Nothing But a Good Time"

From 2023 CMT Music Awards: Kelsea Ballerini — "IF YOU GO DOWN (I'M GOIN' DOWN TOO)"

From 2023 CMT Music Awards: Cody Johnson — "Human"

From 2023 CMT Music Awards: Carrie Underwood — "Hate My Heart"

From CMT Smashing Glass: Amber Riley — "R.E.S.P.E.C.T."

From CMT Smashing Glass: The War and Treaty — "On My Own"

From CMT Storytellers: Dierks Bentley — "Drunk On A Plane"

June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award: Trisha Yearwood 

2024 CMT Music Awards FASHION

Ashley Cooke (above) embraced an icy blue hue. She wore a high-waisted skirt and bra top  combo for her CMT Music Awards ensemble. Cooke won her first CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Female Video of the Year  for “Your Place.”

PEOPLE: The Best Dressed Stars at the 2024 CMT Awards: Kelsea Ballerini (David Koma dress), Trisha Yearwood, Mickey Guyton (Retrofête halter gown), Jane Seymour, Lainey Wilson (Area/ Superdown), GloRilla, Emma Roberts (Dolce & Gabbana gown), Amber Riley, Carly Pearce (Dolce & Gabbana/ Celeste Starre/ Nadri) and Gayle King (Badgley Mischka).

thecut.com/article/country-music-awards-2024-red-carpet

CMT Awards 2024 Red Carpet Arrivals GALLERY wwd.com

Best Dressed wwd.com | Worst Dressed wwd.com

Celebrity News Trisha Yearwood wwd.com/

Related Articles: www.dailymail.co.uk

CONNECT with CMT Music Awards: