Jelly Roll, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, Cody Johnson lead CMT Music Awards noms
This combination of photos shows country music stars Megan Moroney, left, performing April 2, 2023, in Austin, Texas, Jelly Roll performing Feb. 2, 2024, in Los Angeles, center, and Kelsea Ballerini performing Sept. 11, 2023, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jelly Roll, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and Cody Johnson are the leading nominees for the 2024 CMT Music Awards, celebrating the best in country music videos.
On Wednesday, CMT announced the nominees for their fan-voted awards show, where the five artists are tied with three nominations apiece.
Ballerini will also host the show, live from Austin, Texas’ Moody Center on Sunday, April 7 beginning at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT.
All — save for Moroney — are up for the night’s biggest honor, video of the year, which has 16 contenders, not including featured artists.
Also nominated in the category: Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile (for “Dear Insecurity,” which won Clark her first Grammy last month ), Mickey Guyton featuring Kane Brown, Brothers Osbourne, Darius Rucker, HARDY, Jordan Davis, Kacey Musgraves, Parmalee, Tyler Childers, Zach Bryan and Jason Aldean (for “Let Your Boys Be Country,” not “Try That in a Small Town,” which CMT pulled last year in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics.)
For Jelly Roll, it is his first nomination in the category. Last year, he was the CMT Music Awards’ most awarded artist, taking home three trophies.
There are also 14 first-time nominees this year, a list that includes some acts that go beyond country music — a direct reflection of CMT’s spotlight on genre-blending collaborations.
Those new names include Amber Riley, Ashley Cooke, Anne Wilson, Ella Langley, The Castellows, Tigirlily Gold, Bret Michaels, Chayce Beckham, Hozier, Koe Wetzel, Stephen Wilson Jr., Tyler Childers, Warren Zeiders, and Zach Bryan.
In the female video of the year category, Ashley McBryde, Gabby Barrett, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney and Reba McEntire square off.
In the breakthrough female video of the year, its Anne Wilson, Ashley Cooke, Brittney Spencer and Tigirlily Gold. Morgan Wallen, one of the genre’s top stars, received only one nomination: for male video of the year for “Last Night (One Record at a Time Sessions).” He’s up against Bailey Zimmerman’s “Religiously,” Cody Johnson’s “The Painter,” HARDY’s “Truck Bed,” Jelly Roll’s “Need A Favor,” Jordan Davis’ “Next Thing You Know” and Luke Combs’ “Fast Car (Official Live Video).”
Wallen’s 2023 album, “One Thing at a Time,” spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, making it the most popular album of any style last year. Its run broke a record previously held by Garth Brooks’s 1991 LP “Ropin’ the Wind” by becoming the longest reigning No. 1 country album, ever.
In the breakthrough male video of the year category, Chayce Beckham, Tyler Childers, Warren Zeiders and Zach Bryan go head-to-head.
The show will air on CBS and stream live to Paramount+ who also have have a Showtime subscription. Otherwise, it will be available to stream on Paramount+ the following day.
Fans can vote for their favorite music videos at vote.cmt.com. Voting for the coveted “video of the year” award will remain open into the live show.
