Superstar makes epic return to CMT stage
CMT has revealed superstar Kenny Chesney is set to close the 2022 CMT Music Awards, marking his first return to the CMT stage in seven years. The show broadcasts live from Nashville on Monday, April 11th from 8-11 pm live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network and is available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
When Chesney gets serious, there’s no stopping him. Waist deep in final rehearsals for his Here And Now 2022 Tour, the 8x Entertainer of the Year and only country artist in the Top 20 of Billboard’s Top Touring Acts of the Decade is so fired up to be back on the road that he’s kick starting the celebration with a can’t-miss performance of “Beer in Mexico,” one of his most successful and iconic singles to close the 2022 CMT Music Awards.
For Chesney, who will be debuting new drummer Nick Buda and guitarist Danny Rader, it’s the opportunity to rock hard, to have fun and to return to the awards show where he won his first top award – Video of the Year – in 2002. With video having played a major part in defining who the laidback songwriter/superstar is – delving into many of his songs’ deeper and richer meanings and empowering people through the sentiments of songs such as “Knowing You,” “Get Along,” “Wild Child,” “Noise,” “Here And Now” and “Everyone She Knows” – Chesney understands the power of merging his high impact live shows with the mini-films that have become one of his signatures over the last decade and a half.
“When you do video right, it’s a lot like hitting the stage with everything you’ve got,” explains Chesney. “You can give people so much more than a song or a record; you can show them the power and the emotion that’s driving what’s inside the songs. So, for us to come be part of this Monday, it’s bringing who we are during concerts to a place where people have seen so many of these videos. And it’s always great to be able to close down the night!”
With the tour kick-off still two weeks away, Chesney gets to do what he does best: rock people in a way that saw the Wall Street Journal declare him “King of the Road.” In a single song, with no holds barred, the viewers will get a preview of the guy who will play 21 stadium shows this summer – and see the band that’s so good, he couldn’t wait to show the world!
Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Anthony Mackie, the 2022 CMT Music Awards will feature world premieres, first time collaborations and can’t-miss performances from Jason Aldean + Bryan Adams, Jimmie Allen + Monica + Little Big Town, Ballerini, Kane Brown, Mickey Guyton + Black Pumas, Walker Hayes, Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Maren Morris + Ryan Hurd, Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett + Riley Green, Cole Swindell + Lainey Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban, plus the first televised performance in over two decades from the legendary duo The Judds. Emerging artists Priscilla Block, BRELAND, Jessie James Decker, Parker McCollum, Elvie Shane and Caitlyn Smith will also perform from the Ram Trucks Side Stage.
The incredible roster of presenters for this year includes Jimmie Allen, Gabby Barrett, Rob Corrdry, Jordan Davis, Billy Gibbons, Gayle King, Taylor Lautner, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Joel McHale, Kacey Musgraves, Carly Pearce, Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France + Antoni Porowski, LeAnn Rimes, Dylan Scott, and Dennis Quaid.
Nominations for the 2022 CMT Music Awards were previously revealed, with superstar Kane Brown leading the star-studded nominations with four nods; Ballerini, Mickey Guyton and first-time nominees Breland and Cody Johnson follow close behind with three each. Tenille Arts, Priscilla Block, H.E.R., Paul Klein of LANY, MacKenzie Porter, Elvie Shane, Caitlyn Smith and Brittney Spencer also received their first CMT recognition, with 10 total first-time nominees across all categories. Carrie Underwood remains the most decorated artist in CMT history with 23 wins, as she readies to compete for two additional trophies: her 10th “Video of the Year” win and “Collaborative Video of the Year,” both for her collaboration with Jason Aldean.
Fan voting for the six “Video of the Year” finalists remains open at vote.cmt.com. The top three videos will be announced on April 11th, with the winner revealed live in-show.
The network also introduces an all-new, socially-voted category honoring superstar hitmakers who have cemented their status in music history with classic songs that withstood the test of time, and have found themselves the catalyst of recent social trends as their hits still resonate with fans old and new: “Trending Comeback Song of the Year.” Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Dolly Parton, Reba, Sara Evans, Shania Twain and Taylor Swift are up for the award via CMT’s Instagram Stories.
As previously announced, CMT will air CMT Music Awards Extended Cut with an added 30 minutes of new performances and extra bonus content on Friday, April 15th from 8-11:30 pm ET/PT exclusively on CMT.
