CMT Hot 20 Countdown special, hosted by Carissa Culiner and Rissi Palmer, to air February 10th
CMT has revealed the 14 new artists named to its highly-anticipated 2024 class of the CMT Next Women of Country (NWOC) franchise, the brand’s celebrated effort to support and promote developing female talent as part of its overarching CMT Equal Play initiative encouraging parity in the format. The prestigious program recently marked its milestone 10th anniversary last year, solidifying its stature as one of the longest-running, leading female discovery platforms in country music.
The CMT Next Women of Country Class of 2024 includes Anne Wilson, Denitia, Ella Langley, Emily Ann Roberts, HunterGirl, Karley Scott Collins, Kylie Frey, Lauren Watkins, Madeline Merlo, Mae Estes, Tanner Adell, The Castellows, Tigirlily Gold, and Twinnie.
The 2024 class was revealed today (Tues, Jan 23rd) in front of an invitation-only crowd of VIP industry and media at City Winery Nashville by CMT’s Leslie Fram who was joined by co-host Kimberly Perry, and artist Colbie Caillat, each of whom will serve as 2024 CMT NWOC mentors, to fete the new class alongside NWOC alum.
New this year, NWOC will join forces with female singer-songwriter collective Song Suffragettes for a first-time, year-long partnership, as announced on-stage by Fram and industry changemaker Todd Cassetty. Together with Change The Conversation and The Change Agent·cy, the joint effort will pursue industry education opportunities together in a continued effort to advance women in country music. In celebration of this collaboration, NWOC will host an upcoming showcase with Song Suffragettes at City Winery on Tuesday, February 27th. Ticketing info, lineup, and additional details to follow.
Again this year, CMT’s flagship series CMT Hot 20 Countdown, hosted by Carissa Culiner and Rissi Palmer, will dedicate an entire three-hour special episode to celebrating the new class of CMT Next Women of Country, introducing the class of 2024 with exclusive interviews and performance clips from each inductee. The special episode is slated to air Saturday, February 10th.
“It’s an honor and a privilege to welcome this latest group of artists to CMT’s Next Women of Country. For the past 10 years, this franchise has represented the best and brightest new talent in all of country music and this year is no exception. From the UK and Canada to California and the deep South, these women all have their own unique stories to tell and we can’t wait to introduce them to CMT audiences in creative and meaningful ways,” shares Leslie Fram, SVP, Music & Talent, CMT.
“And in the spirit of providing greater opportunities and visibility for female voices in our format, we’re thrilled to join hands and partner with our friends at notable singer-songwriter collective, Song Suffragettes, to work together towards our collective goal: greater parity for underrepresented female voices in our format. We look forward to collaborating with Todd Cassetty and his team to ensure that more talented women like these are given the opportunities they deserve to be seen and heard worldwide by our industry and fans.”
Over the next year, the 2024 CMT NWOC class will receive cross-brand support for their music and videos on CMT, CMT Music, PlutoTV’s CMT Equal Play channel, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com, and CMT social channels, in addition to cross-promotional opportunities for Paramount Media’s MTV Entertainment Group brands with live events, the Paramount Times Square NYC Billboard and more.
CMT also provides the NWOC access to social impact and artist advocacy opportunities designed to assist them in supporting charitable causes and social issues that they care about. These services will be provided by partnering with Nashville-based social impact firm, The Change Agent·cy for a fourth consecutive year. The group’s focus in 2024 will be voter registration and mental health.
A staunch advocate for country music’s female artists, CMT first launched its Next Women of Country campaign in 2013 as a substantial, meaningful effort to support and expose developing female talent, both signed and unsigned, in a male-dominated format. The initiative has grown significantly since its inception, showcasing emerging female artists across all CMT screens, including CMT and CMT Music, various digital series, and seven tours anchored by superstar acts including Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Tanya Tucker, and Maddie & Tae.
The 2024 class marks a total of 125 female acts that have been named as part of the program, including notable alumni of the franchise who have achieved both commercial and critical acclaim, including Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Brittney Spencer, Brooke Eden, Caitlyn Smith, Carly Pearce, Gabby Barrett, Ingrid Andress, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Alaina, Lindsay Ell, Madeline Edwards, Maren Morris, Megan Moroney, Mickey Guyton, Morgan Wade, Miko Marks and Tenille Arts, to name a few.
