CMT today announced that Meghan Trainor, Jill Scott, pop star Zara Larsson and Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild will join THE LINEUP of performers set to pay tribute to the 2016 CMT ARTISTS OF THE YEAR honorees when the special premieres Thursday, October 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. After taking the world by storm at the 2016 Olympic Games, gold medalist gymnasts Aly Raisman and Madison Kocian will join talk show host and comedic star Arsenio Hall and Little Big Town as presenters.
Mega-superstar
Meghan Trainor will lend her girl power prowess alongside powerhouse vocalist
Jill Scott and honoree
Kelsea Ballerini in paying tribute to the one and only
Shania Twain, who will be honored with the third-annual "Artist of a Lifetime" award, while Swedish rising sensation
Zara Larsson will join honoree
Thomas Rhett in a can't-miss mashup of Rhett's CMA Song of the Year, "Die a Happy Man," and Larsson's Billboard Hot 100 smash hit "Never Forget You." Karen
Fairchild will join honoree
Luke Bryan for a performance of their No. 1 duet "Home Alone Tonight."
Taped live at Nashville's Schermerhorn
Symphony Center, the seventh -annual 90-minute special "CMT Artists of the Year" will feature once-in-a-lifetime performances, unexpected tributes and unforgettable toasts as the biggest stars of music, film and television gather to celebrate the five artists selected by
CMT as the top artists of the year:
Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Florida
Georgia Line,
Luke Bryan and Thomas Rhett. These artists collectively dominated the last 12 months ruling CMT's platforms and country radio, scoring chart-topping album and singles, and selling out arenas around the country. Additionally,
CMT will honor rising star, Kelsea Ballerini, with the second annual Artists of the Year "Breakout" Award and country music legend,
Shania Twain, with the third-annual "Artist of a Lifetime" award. Additional performers, presenters, and special guests will be announced at a later date.
Former "CMT Artists of the Year" honorees include
Jason Aldean (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014),
Kenny Chesney (2011, 2012),
Eric Church (2012),
Hunter Hayes (2013),
Toby Keith (2012),
Lady Antebellum (2010, 2011),
Little Big Town (2015),
Miranda Lambert (2012, 2014),
Tim McGRaw (2013),
Brad Paisley (2011),
Blake Shelton (2015),
Taylor Swift (2010, 2011),
Keith Urban (2014),
Sam Hunt (2015) and
Zac Brown Band (2010).
Previous "CMT Artist of the Year" performances have included Adele and
Darius Rucker performing
Lady Antebellum's "Need You Now,"
Adam Lambert and
Leona Lewis paying tribute to Little Big Town's "Girl Crush",
Lionel Richie and
Luke Bryan's mashup of "Oh No" and "All Night Long," and
Maroon 5 covering
Taylor Swift's "Mine." The show has featured appearances by EllenDeGeneres,
Matthew McConaughey,
Selena Gomez,
Billy Bob Thornton,
Roger Clemens,
Morgan Freeman, the cast of "Nashville" and more.
CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading television and digital authority on country music and entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT, CMT.com and
CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news, live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour music channel,
CMT Music,
CMT Mobile and
CMT VOD.
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