The country star will also perform as she returns to anchor the show for the fourth year in a row — this time, solo
Kelsea Ballerini will return as host of the CMT Music Awards for the fourth year running.
The show will take place April 7 at the Moody Center in Austin, and air live on CBS. Ballerini was also named one of the night’s performers, on top of her hosting duties. Nominees, additional performers, and presenters for the 2024 CMT Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.
Ballerini will notably host the CMT Music Awards solo for the first time in 2024. She made her hosting debut in 2021 alongside Kane Brown, and the two have served as co-hosts almost every year since. The only slight hitch was in 2022 when Ballerini appeared virtually after testing positive for Covid-19; Brown then stepped in at the last minute to help out Ballerini’s originally scheduled co-host, Anthony Mackie.
In a statement, Ballerini said she “couldn’t be more excited” to return for her fourth CMT Music Awards. “Hosting an awards show that celebrates the music that the fans love most has been an honor and I know this year will be another unforgettable night,” she said.
Ballerini is coming off a busy (and occasionally tumultuous) 2023 anchored by her wildly successful EP, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat, and its expanded edition, Rolling Up the Welcome Mat (For Good). The EP — which landed at Number Three on Rolling Stone’s list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2023 — found Ballerini diving into her divorce from fellow country musician Morgan Evans in brutally honest and occasionally scathing detail.