Country star Kane Brown leads the list of nominations for the 2022 CMT Music Awards with four, followed by three apiece for Kelsea Ballerini, Mickey Guyton, Breland and Cody Johnson.
Joining the latter two artists as first-time nominees are Brittney Spencer, Caitlyn Smith, Elvie Shane, MacKenzie Porter, Priscilla Block and Tenille Arts, and two non-country artists who appeared as guests on CMT during the year, H.E.R. and Paul Klein of LANY.
Carly Pearce, who is up for two awards, helped announce the nominations Wednesday morning on CBS, which will air the CMT Awards for the first time this year, in a bumping up of what used to be CMT’s flagship show to a new awards tentpole for the broadcast network. The show will be broadcast live from Nashville in a three-hour prime-tie slot on CBS.
Brown and Ballerini co-hosted last year’s CMT Awards; this year; Ballerini shares the duties with actor Anthony Mackie.
The CMT Awards show is billed as country music’s only fan-voted show. The nominations are selected in-house by CMT.
The list of nominees for the CMTs stands in sometimes stark contrast to the comparable lists for the Academy of Country Music Awards earlier this month or the Country Music Association Awards in November, favoring some artists who have sometimes been discussed as getting short shrift in those shows and giving a lighter look to others who traditionally get favored by the ACMs and CMAs. The show also puts more of an emphasis on newer artists with its nominations.
For instance, Brown, who leads the pack here with four, has often been noted for being underrepresented at the other shows, having gotten only one ACM nomination. And Guyton and fast-rising Cody Johnson picked up three CMT nods after getting shut out for ACMs nods. Meanwhile, Chris Young, who led the ACM nominations with seven, got none here here, and perennial awards leader Miranda Lambert, who got four nominations from the ACMs and was named their entertainer of the year, is less prominent here with two.
The CMT Awards also make more of a place for artists who come in from ostensibly outside the genre, or at least outside its radio parameters, with two nominations for Brandi Carlile.
Following is a complete list of nominations:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video of the year; awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on April 4. Final nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 11. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.
- Brandi Carlile – “Right on Time”
- Cody Johnson – “‘Til You Can’t”
- Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson – “Never Say Never”
- Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood – “If I Didn’t Love You”
- Kacey Musgraves – “Justified”
- Kane Brown – “One Mississippi”
- Kelsea Ballerini feat. Kenny Chesney – “Half of My Hometown”
- Luke Combs – “Forever After All”
- Maren Morris – “Circles Around This Town”
- Mickey Guyton – “Remember Her Name”
- Miranda Lambert – “If I Was a Cowboy”
- Taylor Swift feat. Chris Stapleton – “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)”
FEMALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a female artist; awarded to the artist
- Brandi Carlile – “Right on Time”
- Gabby Barrett – “Footprints on the Moon”
- Kacey Musgraves – “Justified”
- Maren Morris – “Circles Around This Town”
- Mickey Guyton – “Remember Her Name”
- Miranda Lambert – “If I Was a Cowboy”
- Tenille Arts – “Back Then, Right Now”
MALE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a male artist; awarded to the artist
- Cody Johnson – “’Til You Can’t”
- Eric Church – “Heart on Fire”
- Kane Brown – “One Mississippi”
- Luke Bryan – “Waves”
- Luke Combs – “Forever After All”
- Thomas Rhett – “Country Again”
- Walker Hayes – “Fancy Like”
GROUP/DUO VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video by a duo or group; awarded to the artists
- Brothers Osborne – “I’m Not for Everyone”
- Dan + Shay – “Steal My Love”
- Maddie & Tae – “Woman You Got”
- Old Dominion – “I Was on a Boat That Day”
- Parmalee – “Take My Name”
- Zac Brown Band – “Same Boat”
BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO OF THE YEAR, Presented by SONIC®
Best video from an artist’s major breakthrough album; awarded to the artist (male, female or group/duo)
- Breland – “Cross Country”
- Caitlyn Smith feat. Old Dominion – “I Can’t”
- Elvie Shane – “My Boy”
- Parker McCollum – “To Be Loved by You”
- Priscilla Block – “Just About Over You”
- Tenille Arts – “Back Then, Right Now”
COLLABORATIVE VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Best video from a collaboration; awarded to the artists
- Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde – “Never Wanted to Be That Girl”
- Dustin Lynch feat. MacKenzie Porter – “Thinking ‘Bout You”
- Nelly & Florida Georgia Line – “Lil Bit”
- Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood – “If I Didn’t Love You”
- Jimmie Allen & Brad Paisley – “Freedom Was a Highway”
- Jordan Davis feat. Luke Bryan – “Buy Dirt”
- Kelsea Ballerini feat. Kenny Chesney – “Half of My Hometown”
CMT PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Musical performance on a television show, series or variety special on CMT; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
- Brothers Osborne – “Muskrat Greene/Dead Man’s Curve Medley (from CMT Campfire Sessions)”
- George Strait – “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone (from CMT GIANTS: Charley Pride)”
- H.E.R. feat. Chris Stapleton – “Hold On (from 2021 CMT Music Awards)”
- Kane Brown – “Three Wooden Crosses (from 2021 CMT Artists of the Year)”
- Kelsea Ballerini feat. Paul Klein of LANY – “I Quit Drinking (from 2021 CMT Music Awards)”
- Mickey Guyton feat. Gladys Knight & Breland – “Friendship Train (from 2021 CMT Music Awards)”
- Nelly feat. Kane Brown, Blanco Brown & Breland – “Ride Wit Me (from CMT Crossroads: Nelly & Friends)”
CMT DIGITAL-FIRST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
Musical performance from a production, series or livestream created for CMT Digital / Social Channels; awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo)
- Brittney Spencer – “Sober & Skinny” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
- Carly Pearce – “Dear Miss Loretta” (from CMT :60 Songs)
- Cody Johnson – “Dear Rodeo” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
- Jon Pardi – “On the Other Hand / Forever and Ever, Amen” (in honor of 2021 CMT Artist of a Lifetime Randy Travis)
- Josh Turner Live (from CMT KickBack)
- Lainey Wilson – “Things a Man Oughta Know” (from the CMT Studio)