The initial rollout of performers for the 2022 CMA Awards includes Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson, the Country Music Association announced Tuesday, just a little more than two weeks in advance of the Nov. 9 telecast.
The show will open with an all-star tribute to the late Loretta Lynn. Also announced as performing on the show are Carly Pearce, the Zac Brown Band, Jimmie Allen, Kelly Clarkson, Hardy and the broadcast’s co-host, Luke Bryan.
The 56th annual edition of the telecast airs on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/PT Nov. 9 from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, with football great Peyton Manning previously announced to emcee the show alongside Bryan.
The songs for this first round of performers were announced by the CMA as well, with several collaborations in store, most echoing hookups that originated on recent records. Ballerini, for instance, will perform “You’re Drunk, Go Home,” a female bar anthem from her new release, with the singers who formed a trio with her on the record, Pearce and Clarkson. Hardy and Wilson are set to sing their current domestic violence-themed duet, “Wait in the Car.”
Blues singer-guitarist King will join the Brown Band on the latter group’s “Out in the Middle,” as he does on record, but the live performance will also include Allen, the CMAs’ reigning new artist of the year.
Non-collaborative performances include Lambert singing “Geraldene,” Underwood doing “Hate My Heart,” Wallen coming to the stage with his smash “You Proof” and Bryan turning in a live rendition of “Country On.”
Further performances are expected to be announced in the 15-day run-up to the show.
As announced in early September, Wilson is the leading nominee this year with six nods, followed by Pearce, Ashley McBryde, Chris Stapleton and songwriter/producer Shane McAnally with five each. Cody Johnson and writer-producer Josh Osbourne have four nominations going into the show, while Lambert, Underwood, Luke Combs, Hardy and Midland are all triple-nominees.
The contenders for the top entertainer of the year prize are Lambert, Underwood, Stapleton, first-time nominee Wallen and last year’s winner, Combs.
Several of this year’s performers and nominees have been profiled by Variety about their latest projects. Read our interviews with Ballerini here, Lambert here, Combs here and McBryde here.