2021 CMT Music Awards: Everything You Need to Know

The 2021 CMT Music Awards are soon to air, with two of the biggest younger country stars in the genre hosting the broadcast.

The 2021 CMT Music Awards will air across multiple networks and feature performances from some of the biggest and brightest artists in country music, as well as several intriguing cross-genre collaborations. The annual awards show recognizes the most successful artists in country music for the past 12 months across a variety of categories, as chosen by a fan vote.

Read on for all the information you need to know about the 2021 CMT Music Awards.

When Are the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

The 2021 CMT Music Awards will air live from Nashville on Wednesday (June 9) at 8PM ET. In addition to the broadcast on CMT, the show will also be available to watch on MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network and TV Land.

Who Is Hosting the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini are co-hosting the CMT Music Awards in 2021. It will be Brown's second turn as the show's co-host -- he helmed the event in 2020 with Ashley McBryde and actor Sarah Hyland -- and Ballerini's first time as co-host.

"The CMT Music Awards are special to me -- it’s the first industry award I won, and getting on that stage was an amazing feeling," says Brown. I love that the fans get to have their voices heard as we celebrate the best in country music."

Adds Ballerini, "The CMT Awards are so special because they are truly fan voted. Following a year-plus where we have not been able to be with the fans and share music together will make this night even more special."

Who Is Nominated at the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

Maren Morris and Miranda Lambert lead the list of 2021 CMT Music Awards nominees with four nods apiece. Ballerini, Brown, Little Big Town and Mickey Guyton, meanwhile, all earned three nominations.

In total, 13 artists -- including Guyton -- received their first-ever nominations at the awards show this year. Click for a complete list of the 2021 CMT awards nominees.

Who's Going to Win at the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

CMT Music Awards winners are determined by fans. Voting closed on June 1, except for in the Video of the Year category, which will remain open until just before the winner is announced at the end of the show.

In addition to the fan-voted categories, the 2021 CMT Music Awards will include the presentation of the CMT Equal Play Award. This year, the honor is going to Linda Martell, in recognition of her achievements as a Black woman in country music in the 1970s. She'll be tributed by Rissi Palmer, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, inaugural CMT Equal Play Award winner Jennifer Nettles and Rhiannon Giddens, and Mickey Guyton will present the award.

"Equal play is imperative to the genre. It's how we go forward and paint a broader, more complex picture of what country music is and who country music represents," Palmer says. "Thank you, Linda, for being brave, fearless, talented and beautiful, and for putting yourself out there, even when it was difficult. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this award."

Who Is Performing at the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

Underwood, Ballerini, Chris Stapleton, Ingrid Andress and more are among the artists who will take the stage to perform at the 2021 CMT Music Awards. The performances will include a number of interesting collaborations with artists from other genres, as well as several solo performances.

Maren Morris and Gabby Barrett, originally announced as 2021 CMT Music Awards performers, have pulled out of the event. Morris cites a scheduling conflict, while Barrett says "personal circumstances" will keep her from being there; neither artist nor CMT has offered any additional details about the changes.

Here's a full list of 2021 CMT Music Awards performers:

Breland and Mickey Guyton
Brothers Osborne and Dierks Bentley
Carrie Underwood and Needtobreathe
Chris Young and Kane Brown
Chris Stapleton
Chris Stapleton and H.E.R.
Ingrid Andress and JP Saxe
Kelsea Ballerini and LANY's Paul Klein
Lady A, Carly Pearce and Lindsay Ell
Lauren Alaina and Jon Pardi
Luke Bryan
Luke Combs
Mickey Guyton and Gladys Knight
Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall
Thomas Rhett

Ram Trucks Side Stage Performers:

Blanco Brown
Dylan Scott
Hailey Whitters
Lainey Wilson
Niko Moon
Tenille Arts

Who Is Presenting at the 2021 CMT Music Awards?

Presenters for the 2021 CMT Music Awards include Brett Young, actor Busy Philipps, Pearce, Dylan Scott, Gladys Knight — who will also perform with Guyton, another presenter — comedian Iliza Shlesinger, Little Big Town, Restless Road and Trace Adkins.