Shania Twain Named CMT’s 2016 Artist of a Lifetime
Shania Twain will be honored with the 2016 Artist of a Lifetime award during CMT's upcoming Artists of the Year ceremony.
Twain is the first woman to receive the Artist of a Lifetime honor; the award's previous recipients are Kenny Rogers (2015) and Merle Haggard (2014). CMT selected Twain for the recognition because of "her indelible impact and achievements in country music," including five Grammys and more than 75 million albums sold worldwide. Twain's Come on Over, released in 1997, is still the best-selling country album of all time, as well as the top-selling album by a female artist of any genre of all time.
In addition to Twain, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton and Carrie Underwood will be honored at CMT's Artists of the Year ceremony. Rhett and Stapleton are first-time recipients of CMT’s Artist of the Year honor, though Stapleton received the Breakout Award in 2015; Bryan, meanwhile, has been awarded Artist of the Year five consecutive years (2012-2016), while FGL have received the award four times (2013-2016) and Underwood has earned it three times (2010, 2012, 2016). CMT will also recognize Kelsea Ballerini with the Breakout Artist of the Year award during the event.
The 2016 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony will take place at Music City’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Oct. 20 at 9PM ET. Performers and special guests will be revealed in the coming weeks. Previous Artist of the Year honorees include Kenny Chesney, Little Big Town, Taylor Swift and more.
Learn Shania Twain + Other Country Stars' Real Names
How Well Do You REALLY Know Shania Twain?