The Highly-Anticipated 2023 CMT Awards Are on Tonight — Here's How to Watch

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The CMT Music Awards are here, and that's cause for serious excitement.

This year's ceremony promises everything we've come to expect from the fan-voted show, from high-profile performances to emotional speeches to incredible fashion moments. This year, the awards ceremony, hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, will be held in Austin, Texas, at the Moody Center.

Yellowstone star Lainey Wilson leads the nominations with four, followed by Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, and Jelly Roll with three each. Here's what you need to know before you tune in.

Who Is Performing at the CMT Music Awards?

This is where things get seriously entertaining. Performers include some of our favorite country music stars, including Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Tyler Hubbard, and Lainey Wilson. The CMT Music Awards just announced some major collaborations that will take the stage at the show, including The Black Crowes with Darius Rucker, Wynonna Judd with Ashley McBryde, ad Gwen Stefani with Carly Pearce. In what's sure to be a show-stopper, Alanis Morissette is set to perform "You Outta Know" with Ingrid Andress, Lainey Wilson, Madeline Edwards, and Morgan Wade.

What Are the Categories for the CMT Music Awards?

Country music fans vote for winners in nine categories: Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, Male Video of the Year, Group/Duo Video of the Year, Breakthrough Female Video of the Year, Breakthrough Male Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year, CMT Performance of the Year, and CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year. This year's list includes 22 new first-time nominees. There are 22 first-time nominees in this year's batch.

Nominees for the prestigious Video of the Year award have been narrowed down to three finalists: Carrie Underwood for “Hate My Heart,” HARDY featuring Lainey Wilson for “wait in the truck,” and Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown for “Thank God.”

Here's How to Watch the CMT Music Awards

The CMT Music Awards air on Sunday, April 2, at 8 EST/7 CST. on CBS. If you don't have CBS, you can stream the show on Paramount+, but there is a small catch. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream the show live and watch on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have to wait until Monday to watch. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial of Paramount+ and then cancel at anytime.

CMT will also air a special "extended cut" version of the show on Thursday, April 6, with 30 minutes of additional footage.

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