CMT is set to honor Luke Combs, Kane Brown, Walker Hayes, Cody Johnson, and Carly Pearce at their upcoming Artist of the Year ceremony on October 14 at 9 p.m. ET.
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At the event, held at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the five artists will be feted for reaching new career heights, leading CMT platforms, earning hit albums, and bringing their concerts to massive audiences.
Elsewhere in the 90-minute special will be a host of yet-to-be-announced artists who will give tribute and collaborative performances in honor of the five artists. This will be a third Artist of the Year award for Brown and Combs while Hayes, Johnson, and Pearce will be first-time honorees.
“We are honored to recognize the astounding achievements of this illustrious group of artists over the past year,” said CMT senior vice president of production, music & events Margaret Comeaux in a statement. “Carly, Cody, Kane, Luke, and Walker all represent the vibrant future of the country music format, as they defy convention and blaze new trails, breaking industry records and genre barriers. We can’t wait to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments alongside their fellow artists and friends.”
Pearce clinched her third No. 1 Country Airplay Single this year with the Ashley McBryde-assisted “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” The single is just the third duet between two solo female artists to top the Country Airplay Chart since its inception in 1990. The two previous chart-topping solo female collabs come from Elle King/Miranda Lambert on “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” and Reba McEntire/Linda Davis on “Does He Love You.”
Johnson earned his No.1 on the Country Airplay Chart this year with the two-week chart-topping hit, “Till You Can’t.” The accompanying video for the single earned the Male Video of the Year award at the 2022 CMT Music Awards. Johnson has had a year full of high-profile performances, including one at the CMT Awards and a set at Stagecoach. Johnson has also announced a tour with Randy Houser that will begin in January 2023.
Brown’s third CMT Artist of the Year honor comes hot off the release of his latest album, Different Man, which currently sits at No. 2 on the charts. He marked his eighth No.1 with “Like I Love Country Music” recently and also made history as the first male country artist to perform at the VMA Awards. He co-hosted the CMT Awards for the third time this year and was also the night’s leading nominee.
Combs, the reigning CMA entertainer of the year, took his career to new heights with his latest album, Growin’ Up. The album’s single, “Doin’ This,” earned him his 14th Country Airplay No. 1. Combs received two CMT Award nominations and a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for “Forever After All.”
Hayes’ “Fancy Like” skyrocketed through the charts early this year, earning him his first Country Airplay No. 1. It also brought him a CMT Award nomination and his first Grammy nomination. His follow-ups, “AA” and “Y’all Life,” have received similar success. He is about to embark on a headlining arena tour and recently released the book Glad You’re Here.
(Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
