The CMT Awards for 2018 – the best in country music TV – are just around the corner with an impressive list of celebrity performers thrown into the mix to glam up the June 6 show.
Top names to be on the stage in Nashville include Blake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, Kelly Clarkson, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt, Viacom said.
A highlight will be Clarkson's performance of The Guess Who’s rock anthem "American Woman," which features as the theme song to an upcoming Paramount Network series of the same title.
Clarkson moved fans last weekend when she opened the 2018 Billboard Music Awards with a tribute to the students and teachers who died in the recent Texas school shooting. She could barely speak as she urged the audience and the world to do more to prevent deadly shootings from happening.
Clarkson also just rounded up her first term as a judge on "The Voice" season 14 on which 15-year-old Brynn Cartelli, who was coached by Clarkson, went on to win.
All eyes now turn to the CMT Awards and its nominees, which features a much broader musical roster than in previous years and includes artists from hip-hop and R&B genres, Billboard reported.
Leading the nominations are Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line, while other artists with multiple nominations include Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Lauren Alaina and Thomas Rhett, Taste of Country reported.
Up for grabs for the first time this year is the coveted video of the year award, which includes nominations for Justin Timberlake’s "Say Something," featuring Chris Stapleton, and Bebe Rexha’s collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, "Meant to Be."
Little Big Town will host the 2018 CMT Awards, which will air live at 8 p.m. ET on the CMT channel.
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