2024 CMT Music Awards Take Over Austin, Texas [Recap]

/by

Jelly Roll poses with his awards during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for CMT

The 2024 CMT Music Awards took place Sunday night (April 7) at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Jelly Roll was the night’s big winner, taking home three trophies for “Need A Favor,” including the coveted Video of the Year as well as Male Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year.

Kelsea Ballerini speaks onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

Other winners included Lainey Wilson (Female Video of the Year with “Watermelon Moonshine”), Dan + Shay (Duo/Group Video of the Year with “Save Me The Trouble”), Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton (Collaborative of the Year for “We Don’t Fight Anymore”) and more.

Kelsea Ballerini served as host for the evening, her fourth time guiding the show. She kept things bright and exciting, with her bubbly personality serving as the perfect presence for the fan-voted and fan-focused award show.

The 2024 CMT Music Awards started with a blitz of performances. Cody Johnson kicked things off with a rousing performance of “That’s Texas.” Viewers were then taken outside the arena for Jason Aldean‘s performance of “Let Your Boys Be Country,” and came back inside to for Megan Moroney to sing “No Caller ID.”

Lainey Wilson performs onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

The first televised award of the night went to Pearce and Stapleton for Collaborative Video of the Year with “We Don’t Fight Anymore.” Pearce brought up the video’s director, Alexa Campbell, when accepting the honor.

For the next performance, rising star Brittney Spencer joined Parker McCollum on his fiery hit “Burn It Down.” This marked the first of many musical collaborations. Later on in the night, Moroney joined Old Dominion for their duet “Can’t Break Up Now,” and rock band NeedToBreathe collaborated with Jordan Davis for a mashup of the band’s “Brother” and Davis’ “Next Thing You Know”—CMT Crossroads-style.

The best collaboration, and perhaps the best musical moment, came when Little Big Town and Sugarland joined forces for their new rendition of Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home.” It was also revealed that the groups would be heading out on the road together during the show.

Trisha Yearwood accepts the June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

Ashley Cooke gleefully took the stage to receive the Breakthrough Female Video of the Year award for “Your Place,” and Warren Zeiders accepted the male equivalent for “Pretty Little Poison.”

Trisha Yearwood was presented with the first-ever June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award during the show. The new award recognizes an artist, duo/group or industry veteran who demonstrates dedication to their community and fellow artists, embodying her spirit as a fierce advocate and initiator in paying it forward, helping others find their voice and using their platform to inspire and uplift others.

When accepting the award, Yearwood said, “My hope is that we all can learn a little big from June Carter Cash’s legacy and be a little bit more real, a little bit more vulnerable, be a little bit less about me and more about us… I look at this as a challenge and a calling to be better.”

Pictured (L-R): Ronnie Dunn, Sammy Hagar, Kix Brooks, Lainey Wilson, Riley Green, Roger Clemens, Lukas Nelson Mica Roberts and Toby Keith’s band members toast Keith onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

Wilson notched another great awards show performance with “Country’s Cool Again” and Bailey Zimmerman brought the energy for “Where It Ends.” After a performance from Keith Urban of a new song called “Straight Line,” Jelly Roll won his first trophy of the night for CMT Performance of the Year.

Sam Hunt emulated Johnny Cash’s iconic Folsom Prison concert with a performance of his new single “Locked Up,” and host Ballerini took viewers back outside to sing her reimagined 2014-hit “Love Me Like You Mean It.” Then Beyoncé collaborators Spencer, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts presented the next award to Dan + Shay for Duo/Group Video of the Year (“Save Me The Trouble.”)

Next up was a tribute to the iconic Toby Keith. With emotional commentary from his friend and baseball star Roger Clemens, some of Keith’s biggest hits were performed. Brooks & Dunn took on “Should’ve Been A Cowboy,” Sammy Hagar showed his admiration with “I Love This Bar” and Wilson perfectly embodied the spirit of “How Do You Like Me Now.”

Pictured (L-R): Jimi Westbrook, Kimberly Schlapman, Jennifer Nettles, Karen Fairchild, Kristian Bush and Philip Sweet perform onstage during the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Photo: Rick Kern/Getty Images for CMT

After a fun performance of her viral hit “Austin” from Dasha, Jelly Roll was back up on stage accepting Male Video of the Year. As has become custom for the star, he gave a hair-raising acceptance speech, giving a shout out to those in the juvenile detention centers in Nashville and Austin.

“It’s important I stand up here and represent those that are looking for second chances,” he said, turning his attention to the juvenile detention centers. “I’m cheering y’all boys on! You can turn it around, I promise you!”

Female Video of the Year was presented to Wilson. She made sure to share how hard she knew each of her fellow nominees work, and thank fans for supporting women in country music.

“They work their tails off and dedicate their loves to creating music and creating a vision and bring it to life,” she said. “Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for supporting women in country. It’s a big dang deal.”

Jelly Roll made a triumphant finish for the show, accepting his Video of the Year honor one minute and tearing the house down with a performance of “Halfway To Hell” the next, ending the show on a high note.

LB Cantrell
Latest posts by LB Cantrell (see all)