Lainey Wilson Leads the 2023 CMT Music Awards Nominees — See the Full List
Lainey Wilson is the most-nominated artist at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. When the show dropped its full nominees list on Wednesday morning (March 8), Wilson came out on top with four nominations in the categories of Video of the Year, Female Video of the Year, Collaborative Video of the Year and CMT Performance of the Year.
Other top nominated acts are Cody Johnson, show co-host Kane Brown and first-time nominee Jelly Roll. Though it seems hard to believe, Wynonna Judd is nominated at the CMT Music Awards for the first time too in 2023: She's up in two categories, including CMT Performance of the Year, where she and her mother Naomi Judd are nominated for their final performance together as the Judds before Naomi's death in April 2022. Additionally, the CMT Music Awards' winningest artist, Carrie Underwood, has a chance to extend her record once again: She's nominated in two categories.
The top award of the night, Video of the Year, has a preliminary list of 16 nominees. Among them are a variety of milestone collaborations, including Brown's collaboration with his wife Katelyn Brown, "Thank God," as well as some of the most memorable solo videos of the year, including show co-host Kelsea Ballerini's "Heartfirst," Blake Shelton's "No Body" and Morgan Wallen's "You Proof." That list will be whittled down to three contenders in rounds of fan voting leading up to the ceremony.
It's Wallen's first time in two years appearing on the nominees list at the CMT Music Awards. In 2021, he was announced as ineligible for the show — and many other mainstream country music awards shows — due to his racist slur scandal from early that year. Wallen is up for two awards in 2023: Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year.
In total, the CMT Music Awards will recognize 21 first-time nominees in 2023, including multiple out-of-genre acts who collaborated with country performers this year. This year's awards show will feature a new addition to the Breakthrough Video of the Year category, which now expands into Male and Female subdivisions.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards air Sunday, April 2, on CBS. After several years in Nashville, the awards show is moving to Austin, Texas, for this year's iteration of the ceremony. Voting is open to fans now at CMT's website.
2023 CMT Music Awards Nominees:
Video of the Year (Awarded to the artist (male, female, group/duo or collaboration). Top 6 nominees, from the first round of voting, will be announced on March 27. The final 3 nominees, from the second round of voting, will be announced on show day, April 2. Final voting will be determined via social media and announced as the final category during the live show.)
Ashley McBryde, Caylee Hammack, Brandy Clark & Pillbox Patti, “Bonfire at Tina's”
Blake Shelton, “No Body”
Carrie Underwood, “Hate My Heart”
Cody Johnson, “Human”
Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley, “Worth a Shot”
Gabby Barrett, “Pick Me Up”
Hardy feat. Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck”
Jimmie Allen, “Down Home”
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown, “Thank God”
Keith Urban, “Wild Hearts”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Heartfirst”
Little Big Town, “Rich Man”
Luke Bryan, “Country On”
Luke Combs, “The Kind of Love We Make”
Morgan Wallen, “You Proof”
Walker Hayes, “AA”
Female Video of the Year (Awarded to the artist)
Carly Pearce, “What He Didn't Do”
Carrie Underwood, “Ghost Story”
Gabby Barrett, “Pick Me Up”
Kelsea Ballerini, “Heartfirst”
Lainey Wilson, “Heart Like a Truck”
Maren Morris, “Humble Quest”
Miranda Lambert, “Actin' Up”
Male Video of the Year (Awarded to the artist)
Bailey Zimmerman, “Rock and a Hard Place”
Cody Johnson, “Human”
Cole Swindell, “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”
Jelly Roll, “Son of a Sinner”
Kane Brown, “Like I Love Country Music”
Luke Combs, “The Kind of Love We Make”
Morgan Wallen, “Wasted on You”
Group/Duo Video of the Year (Awarded to the artists)
Dan + Shay, “You (Performance Video)”
Lady A, “Summer State of Mind”
Little Big Town, “Hell Yeah”
Parmalee, “Take My Name”
The War and Treaty, “That's How Love Is Made”
Zac Brown Band, “Out in the Middle”
Breakthrough Female Video of the Year (Awarded to the artist)
Avery Anna, “Narcissist”
Kylie Morgan, “If He Wanted to He Would”
MacKenzie Porter, “Pickup”
Megan Moroney, “Tennessee Orange”
Morgan Wade, “Wilder Days”
Tiera Kennedy, “Found It in You”
Breakthrough Male Video of the Year (Awarded to the artist)
Bailey Zimmerman, “Fall in Love”
Corey Kent, “Wild as Her”
Drake Milligan, “Sounds Like Something I'd Do”
Jackson Dean, “Don't Come Lookin'”
Jelly Roll, “Son of a Sinner”
Nate Smith, “Whiskey on You”
Collaborative Video of the Year (Awarded to the artists)
Elle King feat. Dierks Bentley, “Worth a Shot”
Hardy feat. Lainey Wilson, “Wait in the Truck”
Ingrid Andress with Sam Hunt, “Wishful Drinking”
Kane Brown & Katelyn Brown, “Thank God”
Midland feat. Jon Pardi, “Longneck Way to Go”
Russell Dickerson feat. Jake Scott, “She Likes It”
Thomas Rhett & Katy Perry, “Where We Started”
CMT Performance of the Year (Awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo))
Black Pumas & Mickey Guyton, “Colors” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)
Chris Stapleton, “Whenever You Come Around” (from CMT Giants: Vince Gill)
Cody Johnson, “‘Til You Can’t” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)
Cole Swindell & Lainey Wilson, “Never Say Never” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)
Darius Rucker, “Let Her Cry” (from CMT Storytellers)
Emmy Russell & Lukas Nelson, “Lay Me Down” (from Coal Miner's Daughter: A Celebration of the Life & Music of Loretta Lynn)
Keith Urban, “Wild Hearts” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)
LeAnn Rimes with Ashley McBryde & Carly Pearce, “One Way Ticket” (from CMT Crossroads: LeAnn Rimes & Friends)
The Judds, “Love Can Build a Bridge” (from 2022 CMT Music Awards)
Wynonna Judd & Brandi Carlile, “The Rose” (from Naomi Judd: A River of Time Celebration)
CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year (Awarded to the artist (individual, group or duo))
Charley Crockett, “Time of the Cottonwood Trees“ (from CMT Campfire Sessions)
Chris Young, “Gettin’ You Home” (from CMT Stages)
Ingrid Andress, “Wishful Drinking” (from CMT Studio Sessions)
Jelly Roll, “Son of a Sinner” (from CMT All Access)
Megan Moroney, “Tennessee Orange” (from CMT Viral to Verified)
Scotty McCreery, “Damn Strait” (from CMT Campfire Sessions)