Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Eric Church, and Mickey Guyton featuring Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards are all among the first round of performers confirmed today for the 55th CMA Awards.
The event takes place on Wednesday, November 10 and will broadcast live in the US from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville from 8:00-11:00pm ET on ABC, the TV home of the event since 2006. The new host for the show, as reported, is country superstar Luke Bryan, on a night that’s already shaping up to be full of star-laden performances and surprise collaborations.
Brothers Osborne, who are nominated for three CMA Awards this year, will deliver a personal performance from their Album of the Year-nominated Skeletons. Church, the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year who is shortlisted five times this year including his nomination to retain that crown, will perform his song “Heart on Fire” from his Album of the Year-nominated Heart.
Guyton’s mercurial rise, further reflected in her nomination for New Artist of the Year, will be celebrated as she welcomes the rising Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards for a collaboration from Guyton’s debut album, Remember Her Name. Pearce and McBryde, twice and three-times nominated this year respectively, will united to perform their duet “Never Wanted to Be That Girl,” released last month as the second single from Pearce’s 29: Written in Stone album.
Other performers on the night will include Jimmie Allen, singing his hit ““Freedom Was A Highway,” Dan + Shay (with their smash ““I Should Probably Go To Bed”), and Blake Shelton, who will perform his current single “Come Back as a Country Boy.” Further performers and presenters will be revealed in the coming weeks. Award winners will be determined in a final round of voting by eligible voting CMA members, with the final ballot closing on Wednesday, October 27.