Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney are among the new round of performers announced by the Country Music Association to perform at the 59th Annual CMA Awards.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The event will take place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Nov. 19. Hosted by Lainey Wilson, it will be broadcast live on ABC at 8 p.m. Eastern time. It will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu. This star-studded evening promises to be the highlight of the year for country music fans.
Who Else is Scheduled to Perform With Kelsea Ballerini and Kenny Chesney?
Also announced alongside Ballerini and Chesney are Brandi Carlile, Riley Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Loveless, Old Dominion, The Red Clay Strays, and Chris Stapleton.
Previously announced performers include BigXthaPlug, Luke Combs, Ella Langley, Megan Moroney, Shaboozey, Zach Top, Tucker Wetmore, Lainey Wilson, and Stephen Wilson Jr.
It sounds like a spectacular lineup. While all these performers are professionals, Combs should probably be a little nervous.
Lainey Wilson will be the first woman to host the CMAs since Reba McEntire in 1991. She has said she's ready to poke fun at her fellow performers, especially Combs.
"I like to run my mouth, and I love country music," Wilson said. "I go way back with these people. Like, let me make fun of Luke Combs, please."
Ballerini Will Be Returning to the CMAs After Last Year's Devastating Loss
Last year, the "I Sit In Parks" singer was nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Event of the Year.
She went home empty-handed. "I did cry myself to sleep that night, that is true," she said.
This year, Ballerini is up for Female Vocalist of the Year. Should history repeat itself in 2025, she said she has some friends she can lean on.
"I've recently gotten to know Sheryl Crow a bit, and she is just the actual Webster's definition of a badass," she revealed. "She really is. She's so lovely and gritty and cool and warm. I love Wynonna [Judd]. I wish I could be around her all the time. She's incredible, and it's been a gift to get to know her.
"Really early on in my career, Taylor [Swift] was a huge mentor and friend to me and really changed my life by sharing my music before anyone had heard it."
