Top 10 Performances Of CMT Awards 2024: From Jelly Roll To Little Big Town and Sugarland
The CMT Music Awards 2024 was a star studded night filled with country music stars. Check out the top 10 performances that deserve all the hype and attention this year.
-
Sam Hunt sang and grooved to his new song Locked Up at the CMT Music Awards
-
Kelsea Ballerini pulled double duty as a host and also a performer for the CMT Music Awards
-
Dasha earned billions of views on TikTok for her breakthrough hit called Austin
The CMT Music Awards 2024 took place on April 7, 2024 for a second year at the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Kelsea Ballerini hosted the show solo, while Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Warren Zeiders and Ashley Cooke were among the evening’s winners.
The event was an absolute star-studded gala night, as it struck the right cord between celebrating established and iconic artists while highlighting artists whose careers are on the rise. Several artists performed at the event and made it a successful show. Check out the top 10 performances that deserve a standing ovation from the night.
1. Little Big Town and Sugarland
Little Big Town and Sugarland gave a sneak peak of their upcoming 2024 joint tour, with a rendering of Phil Collins’ Take Me Home. The performance marked the 25-year anniversary of Little Big Town’s launch, and the reunion of Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. In the process, they gave one of the CMT Music Awards’ most towering vocal moments. As two of the best country singers reunited, their layers of vocals sounded pristine, melding into a tour de force of vocal fireworks. At the same time, they, of course, had a proper sense of blend and vocal dynamics overall that allowed each vocalist's moments to shine solo in front of the audience.
2. Trisha Yearwood
American country singer and chef Trisha Yearwood won the June Carter Cash Humanitarian Award earlier in the evening, and returned to the stage to perform a song she co-wrote, Put It in a Song, from her upcoming album. The singer also was serving her food at the venue and said that she loves it when people appreciate and enjoy the food that she cooks. The singer's performance celebrates the power of pouring pain, memories and emotions through the vessels of pen and paper into a song. Three-time Grammy winner Yearwood was joined onstage by her co-writers, Erin Enderlin and Jim Moose Brown.
3. Jelly Roll
What can we say about this rock star, Last year Jelly Roll had a star-making moment at the CMT Music Awards, taking home the most wins of the evening. This year, he continued to dominate the ceremony by taking home three award wins (including the coveted video of the year honor) and had a key performance slot, closing out the show with a fiery performance of 'Halfway to Hell'. Jelly Roll delivered a performance that was part rock anthem,he was full of energy and sang about f trailer parks, bibles, tattoos. The audience remained hooked throughout his performance and truly his charm for the night was undeniable.
4. Lainey Wilson
Lainey Wilson's presence at the CMT Music Awards was no exception. She was both a performer and an award winner this evening (winning female video of the year for Watermelon Moonshine”). For her performance of the Country’s Cool Again, her song Watermelon Moonshine takes us on a journey back in time to first love. Over the years, Wilson's slate of performances has clearly evolved, making her into a fine performer. Throughout her performance, Wilson effortlessly connected with the crowd and put on a high-energy show.
5. Sam Hunt
Sam Hunt sang his new song 'Locked Up,' the title track to his newly released EP and a song seemingly inspired by his own brief DUI arrest in 2019, as well as his relational ups and downs and eventual reconciliation with wife Hannah Lee Fowler. His song Locked Up is basically an ode to a woman who stays by his side even when he’s in jail. The actor performed for the CTM Awards donning a black suit and the performance seemed aimed at evoking memories of late country star Johnny Cash’s famous prison performances, including those at Folsom Prison and San Quentin, as actors, dressed as prisoners, huddled close to the stage in front of Hunt during his set.
6. A Tribute to Toby Keith
Brooks & Dunn, Lainey Wilson and Sammy Hagar spearheaded a Toby Keith salute during the CMT Music Awards, joining Keith’s longtime backing band while paying homage to the late legend, who passed away on February 5 at the age of 62. Keith’s children — Krystal, Shelly and Stelen — were in the audience.
Brooks & Dunn performed 1993’s Should’ve Been a Cowboy, Keith’s solo-written debut No. 1 Country Airplay hit, though it seemed the duo struggled at times with some of the lyrics. Some of Toby Keith's songs will be added in the Country Music Hall of Fame later this year.
7. Kelsea Ballerini
Kelsea Ballerini pulled double duty as a host and also a performer during the CMT Music Awards. Her performance offered a tribute to the decade that has elapsed since the release of her debut single, “Love Me Like You Mean It.' Dressed in an elegant gold bodysuit, she grooved with the crowd and enjoyed the performance thoroughly. Her stellar performance showcases her artistic evolution as a vocalist, songwriter and performer over the past 10 years.
8. Keith Urban
Keith Urban performed “Straight Line,” a happy uptempo track from his upcoming album. Donning a vintage George Jones T-shirt and black jeans, Urban offered up a bubbly, energetic track and positive perspective that proved a perfect fit for the CMTs, He heightened the performance by welcoming two female entertainers. Guitarists and vocalists Maggie Baugh and Anna Vaus join him to close out the song.
9. Megan Moroney
Moroney performed her new release, the ballad 'No Caller ID.' All a-sparkle in a blue dress and equally glitzy guitar, she performed on a satellite stage inside the venue and commanded with a subtle yet cinematic performance. Her voice set the right tone with the right amount of depth and huskiness to match the emotional lyrics of the song. The audience grooved to her tunes and sang along with the star.
10. Dasha
Over the past several weeks, Dasha earned billions of views on TikTok for her breakthrough hit Austin, The star performed the song with a heavily choreographed performance, backed by eight dancers. Though Dasha’s vocals seemed ever-so-slightly nervous at times, her overall performance was confident, fun and flirty, making it a perfect fit for the CMT Music Awards, as she had seemingly everyone in the room on their feet singing along to the story of a woman who leaves her ex drunk, washed up in Austin.
ALSO READ: TIME Women of the Year Gala 2024: Greta Gerwig, Taraji P. Henson, And More Walk Red Carpet