CMT Artists Of The Year Celebration To Be Transformed Into Night Of Hope And Healing

This year’s CMT Artists Of The Year Special has been transformed from a year-end celebration into a night to help bring hope and comfort to those affected by the recent hurricanes, as well as the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas.

The evening has been slated to feature honorees Jason Aldean, Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, and Luke Bryan. Breaking from the show’s traditional formal presentations of awards and speeches, this year’s show will include messages from the honorees directly to their fans.

Grammy-nominated Andra Day and Grammy Award-winners Lee Ann Womack and Little Big Town have been announced to set the tone with an opening performance of the anthemic “Rise Up,” in addition to a performing Day’s new collaboration, “Stand Up For Something,” with Grammy Award-winner Common. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

“Given the devastation of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria and the mass shootings in Las Vegas, we feel a commitment to our fans to address all of the tragedies not in one somber and solemn moment or segment, but rather devote the entire evening to uplifting the fans through high-spirited music,” said Frank Tanki, General Manager of CMT and TV Land. “Both ‘Rise Up’ and ‘Stand Up for Something’ are inspirational anthems that perfectly sum the message for the evening. The special has always been a place where artists from different genres can stand side-by-side, and now more than ever, we want to showcase the power of unity and resilience through music.”

The eight annual special will air live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.