CMT Names ‘Next Women of Country’

Jana Kramer

While the country charts have been dominated by male artists in the past few years, CMT will highlight several of country music’s best up-and-coming female performers (both signed and unsigned) with its year-long ‘Next Women of Country’ initiative.

The campaign launched Wednesday (Jan. 16) and named 10 female powerhouse vocalists and performers who will be promoted across CMT platforms and at Nextwomen.cmt.com. The 10 high-profile ladies include Ashley Monroe, Holly Williams, Jana Kramer, Kacey Musgraves, Brandy Clark, Lauren Alaina, Sarah Darling, Rose Falcon, Rachel Farley and Kelleigh Bannen.

Coverage will include video premieres, performances and more across CMT, CMT.com, CMTEdge.com, CMT Pure, CMT Radio Networks and more than 4 million followers on social media. Videos premiering this month include Kramer’s “Whiskey” and Williams’ “The Highway.”

“Women are the cornerstone of country music,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music Strategy, CMT. “We want to recognize, support and expose the next wave of authentic female artists, signed or independent, who are writing, recording and making it happen on their own in a crowded, male-dominated format.”