Lainey Wilson performs “wait in the truck” with Hardy during the 56th Annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on November 9. The pair won Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMTs on Sunday. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
April 2 (UPI) — Hardy and Lainey Wilson took home the first award of the evening Sunday for Collaborative Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards.
Hardy called the award, for his song “wait in the truck,” incredible. Wilson said she was “proud to be a small part of this song.”
“When I heard this song I thought this is an opportunity for people who have been through this to think, ‘I’m not alone.'”
Wilson also picked up Female Vide of the Year for her song “Heart Like a Truck,” which she also sang Sunday.
“This song right here is about finding freedom in strength,” she said during her acceptance speech. “We all got a story to tell, y’all. I’m so proud of this music video.”
Wilson said the video was written, produced and filmed by an all-female team.
Wilson led the field with four nominations at this year’s CMTs, including Video of the Year for “wait in the truck” and CMT Performance of the Year for “Never Say Never” with Cole Swindell.
The CMTs broadcast had several performances before the first award was even handed out. Blake Shelton was the first on tap for the evening, performing “No Body,” a song from his latest album of the same name. He received a nomination for Video of the Year for the song.
Tyler Hubbard — known for being one-half of Florida Georgia Line — sang “Dancin’ in the Country” on a secondary outdoor stage in front of the Texas Capitol.
Back on the main stage, Gary Clark Jr. performed his own take on the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble hit “The House Is Rockin.”
For the first time this year, the CMTs split up the breakthrough video category into two subcategories for men and women. Megan Moroney won Female Breakthrough Video of the Year for her song “Tennessee Orange,” and Jelly Roll won Male Breakthrough Video of the Year for “Son of a Sinner.”
“This is more than an award … this is for the underdogs, baby. This is for the losers and have-nots. God takes the impossible and makes it look small,” Jelly Roll said.
Moroney and Jelly Roll were also separately nominated for CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year, while Jelly Roll also had a nod for Male Video of the Year.
Country stars Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown hosted the CMTs, which were broadcast from Texas for the first time. The event was held at the Moody Center in Austin.
At the beginning of the broadcast, co-host Ballerini opened with dedication to the victims of the Nashville school shooting that killed three children and three adults on March 27.
“Tonight’s broadcast is dedicated to the ever-growing list of families friends survivors witnesses and responders whose lives continue to forever be changed to gun violence,” she said.
Ballerini added a call for action “that moves us forward together to create change for the safety of our kids and loved ones.”
Ballerini was nominated for Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year for “HEARTFIRST,” and Kane Brown received nods for Male Video of the Year for “Like I Love Country Music” and Video of the Year and Collaborative Video of the Year with his wife, Katelyn Brown, for “Thank God.”
Carly Pearce — two-time nominee for the night — sang her hit “What He Didn’t Do,” and Cody Johnson performed “Human,” which received nominations for Video of the Year and Male Video of the Year. Johnson also received a nod for CMT Performance of the Year for singing “Til You Can’t” at the 2022 CMTs.
Pearce performed again with Gwen Stefani, singing the No Doubt hit “Just a Girl.”
Legend Wynona Judd and Ashley McBryde, meanwhile, collaborated on a rendition of Foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Wynona Judd was nominated with Brandi Carlile for CMT Performance of the Year for “The Rose,” which they sang at a special tribute to the late Naomi Judd. McBryde also received a nod in the same category for her performance of “One Way Ticket” with Pearce at the CMT Crossroads, as well as for Video of the Year.
The Judds performed their hit “Love Can Build a Bridge” at last year’s CMT Awards, for which they were nominated for CMT Performance of the Year. Naomi Judd died April 30.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion presented country legend Shania Twain with the CMT Equal Play Award, which is given to “an artist who is a visible and vocal advocate for elevating diverse and underrepresented voices in country music.”
Referencing her song, “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!,” Twain said she was honored to be recognized for her role in pushing women’s rights.
“It’s amazing how one statement can empower so many,” she said.
On the outdoor stage, Keith Urban performed “Brown Eyes Baby.” He was nominated for Video of the Year for “Wild Hearts” and CMT Performance of the year for singing the same song at the 2022 CMTs.
Nate Smith sang his hit “Whiskey on You,” for which he was nominated for Male Breakthrough Video of the Year.”
Jackson Dean performed “Don’t Come Lookin'” and Lily Rose sang “Whatcha Know About That” on the CMT side stage.
