Alan Jackson, Lainey Wilson + More Among 2022 CMT Artists of the Year Performers
CMT will honor the most successful artists of 2022 during their Artists of the Year event on Friday (Oct. 14). In addition to the heavy hitters of the past year, the network will also hand out its Artist of a Lifetime and Breakout Artist of the Year awards.
Carly Pearce, Kane Brown, Cody Johnson, Luke Combs and Walker Hayes are this year's CMT Artists of the Year. Alan Jackson has been named CMT's Artist of a Lifetime for 2022, and Lainey Wilson will receive the Breakout Artist of the Year award.
Each of this year's honorees will perform, except for Combs. Riley Green will step in to sing "Beautiful Crazy" as a special tribute to Combs. Walker Hayes' performance will include a collaboration with Ciara.
Chris Stapleton, Dan + Shay, Dustin Lynch, Gary LeVox and Kelsea Ballerini will take the stage as presenters at the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony, as will Yellowstone star Kelsey Asbille and Grammy-winning songwriter Shane McAnally. There will also be a special remote presentation by Dale Earnhardt Jr., as he presents Combs with his award from the Dale Jr. Foundation charity event in North Carolina.
“We are honored to recognize the astounding achievements of this illustrious group of artists over the past year," says Margaret Comeaux, CMT's Senior Vice President of Production, Music & Events. "Carly, Cody, Kane, Luke and Walker all represent the vibrant future of the country music format, as they defy convention and blaze new trails, breaking industry records and genre barriers. We can’t wait to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments alongside their fellow artists and friends."
Pearce, Johnson and Hayes are first time recipients in the Artists of the Year category. Meanwhile, Combs and Brown are receiving their third awards.
CMT Artists of the Year will air on CMT Friday (Oct. 14) at 9PM CT.