Kelsea Ballerini is so happy to be hosting this year’s CMT Awards, which will take place on Wednesday June 9th, and has even updated her fans to keep in mind that the clock is ticking ever closer to the night that celebrates country music videos in all its different forms and glory.
“Will I remember how to be out of sweatpants and use words in an arena of people? but regardless I will be hosting anddddd performing a new song tomorrow night on the @CMT awards,” she wrote, also exclaiming about how excited she feels to be given the opportunity.
But getting to perform live after a year of going slow is not all the “hole in the bottle” singer loves about her CMT hosting gig, she also shared that it’s brought her and fellow country singer/songwriter Kane Brown on friendlier terms.
Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown Discuss Their Bonding Moments
Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown have worked together before, but spending the last few weeks working together to prepare for their hosting gig has helped them forge a friendship.
“It’s been forever since we have really done anything,” Ballerini recently told CMT’s Cody Alan. “It’s nice to be able to do something with people, especially to do something with fans, and involving music and to put all of that into hosting something like the ’CMT Awards’ is amazing.”
Brown agreed, adding, “We have never done anything before. Me and her husband have been on tour together before, stuff like that.”
“It’s all in the family,” Ballerini cheekily said.
“I just found out that she is from Knoxville today,” Brown continued.
“You’re from Chattanooga?” Ballerini responded.
“Georgia, but right on the line, so we are like an hour and forty-five minutes away from each other,” Brown said.
“I just learned that today. It’s funny, me and Kane have written together, but we haven’t hung [out] that much. We had this amazing day of press together, and I am like, ’Man, I just got a new friend out of this. This is amazing.’ It’s the best kind of thing to bond over music, and you know, just hang out,” Ballerini said.
While this is Kelsea Ballerini’s first time hosting the CMT Awards, Kane Brown also hosted the awards show last year alongside Ashley McBryde and Sarah Hyland. But this doesn’t mean that Ballerini is a total newbie when it comes to hosting as she’s hosted the televised special CMA Fest on multiple occasions, alongside Thomas Rhett.
CMT Awards Co-hosts Kane Brown and Kelsea Ballerini Nominations
This year’s CMT Awards sees Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown nominated for video of the year: Ballerini for her “hole in the bottle” video, and Kane Brown for his “Worldwide Beautiful” video.
Amongst Brown’s other nominations is Male Video of the Year (“Worship You”) and Collaborative Video of the Year (“Famous Friends” with Chris Young). Ballerini is also nominated for Female Video of the Year (“hole in the bottle”), and CMT Performance of the Year (“The Other Girl,” with Halsey, from the 2020 CMT Music Awards).
Ballerini is yet to win a CMT award, though she performed a couple of songs with Halsey at the show last year. Brown has won the award two times.
Keep checking Country Music Lane for daily country music news and more Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown updates.