On Sunday night (April 7), the CMT Music Awards returned for a second year to the Moody Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. Kelsea Ballerini hosted the show solo, while Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson, Dan + Shay, Warren Zeiders and Ashley Cooke were among the evening’s winners.
Meanwhile, the performance lineup struck a balance between celebrating established and iconic artists while highlighting artists whose careers are on the rise. In addition to elevating hitmakers and newcomers, the show toggled performances from inside the venue and at the UT Tower on the University of Texas campus, combining production-splashed indoor performances with fireworks-accented outdoor sets.
With performances from Cody Johnson and Parker McCollum, this year’s CMT Music Awards nodded to its Lone Star State location. The show also further elevated rising artists such as “Austin” hitmaker Dasha and Brittney Spencer, who was recently featured on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter album.
There was plenty more star power too, including performances from Wilson, Ballerini, Keith Urban and Trisha Yearwood, while Jelly Roll closed out the show and took home three awards.
The evening also offered a variety of musical offerings, with some artists performing one of their established hits, while others offered up new songs from upcoming projects. Host and performer Ballerini offered the best of both worlds, putting a fresh spin on an older catalog song.
Here, we rank each of the performances at the 2024 CMT Music Awards, in ascending order:
