Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown to Host 2021 CMT Awards

Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown will join forces to host the 2021 CMT Music Awards, the only entirely fan-voted show in country music.

By Kaitlin Reilly May 12, 2021 6:11 PMTags
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Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown will crown country music's finest.

The artists were just announced as the co-hosts the 2021 CMT Music Awards, which is country music's only entirely fan-voted award show. This will be Kelsea's first time hosting the awards (she already has 14 nominations under her belt) while Kane is returning as host for the second consecutive year in a row. 

"Kelsea and Kane are two of the brightest, most sought-after stars in country music today and we're thrilled to welcome them both as hosts of the 2021 CMT Music Awards," the CMT producers shared with E! News in a statement. "This dynamic duo reflects the show's revitalized energy as live music returns to center stage in a night filled with incredible outdoor performances, cross-genre collaborations and a few surprises!"  

The CMT Music Awards nominees list has yet to be revealed, and are scheduled to drop on May 13.

Last year, Kelsea, Ashley McBrydeDan + ShayLuke Combs, Sam Hunt and Thomas Rhett had a big year with three nominations each. Carrie Underwood took home the award for Video of the Year for "Drinking Alone," while now-engaged couple Blake Shelton with Gwen Stefani earned the Collaborative Video of the Year prize for "Nobody But You." 

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Kelsea Ballerini's Best Looks

In addition to the music video categories, Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles also received the inaugural Equal Play Award for her continued advocacy for gender equality within country music. 

Debby Wong/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images; John Shearer/WireImage

The 2021 CMT Music Awards will air as a five-network simulcast on MTV, MTV2, Logo, Paramount Network and TV Land on June 9 at 8 p.m. EST.