Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, and Walker Hayes Named 2022 CMT Artists Of The Year

Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, and Walker Hayes will be recognized as the 2022 CMT Artists of…

Lauren Jo Black

| Posted on

September 21, 2022

9:24 am

2022 CMT Artists of the Year: Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, Walker Hayes; Photos Provided

Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs, and Walker Hayes will be recognized as the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year during a 90-minute special airing on CMT on Friday, October 14.

CMT revealed the news on Wednesday morning. The press release states, “These five ‘Artists of the Year’ collectively dominated the last 12 months in country music, leading across all CMT platforms, scoring chart-topping albums and singles, and performing music that entertains and inspires millions of fans.”

Kane Brown and Luke Combs will each be honored for the third time (2019, 2021 & 2022), while Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, and Walker Hayes will be recognized for the first time.

“We are honored to recognize the astounding achievements of this illustrious group of artists over the past year. 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, Margaret Comeaux, CMT’s Senior Vice President of Production, Music & Events, shared. “We can’t wait to celebrate their extraordinary accomplishments alongside their fellow artists and friends.”

Some of the highlights for the 2022 CMT Artists of the Year include:

Carly Pearce: It’s been a whirlwind year for Carly Pearce, celebrating her third No. 1 single, continuing the success of acclaimed album 29: Written In Stone and adding multiple trophies to her growing collection. She also secured her third No. 1 hit with “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” an award-winning song recorded with fellow star Ashley McBryde. This marked only the second time in nearly 30 years that a female duet has reached the top of the charts. She spent the summer wowing audiences on Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour and is continuing her reign with current single “What He Didn’t Do.”

Cody Johnson: Cody Johnson had a remarkable year, driven largely by his two-week No. 1 hit “Til You Can’t,” the lead single from his widely praised Human The Double Album. To date, the song has garnered more than 400 million streams worldwide, and earned ‘Male Video of the Year’ at the 2022 CMT MUSIC AWARDS. He also received CMT Digital-First Performance of the Year for “Dear Rodeo” from CMT Campfire Sessions, and released a documentary of the same name. Johnson is nearing the milestone of 4 billion all-time streams globally and is on a nationwide headlining tour.

Kane Brown: Kane Brown’s scope of influence continued growing at breakneck pace during the past year. He notched his seventh and eighth No. 1s with “Like I Love Country Music” and “One Mississippi,” both from his just-released highly-anticipated album, Different Man. Brown recently made history as the first-ever male country solo artist to perform on the 2022 MTV VMAs with new single “Grand.” His Drunk or Dreaming International Tour will take him to fans in Australia and New Zealand for the first time, and mark his return to Canada and Europe. Brown has garnered nearly 12 billion career streams to date. In 2022, he returned to co-host the CMT MUSIC AWARDS for the third time and was the show’s top nominee

Luke Combs: Luke Combs continued his runaway success in 2022. He is the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, released his latest album Growin’ Up and tallied his 13th No. 1 single “Doin’ This.” He scored two nominations at the CMT MUSIC AWARDS, as well as a Grammy nomination for Best Country Solo Performance for “Forever After All.” Now his current single “The Kind of Love We Make” is at the top of the charts. Combs is following his sold-out Middle of Somewhere tour with an upcoming massive stadium World Tour, spanning 16 countries.

Walker Hayes: The monumental breakthrough of Walker Hayes’ hit “Fancy Like” turned the star into a household name. The song topped every country music sales and streaming chart, hit No. 1 at country radio, earned a CMT MUSIC AWARD nomination, and his first Grammy Award nomination. That track, as well as follow-up single, “AA,” and new song “Y’all Life,” have made Hayes one of the top artists in the genre. He will soon embark on his headlining arena tour, Glad You’re Here, named for his recently released book, as he continues captivating fans on Tik Tok and Instagram.

The 2022 CMT Artists of the Year celebration will feature some of music’s biggest stars who will take the stage at Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center in honor of Pearce, Johnson, Brown, Combs, and Hayes. The special will feature never-before-seen performances and collaborations, and congratulatory moments.

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Musical pairings, special guests, additional honorees, performers, and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2022 CMT Artists of the Year will premiere on Friday, October 14 at 9/8c.

Written by

Lauren Jo Black

Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.