Kane Brown Returns To Co-Host The CMT Music Awards Alongside Kelsea Ballerini
Brown will also perform alongside his wife, Katelyn Brown, during the show.
Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini; Photo by John Shearer, Getty for CMT
Kane Brown will return as co-host of the 2023 CMT Music Awards, CBS and CMT announced early Thursday (Feb. 23).
Brown will co-host the show alongside Kelsea Ballerini, making Austin’s first major televised awards airing LIVE from Moody Center on Sunday, April 2nd (8:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT). The event, country’s only entirely fan-voted award show, will premiere on the CBS network and will be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
This marks Brown’s fourth time co-hosting the CMT Music Awards as he previously co-hosted alongside Ashley McBryde and Sarah Hyland in 2020 and Kelsea Ballerini in 2021 and Ballerini and Anthony Mackie in 2022.
In addition to his role as co-host, the superstar will also perform during the broadcast. Brown will take the stage alongside his wife, Katelyn Brown, for the broadcast world premiere of their multi-week No.1 single, “Thank God.” The fan-favorite duet made history with over 210 million streams and make the Browns only the second married couple in country music history to earn a No. 1 on both Billboard and Aircheck charts.
“Thank God” is Kane’s 9th career chart-topper and Katelyn’s first. The track was released in September as part of Brown’s latest album, Different Man. The romantic duet immediately resonated with fans and made a major impact upon its official release to country radio.
While the couple has performed the song together during Brown’s Drunk or Dreaming Tour, the CMT Music Awards performance will mark the television debut of the song.
Days following his hosting duties at the CMT Music Awards, Brown will also make his acting debut as a guest star on the hit new series, FIRE COUNTRY.
Brown will portray a character named Robin, who is an “enigmatic, modern-day train hopper who helps injured patients on the scene of a crash,” according to a press release. Similar to Robin Hood, Brown’s character is an outlaw on the run with a heart of gold.
FIRE COUNTRY premieres on Friday, April 7 at 9/8c on CBS and will also stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
Soon, the country hitmaker will return to the road when his Drunk or Dreaming Tour continues in the United States.
The U.S. trek, which features special guests Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett and LOCASH on select dates, will kick off in Grand Rapids, MI on March 16, 2023, and will visit 23 cities throughout the United States before wrapping up in Greenwood Village, CO at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 10, 2023.
While embarking on the massive headlining trek throughout the United States, Brown will headline Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for the first time ever on March 31.
The Drunk or Dreaming tour comes in support of Kane Brown’s latest album, Different Man.
The project features his latest chart-topping singles “One Mississippi” and “Like I Love Country Music,” as well as “Thank God,” a duet with his wife, Katelyn, and the Shelton duet. The album also includes previously released tracks “Grand,” “One Mississippi,” “Whiskey Sour,” and “Leave You Alone.”
Different Man follows Brown’s second studio album, 2018’s Experiment. In August of 2020, Brown released his ACM-nominated EP, Mixtape Vol. 1, which included several hit singles such as “Cool Again,” “Worldwide Beautiful” “Worship You” and his Top 40 radio single, “Be Like That” featuring Khalid and Swae Lee.
Additionally, Brown will also perform at several upcoming festivals, including the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Festival (Feb. 11), Stagecoach (Apr. 29), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (May 4-7), iHeartCountry Music Festival (May 13), Gulf Coast Jam (Jun. 4), The Country Fest (Jun. 15), Tailgate N’ Tallboys Bloomington (Jun. 16), and many more.
For a full list of Kane Brown’s upcoming tour dates and additional information, visit his official website HERE.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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