Getty Pictured: Carrie Underwood
Tonight is the 2018 CMA Awards and Luke Bryan is set to open up the show, with a performance of his song “What Makes You Country”. Bryan is reportedly bringing on some guest stars for the opening as well.
Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood have returned as hosts for the eleventh time and they are each listed as performers as well. Ahead of tonight’s show, Paisley spoke with CMT about his connection to the show over the years. Paisley explained, “In the evolution of myself, you can sort of mark time based on the CMAs. The first time I ever went to the show I was not nominated. I was brand new, and I was about 40 rows back. And to somehow have made my way onto that stage as a host is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things I could’ve ever done.” Paisley is rumored to be performing his song “Bucked Off” tonight.
Also performing tonight, are Bebe Rexha with Florida Georgia Line, for their collaborative song “Meant to Be”. Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert are also teaming up to perform their duet “Drowns the Whiskey”. Some of the other performers for the night include Kelsea Ballerini, Kenny Chesney, Dan + Shay, Old Dominion, Keith Urban, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, Pistol Annies, Thomas Rhett, Garth Brooks, Luke Combs, Midland, Brett Young, Chris Stapleton, Maren Morris, Mavis Staples, Lauren Alaina, and Ricky Skaggs.
Many of tonight’s performers tonight are also nominees. In fact, Chris Stapleton is leading, with five nominations to his name. According to The Tennessean, Stapleton recently announced that his wife is expecting their fifth child together. Show co-host, performer and nominee Carrie Underwood is also currently expecting a baby, with husband Mike Fisher.
In other big news for the performers, Brett Young is a brand new married man, having recently tied the knot with his now-wife Taylor Mills. According to People, the couple met a decade ago, when Mills was a student at Arizona State University. Young recalled, “It was early Facebook years and I saw a picture on her roommate’s page with her in it. I finally was able to finagle a group hang and it was pretty platonic … About every other weekend I drove from Orange County to Arizona to see her.” After six years of dating, the couple broke up for a bit, while Young moved to Nashville and pursued his music career. They were broken up for about two years until finally getting back together for good.
When it comes to the presenters lined up tonight, the stars who are presenting include Jimmie Allen, Bobby Bones, Kane Brown, Sharna Burgess, Olivia Culpo, Mackenzie Foy, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Carly Pearce, Dennis Quaid, Lionel Richie, Noah Schnapp, Rita Wilson, and Trisha Yearwood. Two of the presenters, Sharna Burgess and Bobby Bones, are currently finalists on season 27 of Dancing With the Stars. They are sent to compete in the finals on Monday, November 19, 2018. Then, in the new year, Bones will be helping mentor contestants on a new season of American Idol. Presenter Lionel Richie and show opener Luke Bryan are two out of the three current judges on Idol, along with pop star Katy Perry.