2020 CMA Awards: How to Watch, Who Is Performing, and Everything Else You Need to Know
The show will go on. In a year when most awards shows have embraced virtual events due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the 2020 CMA Awards is forging ahead with a live event in Nashville on Nov. 11. The celebration is happening even after two performers — Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line and Lee Price — have had to bow out after testing positive for COVID-19.
This year’s CMA Awards will feature a live audience made up of performers and nominees at the Music City Center in Nashville. But fans will still be able to catch performances from Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, and more, as well as see the big winners, when the show airs live on TV.
The 54th Annual CMA Awards air Nov. 11 on ABC
The 54th annual CMA Awards will be broadcast live on Nov. 11 beginning at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT) on ABC. If you are in the Mountain, Alaska, or Hawaii time zones, the show begins at 7 p.m. It airs at 8 p.m. in the Pacific time zone.
The 2020 CMA Awards will also air internationally in Canada, Australia, the U.K., and other countries. Check the CMA website for details about international broadcasts.
2020 CMA Awards performers and hosts
This year’s CMA Awards will feature performances from some of the biggest stars in country music, including Jimmie Allen, Jason Aldean, Luke Combs, Little Big Town, Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber, Maren Morris, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker featuring Lady A, Chris Stapleton, and Keith Urban. Ashley McBryde, Ingrid Andress, Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce with Charles Kelley, Morgan Wallen, Gabby Barrett featuring Charlie Puth, and Eric Church will also perform.
The event will be hosted by Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker, who will also perform together. Charley Pride will receive the 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
“[W]e’re ready to get back onstage and entertain,” McEntire told Billboard. “So what I’m really looking forward to is getting to be onstage, singing in front of some people on television and the few that’s going to be in the seats. It’s going to be a fun night for us because we get to do what we love to do, which is sing.”
Who is nominated at this year’s CMA Awards?
Awards will be presented in dozens of categorias at this year’s CMA Awards. Nominees include Eric Church, Luke Combs, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, and Keith Urban in the entertainer of the year category; Lady A, Little Big Town, Midland, Old Dominion, and Rascal Flatts for vocal group of the year; and Jimmie Allen, Ingrid Andress, Gabby Barrett, Carly Pearce, and Morgan Wallen for best new artist.
Despite the pandemic, CMA chief executive office Sarah Trahern says the event will still be one to remember.
“Although the show will feel a bit more intimate this year, we look forward to hosting our nominated artists and their guests as we celebrate the best of Country Music in a fully safe and physically distant environment,” Trahern said in a statement. “It will be an honor to bring the biggest country stars in the world together – in one room – for the first time this year. You won’t want to miss it!”
