Jason Aldean, who was performing during the horrific attack, was already slated to be honored at the Oct. 18 event.
This year's CMT Artists of the Year celebration is going to be a little bit different.
Following recent events such as the devastating hurricanes and the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas, CMT is transforming this year's "Artists of the Year" special into a night of hope and healing using the power of music.
Honorees include Chris Stapleton, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean, who was performing on stage during the Las Vegas attack.
Sam Hunt is also being honored with the first ever "Song of the Year" awards alongside his co-writers Zach Crowell, Shane McAnally, and Josh Osbourne, for their 2017 record breaking crossover hit "Body Like a Back Road."
Grammy-nominated Andra Day and Grammy Award-winners Little Big Town will set the tone for the evening with an opening performance of the anthemic “Rise Up,” and Day, Little Big Town and Grammy Award-winner Lee Ann Womack will also perform Day’s new collaboration, the aptly titled “Stand Up For Something,” with Grammy Award-winner Common.
The special will be uniting artists from all genres for never-before-seen collaborations and performances from the honorees. The ceremony is also forgoing the traditional formal presentations of awards and speeches in favor of messages from those being honored directed at their fans.
CMT's eighth-annual special will air live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center on Wednesday, October 18, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
ET will be on the red carpet for all the news. Check back to ETonline.com and tune into ET to see all the interviews with the stars.
For more on last year's CMT Artists of the Year celebration, watch the video below!
