CMT announces five stars as their 2022 Artists of the Year

By KRISTIN M. HALL
AP Entertainment Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — CMT will honor country stars Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Kane Brown, Luke Combs and Walker Hayes as their 2022 Artists of the Year.

The network will air its annual TV special on Oct. 14 featuring tributes by other artists. Pearce, Johnson and Hayes are first time artists of the year, while Brown and Combs come back for their third time.

Pearce is a critical favorite after the success of her album “29: Written In Stone” and coming off a hit duet with Ashley McBryde, “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” Texas-native Johnson brought the cowboy and the rodeo back to country music with his inspiring hit “’Til You Can’t.” And Hayes dominated TikTok with his Applebee’s inspired danceable earworm, “Fancy Like.”

Brown and Combs are among the top selling artists in country music, packing out arenas and stadiums and landing multiple hits on the charts. Both released new albums in 2022 and will be touring overseas.