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CMA Awards 2020: Everything We Know About the Artists Performing

Saddle up! The 2020 CMA Awards is taking place Wednesday night in Nashville as country artists hope to lasso in big wins.

Darius Rucker joins forces with Reba McEntire to lead an eventful show for audience members and performers alike.

CMAs Are Going Live

It’s been “weird” planning the show with COVID-19 restrictions,” Rucker says. “But I’m really proud of being a part of what we’re about to do.”

Other awards shows went virtual this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMAs will have a live audience and appearances by a long list of performers.

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring all of these incredible performances to life next Wednesday night and give our artists the chance to come together, in a big way, on television for the first time in months,” executive producer Robert Deaton said in a statement.

Country Stars Shine Bright

Nominees for the 54th annual County Music Association Awards were released Tuesday.

Categories include New Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and many more. Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash are two of the artists receiving honors during the awards show.

Miranda Lambert leads with seven nominations, followed by Luke Combs with six. The two are looking at nominations for the event’s top prize, Entertainer of the Year. Eric Church, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban are looking at nominations, as well.

Country and pop-music favorite, Taylor Swift, is receiving nominations for a large number of awards. Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, Eric Church and Kelsea Ballerini, among many others, will be taking part in the event. Prepare for performances by several artists, including Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chris Stapleton.

An abundance of non-country artists also received nominations in a number of categories.

Justin Bieber isn’t someone you would expect to be on the CMA Awards list. Justin‘s collaboration with Dan + Shay for “10,000 Hours,” grants them a chance for the Collaboration of the Year award.

The Show Must Go On

The news of hosting a live awards ceremony during COVID-19 came as a shock to many. Due to the pandemic, attendees will sit socially-distanced from each other.

“As safety is our top priority, we have worked tirelessly over the past several months to fully transform Music City Center into a breathtaking setup that resembles the very first ‘CMA Awards Banquet and Show’ from 1967,” says Deaton. “We ensure our nominees, performers and their guests a fully safe and physically distant environment. We are honored, in this very challenging time, to help provide an escape and deliver a live awards show experience unlike any other this year.”

The CMA Awards will take place Wednesday, November 11, on ABC beginning at 8 p.m. ET.