The 2018 CMT Artists of the Year ceremony will take place on Oct. 17 at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center and we already know some of the performances we can expect. Each of this year's honorees — Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Kelsea Ballerini, Maren Morris, Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott — will take the stage.
In addition to performances by some of the biggest names in country, the evening will feature cross-genre collaborations and tributes to legends.
The Pistol Annies, made up of Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley, will debut new music from their upcoming album Interstate Gospel.
Carrie Underwood will team up with her Cry Pretty 360 tour mates Runaway June and Maddie and Tae, while Kelsea Ballerini will duet with Alison Krauss.
Other collaborations include Gladys Knight performing with Kimberly Schlapman and Karen Fairchild of Little Big Town and Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott taking the stage with Tori Kelly and gospel singer Kirk Franklin.
Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile will share the stage for a tribute to Aretha Franklin.
Read More: Miranda Lambert, Maren Morris and More to be Honored in All-Women 'CMT Artists of the Year' Special
Loretta Lynn will be honored with the Artist of a Lifetime award. There's no word yet on whether Lynn will perform, but we can't imagine the night will end without Lynn taking the stage alongside the generations of artists she's inspired.
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More performances will be announced in the coming days.
CMT Senior VP Leslie Fram said the network hopes to inspire change within the male-dominated country music industry with this celebration of female voices in country music.
"In this monumental year for women, dedicating one of the biggest nights in the genre to applaud female country artists not only solidifies our commitment, but we hope will spark a much-needed change in the industry," Fram said in a statement.
On Oct. 17, CMT will play all women country artists across all network platforms for a daylong celebration of women in country music.
The CMT Artists of the Year special will air live from Nashville on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. CT on CMT.
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