CMTIt’ll be a night filled with firsts on Wednesday, as 2020 finds the annual fan-voted CMT Music Awards moving from their usual week of CMA Fest to fall, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kane Brown and Ashley McBryde host the night for the first time, along with Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland. 

Both Kane and Ashley admit to stepping outside their comfort zone.

“I am a little bit nervous, actually…” Ashley confesses. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”

“And so what I’ve really had to learn is how to slow down when you’re reading a teleprompter,” she explains. “And so I’ve been reading out loud a little more, because it’s not a race. It’s not gonna go ahead of you. So I’ve had to learn that.”

Kane’s leaning on some advice from his team.

“What I’ve learned from my publicist [is] always try to smile,” he says. “And I’m gonna read as best as I can!”

Kane’s dedicating his performance of “Worship You” to his wife Katelyn and his daughter Kingsley.

“When I wrote this song, it was about my wife,” he recalls. “And then my beautiful baby came into our picture and now it’s kind of around both of them.”

“I worship them,” he continues. “You know, they’re my family. I love ’em to death.”

Ashley’s number, on the other hands, promises some intrigue.

“We’ll be doing ‘Martha Divine,'” she reveals, “which is a chilling love story about someone else’s husband and someone else’s wife. And it involves a big guitar boat full of shovels.”

The 2020 CMT Music Awards start at 8 p.m. ET tonight, with performances from Dan + Shay, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Maren Morris, Morgan Wallen, Sam Hunt, Shania Twain, and many more. 

By Stephen Hubbard
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