Country music’s biggest stars will shine bright at the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards. Maren Morris will try to go for a full sweep as she leads all the nominees with five nominations. The award show will be hosted by country music superstars Keith Urban and Mickey Guyton. Guyton will be the second African-American to host the ceremony and the first African-American woman.
The ACM is doubling down on making the show more diverse and inclusive as of the nearly 20 live performances, there will be a record of four Black artists performing. Just like last year’s show, the ACM will follow proper health and safety protocols as the show will include a mix of live and pre-recorded performances from three different locations in Nashville: Station Inn, Bridge Building, and on Broadway.
Elle King and Miranda Lambert will open the show with “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home).” Thomas Rhett will be premiering “What’s Your Country Song” and “Country Again.” To celebrate the 20th Anniversary of his first hit single, Blake Shelton will be performing “Austin” and “Minimum Wage.”
The show will feature a number of collaborations as Dierks Bentley will be joined by The War and Treaty to perform the U2 classic “Pride (In The Name of Love).” Other collabs include Carly Pearce and Lee Brice duetting on “I Hope You’re Happy Now,” Carrie Underwood will duet with CeCe Winans, and Kelsea Ballerini will be joined by Kenny Chesney to perform their hit “half of my hometown.”
Little Big Town, Ashley McBryde, and Keith Urban will also have performances. Lady A has been added to the setlist as a replacement for Luke Bryan after he tested positive for COVID-19. New Male Artist of the Year, Jimmie Allen, and New Female Artist of the Year, Gabby Barrett, will be performing on this year’s show. Below is a list of the rest of the performances.
- Brothers Osborne —“I’m Not For Everyone”
- Kenny Chesney — “Knowing You”
- Eric Church — “Bunch Of Nothing”
- Luke Combs — “Forever After All”
- Dan + Shay — “Glad You Exist”
- Mickey Guyton — ”Hold On”
- Alan Jackson — “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and a mashup for “Drive (For Daddy Gene)”
- Miranda Lambert with Jack Ingram and Jon Randall — “In His Arms”
- Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd — “Chasing After You”
- Chris Stapleton — “Maggie’s Song”
- Chris Young and Kane Brown — “Famous Friends”
There will be a 60-minute livestream of the ACM Awards Pre-Party for a Cause, a pre-taped pre-show in partnership with Crown Royal, to be hosted by Buzz Brainard and Cassadee Pope. The pre-show will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 17, on the ACM’s official Facebook and YouTube and will feature performances by Jimmie Allen, Lindsay Ell, Kameron Marlowe, Ian Munsick, Cassadee Pope, Tyler Rich, Lily Rose, Mitchell Tenpenny, Tenille Townes, and Lainey Wilson.
When to watch the 2021 ACM Awards
CBS will be broadcasting a hybrid show, as the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards will be presented live from three iconic venues in Nashville, Tennessee: Grand Ole Opry House, Ryman Auditorium, and the Bluebird Café, on Sunday, April 18, 2021, at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch the 2021 ACM Awards
This year cord cutters have a few options when it comes to watching this year’s historic ACM Awards. CBS has aired the show since 1998 and will continue the tradition this year. AntennaWeb is a great tool you can use to see what CBS channel is available in your area with an antenna.
Locast: Viewers in one of the 30 markets served by Locast will also be able to watch on their local CBS for free with the service.
Cord cutters can watch every single moment of the ACM Awards with Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, or any compatible devices by subscribing to any one of these live TV streaming services.
fuboTV has CBS covered with the fuboTV Family plan for $65/month.
Hulu with Live also carries CBS for $65/month.
AT&T TV includes CBS in its Choice package for $65/month.
Paramount+ is the home of all of CBS networks content for only $6/month
YouTube TV includes CBS with a $65/month subscription