He’s a little bit country, they’re a little bit rock ‘n’ roll! With the 2016 CMT Music Awards less than a week away on Wednesday, June 8, preparations are under way for what’s shaping up to be a pretty epic night of performances. Us Weekly can exclusively reveal a few of the latest acts to join the list, including “Achy Breaky Heart” singer Billy Ray Cyrus, who’s teaming up with Cheap Trick for the show.
Cyrus, 54, will be doing a mashup with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, whose new album, Bang, Zoom, Crazy … Hello, came out earlier this year. It will be the country crooner’s first CMT Music Awards performance since 2008, when he cohosted the ceremony with daughter Miley Cyrus and they performed their song “Ready, Set, Don’t Go.”
His isn’t the only superstar collaboration of the night, though. Us can exclusively announce that Dierks Bentley and Elle King will take the stage together for the TV debut of Bentley’s new single, “Different for Girls.” The introspective duet with the “Ex’s & Oh’s” singer is the second single from his eighth studio album, Black.
Bentley, King, Cheap Trick and Billy Ray Cyrus (whose new CMT show, Still the King, premieres on June 12) join other previously announced performers including Cam and Fifth Harmony, Blake Shelton and the Oak Ridge Boys, and Keith Urban, Brett Eldredge and Maren Morris.
The awards, hosted in Nashville by Erin Andrews and J.J. Watt, honor country stars in seven categories, including Video of the Year, CMT Performance of the Year and #SocialSuperstar. Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Cam, Chris Stapleton and Thomas Rhett lead the pack of nominees with nods in three categories each.
Tune in to the 2016 CMT Music Awards to see who wins on Wednesday, June 8, at 8 p.m. ET.
