The CMT Artists of the Year special airs tonight but it will be more than just a celebration of the year's top music stars.
This year's honorees include Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Chris Stapleton and Keith Urban, but following the shooting at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas, as well as the recent slew of natural disasters, producers of the event have changed the focus of the show.
The event is now being billed as a night of hope and healing, and instead of giving acceptance speeches, this year’s honorees will pay tribute to their fans. As CMT General Manger Frank Tanki notes, “now more than ever, we want to showcase the power of unity and resilience through music.”
As for this year's honorees, this will be the sixth time both Jason and Luke have been honored as CMT Artist of the Year, the most of any other artists, while Luke has the longest streak, having been honored by the show since 2012.
CMT’s Artists of the Year celebration airs tonight at 8 pm ET, live from Nashville’s Schermerhorn Symphony.