CMT Awards: Carrie Underwood Was The Evening’s Top Winner

Carrie Underwood

For the ninth time in her career and the eighth since 2010, Underwood scored the top prize — Video of the Year — at the annual CMT Music Awards. Winning for "Hallelujah," her John Legend collaboration, she accepted the trophy Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, where the show returned a year after COVID-19 derailed "normal" award ceremonies, reports The Tennessean. 

In her acceptance speech, Underwood praised the voters — country music fans. 

"Fans, thank you so much, fans," Underwood said in accepting the fan-voted award. "You're the reason that we are all here, doing what we do, doing what we love. Making music videos." 

Underwood wasn't the only one who had reason to smile at Bridgestone Arena. Co-host Kane Brown left downtown Nashville as the year's winningest CMT Music Awards artists. 

Brown won Male Video of the Year for his single "Worship You" and Collaborative Video of the Year for Chris Young duet "Famous Friends." 

“This is the most nervous I’ve been all night,” Brown said as he picked up his prize for Male Video of the Year.

The 27-year-old centered his speech on family – not only his wife, Katelyn Jae, and their daughter, Kingsley Rose, but also “my family that works for me, everybody in country music, and all the fans.”

First-time co-host Kelsea Ballerini also became a first-time CMT winner. Her collaboration with pop star Halsey on last year’s show – “The Other Girl” – was named CMT Performance of the Year.

The #CMTawards this year did NOT disappoint 🔥 🔥 🔥 https://t.co/knAVxmgzQs

— CMT (@CMT) June 10, 2021

Trailblazing 80-year-old Linda Martell — who in 1969 was the first solo Black woman to sing at the Grand Ole Opry — earned long overdue recognition when CMT awarded her the annual Equal Play Award. 

In 1970, Martell released her debut album, "Color Me Country," including lead single "Color Him Father" — which peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, the highest-charting placement by a Black woman in chart history.

But her time in the spotlight was short-lived. Facing systemic racism, Martell retired from the country music business by the mid-1970s. 

A list of winners at the 2021 CMT Music Awards, held Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee.

• Video of the year: Carrie Underwood and John Legend, “Hallelujah”
• Female video of the year: Gabby Barrett, “The Good Ones”
• Male video of the year: Kane Brown, “Worship You” 
• Duo/group video of the year: Little Big Town, “Wine, Beer, Whiskey”
• Breakthrough video of the year: Dylan Scott, “Nobody”
• Collaborative video of the year: Chris Young and Kane Brown, “Famous Friends”
• CMT performance of the year: Kelsea Ballerini and Halsey, “The Other Girl” (from the 2020 CMT Music Awards)
• Best family feature: Taylor Swift, “The Best Day (Taylor’s Version)”
• CMT Equal Play Award: Linda Martell