NASHVILLE (CelebrityAccess) – Country Music Television (CMT) has officially unveiled the 2024 class of the CMT Next Women of Country (NWOC). This initiative, part of CMT’s Equal Play campaign, aims to support and promote emerging female talent in the country music genre. Celebrating its 10th anniversary last year, NWOC stands as one of the longest-running platforms for discovering female artists in country music.
The impressive lineup for the Class of 2024 includes Anne Wilson, Denitia, Ella Langley, Emily Ann Roberts, HunterGirl, Karley Scott Collins, Kylie Frey, Lauren Watkins, Madeline Merlo, Mae Estes, Tanner Adell, The Castellows, Tigirlily Gold, and Twinnie.
The announcement took place on January 23 at City Winery Nashville in front of an exclusive audience comprising VIPs from the industry and media. CMT’s Leslie Fram, alongside co-host Kimberly Perry and artist Colbie Caillat, revealed the new class, with each serving as a mentor for the 2024 CMT NWOC.
In a noteworthy development this year, NWOC is joining forces with the Song Suffragettes, a female singer-songwriter collective, for a year-long partnership. The collaboration, aimed at advancing women in country music, will involve joint efforts with Change The Conversation and The Change Agent·cy. As a celebration of this collaboration, NWOC will host a showcase with Song Suffragettes at City Winery on February 27. The group’s focus will be voter registration and mental health.
CMT’s flagship series, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, hosted by Carissa Culiner and Rissi Palmer, will dedicate a three-hour special episode to spotlighting the new class of CMT Next Women of Country on February 10. The episode will feature exclusive interviews and performance clips from each inductee.
Leslie Fram, SVP of Music and Talent, CMT, expressed enthusiasm about welcoming the new artists, emphasizing the franchise’s commitment to showcasing the best-emerging talent in country music. Additionally, she highlighted the collaboration with Song Suffragettes as a step towards providing greater opportunities and visibility for female voices in the country music format.
Over the next year, the 2024 CMT NWOC class will receive extensive support across CMT platforms, including CMT, CMT Music, PlutoTV’s CMT Equal Play channel, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com, and CMT social channels. CMT will also provide access to social impact and artist advocacy opportunities, focusing on voter registration and mental health in collaboration with The Change Agent·cy.
With a total of 125 female acts named so far, the Next Women of Country initiative continues to be a staunch advocate for country music’s female artists. The impressive alumni list includes names like Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Kacey Musgraves, and many more who have achieved both commercial and critical acclaim.
