Taking Over Austin! Country Music Stars Slay the 2023 CMT Awards Red Carpet: Photos

Bringing out their best looks! The 2023 CMT Awards are in full swing and country music’s biggest stars know how to rock a red carpet. These musicians dropped their guitars in favor of gowns and suits while arriving at the star-studded event on Sunday, April 2, and these outfits totally turned some heads.

Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini and Kane Brown, the annual event is taking place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and some well-known names are set to appear as the night goes on.

“It’s going to be a completely different awards show,” Kane teased to CBS News ahead of the big event, which usually takes place in Nashville. “Everybody usually home in Nashville right afterwards. … After other awards shows we all have afterparties, everybody goes out, you get to go see everybody, tell them how good they did on the show. We’re going to get to do that this year.”

This year marks the third time in which the “Blindsided” songstress has hosted the show, but this time around is pretty special as Kelsea is having a powerhouse year following the February 14 release of her Rolling Up the Welcome MatEP.

“Here’s my healing journey. Here’s my heart. Here’s my truth. I’ve never been this open, I’ve never been this bold, and I’ve never been this proud of my art,” the Tennessee native shared via social media upon dropping the six songs, which seemingly tell the story of her divorce from Morgan Evans. “So with love and respect, I’m rolling up the welcome mat. Six song story and short film out now. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Following the major release, Kelsea rocked the stage on her Heartfirst Tour and even made a special Saturday Night Live performance earlier this month. She’ll also take the CMT stage to perform.

This is also Kane’s third time hosting the show! Just like his cohost, the “Grand” singer is having a huge 2023. He teamed up with wife Katelyn Brown for the song “Thank God,” which hit No. 1 on multiple country radio charts. Kane will also be pulling double duty, hosting the CMT awards and performing the hit single with his significant other.

When it comes to performances, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Keith Urban and Lainey Wilson, among others, will rock the stage as well. But, before the show gets started, scroll through the gallery and see the star-studded red carpet arrival photos.