Each year in Nashville, the women of country music gather to celebrate one another and provide an important platform for the new artists working to break ground in the genre through CMT Next Women of Country.<\/p>\n
Founded by CMT Senior Vice President of Music Strategy & Talent Leslie Fram in 2013, CMT Next Women of Country shines a spotlight on nearly a dozen promising new female acts in Nashville, providing them with tools and resources to be successful in a male-dominated industry, with past inductees including Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris and Kelsea Ballerini. During the 2019 CMT Next Women of Country event co-hosted by Fram and Martina McBride at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, the 2020 CMT Next Women of Country class was unveiled, comprised of Gabby Barrett, Caylee Hammack, Hailey Whitters, Madison Kozak, Walker County, Avenue Beat, Abbey Cone, Kylie Morgan, Sykamore, Tiera and Renee Blair.<\/p>\n
A consistent theme carried throughout the annual event is empowerment, whether the artists are championing one another or singing introspective and thought-provoking songs they\u2019ve penned. The 2019 event reflected the variety of the music these women are creating through an acoustic songwriters round that invites each of the new inductees to perform an original song. Caylee Hammack delivered a stirring performance of \u201cSmall Town Hypocrite,\u201d a song inspired by the ex-boyfriend she gave up a scholarship for who ended up cheating on her, while Hailey Whitters also proved to be a compelling songwriter with her depiction of a fictional character named Janice, an 80-year-old woman who offers sage life advice like \u201cstay off the pills, but get on the pill if you ain’t ready to start a family,\u201d the line calling to mind Loretta Lynn\u2019s 1975 feminist anthem, \u201cThe Pill.\u201d Madison Kozak, the first artist signed to Nashville\u2019s new all-female label Songs & Daughters led by groundbreaking songwriter Nicolle Galyon (Camilla Cabello\u2019s \u201cConsquences,\u201d Dan + Shay\u2019s \u201cTequila\u201d), held every heart in the room like it was made of glass with \u201cHousehold,\u201d touching on the universal feeling of wanting to leave home, but longing for that very place when you\u2019re finally gone.<\/p>\n