CMT revealed the 16 ladies named to its class of 2023 Next Women of Country on Tuesday night. The event launched the network’s 10-year anniversary celebration of the program and its long-running effort to support, promote and develop female talent. The class of 2023 is the largest class in the program’s history. 

“Each year, it’s extremely gratifying to welcome a new wave of fiercely independent females to our Next Women of Country program, all of whom are blazing their own paths and playing by their own rules,” said Leslie Fram, SVP of Music & Talent, CMT. “Tonight, we’re introducing our largest class of inductees ever as we celebrate with the return of our first in-person event in over three years - and this group of accomplished artists is absolutely worth the wait!”

CMT made the announcement at a live concert event at City Winery Nashville with special guests and Next Women of Country alumni including Brittney Spencer (2021), Brooke Eden (2015), Caitlyn Smith (2017), Ingrid Andress (2019), Kelsea Ballerini (2015), Maddie & Tae (2015) and Mickey Guyton (2015) along with acclaimed songwriter-artist-producer Nicolle Galyon.

The “CMT Next Women of Country” Class of 2023 is:

Alana Springsteen

Angie K

Ashley Cooke

Avery Anna

Carter Faith

Catie Offerman

Georgia Webster

Julie Williams

Kasey Tyndall

Kimberly Kelly

Mackenzie Carpenter

MaRynn Taylor

Megan Moroney

O.N.E The Duo

Pillbox Patti

Roberta Lea

“Reaching this historic 10th anniversary milestone with CMT Next Women is a testament to the hard work of those gatekeepers in our industry who have locked arms and worked tirelessly toward a level playing field for women,” Fram said. “I’m so proud of this franchise for continuing to be at the forefront of this imperative dialogue and look forward to continuing our fight toward greater progress and true equity for all underrepresented voices in country music.” 

Over the next year, the new CMT NWOC class will receive cross-brand support for their music and videos on CMT, CMT Music, PlutoTV’s ‘CMT Equal Play’ channel, CMT Hot 20 Countdown, CMT.com and @CMT social channels, in addition to cross-promotional opportunities for Paramount Media’s MTV Entertainment Group brands with live events, the Paramount Times Square NYC Billboard and more. 

As part of the brand’s CMT Equal Play initiative, a dedicated effort to elevating all underrepresented voices in country music, CMT also provides its NWOC access to social impact and artist advocacy opportunities designed to assist them in supporting charitable causes and social issues. These resources will continue to be provided by Nashville-based social impact firm, The Change Agency.

This year’s 2023 class raises the total to 111 female acts who have been named as part of the program, including Ashley McBryde, Brandy Clark, Brittney Spencer, Brooke Eden, Caitlyn Smith, Carly Pearce, Gabby Barrett, Ingrid Andress, Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Alaina, Lindsay Ell, Madeline Edwards, Maren Morris, Mickey Guyton, Morgan Wade, Miko Marks and Tenille Arts.

For updates and more information, visit nextwomen.cmt.com, follow @CMT on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Tik Tok and use #CMTNextWomen to join the conversation.