Carrie Underwood Is Proud That the CMA Awards Will Be Driven by Women This Year

The upcoming CMA Awards will be hosted by Carrie Underwood, with help from both Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. For Underwood, who will return for her 12th time as a host, but her first without her former sidekick, Brad Paisley, she’s eager not only to share the stage with the country music icons, but to helm a show that will be driven entirely by women.

“I feel like the three of us love what we do so much, and we love country music and it means something — I feel like — to have us up there on that stage kind of driving the bus for the evening and setting the tone,” Underwood said, via CMT.

“I’s so important to us, and [will] shine a lot on what I think is the backbone of country music,” she added, “that’s the females that have come before all of us and will come in the future.”

While Underwood will undoubtedly miss having Paisley by her side, she was thrilled that the show would be honoring the women of country music, especially alongside superstars like Parton and McEntire.

“I was very pleased and happy and excited to hear the news that the CMA wanted to have this year’s show be focused on women in country music — past, present, future, all of us together standing united,” she said, adding of her co-hosts, “It does not get bigger than that or better than that.”

The American Idol alum spoke out about the new format shortly after the news was announced, praising the hosting lineup.

“So thankful to the [CMA] for wanting to honor the women of Country Music for this year’s [CMA Awards],” she wrote. “I couldn’t be more excited to get to stand up there with 2 of my personal heroes… [Reba] and [Dolly Parton] are trailblazers, icons and legends. We’re gonna make Country Music proud on November 13th! #DreamComeTrue #WomenOfCountryMusic #Sheroes.”

Underwood’s Cry Pretty Tour 360 will wrap up on Oct. 31. Underwood is also nominated for three trophies, for Album of the Year (for Cry Pretty), Female Vocalist of the Year, and the night’s highest honor, Entertainer of the Year. The 2019 CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Photo Credit: Getty images / Vivien Killilea