CMT expands Next Women of Country program, welcomes 2023 class

In its tenth year, CMT's Next Women of Country program will honor an unprecedented 16 acts. At downtown Nashville's City Winery, the 2023 class -- featuring top 20 country charting artist Megan Moroney of "Tennessee Orange" fame, plus 2022 Grand Ole Opry debuting artists Avery Anna, Ashley Cooke, Carter Faith, Kimberly Kelly, Catie Offerman and Alana Springsteen -- was celebrated by a myriad of former CMT Next Women of Country, including 2015 and 2022 Next Women of Country Tour headliners Kelsea Ballerini and Maddie and Tae.

The event, hosted by CMT Hot 20 Countdown correspondents Cody Alan and Rissi Palmer, was taped to be aired on the network on February 11-12, 2023.

CMT's 2023 Next Women of Country are 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 and Roberta Lea.

The Opry mention is notable because the number of CMT Next Women of Country honored over the past decade now rivals roughly half of the number of cast members the Opry has inducted in its nearly century-long history. If looking for evidence of the re-ascendance of women in country music, this stat -- plus other noteworthy moments from the event -- is worth highlighting.

CMT's Next Women of Country 2023 class is also noteworthy for other reasons:

• The first mother-daughter duo, ONE the Duo (Tekitha and Prana Supreme Diggs), were named members.

• Kasey Tyndall is CMT's first pregnant Next Women of Country member -- she's in the third trimester and preparing for the spring birth of a baby girl, her first child.

• The nationally respected Black Opry collective of barnstorming Black Americana, country, folk and soul artists has placed acts that have appeared on their stages -- the previously mentioned ONE the Duo, plus Roberta Lea and Julie Williams -- into the class.

The move to expand the membership class is keyed by the growth of women in country music, which has seen female artists grow from accounting for roughly one in five of the top 100 songs on Billboard's Country Airplay Chart to now having approximately one in five of No. 1 singles on the countdown in the past three years.

"Talent, work ethic and kindness are required to achieve success in this town," stated Ballerini, who made a guest stage appearance to highlight Next Women of Country class members -- and her frequent co-writers -- Taylor and Webster.

The event featured 16 acts in four separate songwriting rounds. They were joined onstage by former Next Women of Country acts, including Ingrid Andress, Ballerini, Brooke Eden, Nicolle Galyon, Mickey Guyton and Brittney Spencer, extolling their virtues.

"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," stated CMT's senior vice president of Music & Talent, Leslie Fram, via a press release.

"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. 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."

For more information on CMT and the network's Next Women of Country program, visit https://nextwomen.cmt.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: CMT expands Next Women of Country program, welcomes 2023 class