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Shania Twain will make her debut as ACM Awards host at the upcoming 61st show, the Academy of Country Music announced on Wednesday morning (April 22).
Twain won three ACM Awards — in addition to five Grammys and other honors — throughout her trailblazing career. The “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” hitmaker “as established herself as one of music’s most iconic and influential voices,” and “helped redefine country music for a global audience with her bold, boundary-pushing sound and undeniable crossover appeal,” states a press release issued by the Academy. And “her influence continues to shape the music industry today.” Twain will host the star-studded show when it returns next month to the MGM Garden Arena stage in Las Vegas, Nevada, switching locations after a three-year run at the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco Texas.
“I’m thrilled to be hosting the 61st ACM Awards in Las Vegas, a place that feels like home,” Twain, the top-selling female country-pop artist of all time, said in a statement. “It’s such an honor to be part of this incredible night celebrating Country Music’s biggest stars, especially with so many talented women leading nominations this year. I can’t wait to welcome all of the fans and artists out for this unforgettable night.”
ACM CEO Damon Whiteside added in a statement of his own, “we are honored to welcome global music superstar Shania Twain as our host this year. We couldn’t imagine a more perfect icon to follow our previous iconic hosts, Dolly, Garth, and Reba, blending one of the most important nights in Country Music with the excitement of Las Vegas. Shania has an impressive history on the ACM Awards stage including her win of the coveted ACM Entertainer of the Year trophy and receiving the ACM Poet’s Award honoring her prolific songwriting career.”
Earlier this month, the Academy of Country Music revealed the list of nominees for this year’s show. Female artists lead the nominees (Megan Moroney, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson received the most nods with nine, eight, seven and seven nominations, respectively).
See the full list of 61st ACM Award nominations here.
Lambert, Wilson, Johnson, Riley Green, Kacey Musgraves and Little Big Town will take the stage during the star-studded show, and the Academy of Country Music previously teased “many more unforgettable performances to be revealed in the coming weeks. …(The show) will feature unprecedented performances, exclusive collaborations, and unexpected moments from the biggest Country Music stars, all while celebrating the genre’s most iconic and emerging talent.”
Days before the 61st ACM Awards, Green will headline ACM Lifting Lives Country on the Green: Riley Green & Friends on Friday, May 15. The lineup also includes Lauren Alaina, Randy Houser and Rodney Atkins. Keith Urban, who received the ACM Triple Crown Award last year, is headlining ACM Next Wave: Country’s Beach Bash on Saturday, May 16. Ashley Cooke, Braxton Keith, Dasha, Flatland Cavalry, Tucker Wetmore and other artists will also take part in the event at Mandalay Bay Beach.
The 61st ACM Awards will kick off at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT / 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, May 17.