Kelsea Ballerini Will Co-Host the 2023 CMT Music Awards — and Carrie Underwood Is Set to Perform!

Jason Kempin/Getty; Jason Davis/Getty Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood

Get excited, country music fans! A date has been set for the 2023 CMT Music Awards — and a few exciting announcements have come with it.

On Wednesday, CMT and CBS announced that the fan-voted awards show will take place on April 2, 2023, and for the first time ever, the show will air live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas!

In addition, Kelsea Ballerini will return as CMT co-host for her third consecutive year, she revealed during a surprise appearance at Carrie Underwood's show at the Moody Center on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Underwood, 39, was announced as the event's first performer.

"Both Austin and Nashville are two of the world's greatest music cities and we couldn't be more excited to announce the return of the CMT Music Awards on CBS than with co-host Kelsea Ballerini surprising Carrie Underwood, our most awarded artist, in the middle of her incredible live performance at Moody Center – the exact venue where we'll all be back exactly five months from today!" Margaret Comeaux, John Hamlin, Leslie Fram and Jason Owen, executive producers for the CMT Awards said in a press release.

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The statement continued, "Our fans are in for an unforgettable night of music with plenty of surprises, as the Live Music Capital meets Music City for the first time ever on a national stage in what will be a true country music extravaganza."

Tom Noonan, president and CEO, Austin CVB added: "We are beyond thrilled to welcome the CMT Music Awards to Moody Center in 2023! This event will have not only a huge financial impact on Austin and its tourism industry, but it will also showcase two of the top music brands globally, Austin as The Live Music Capital of the World and Country Music Television."

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At this year's show in April, Ballerini tested positive for COVID and took over her hosting duties from home, while co hosts Kane Brown and  Anthony Mackie were present at the show.

"All right friends, I have some bad news, and I have some good news," Ballerini said in a video announcing the new. "The bad news is that a couple of days ago I tested positive for COVID and the CMT Awards are tonight, so unfortunately I cannot be there in person anymore."

Noting that she was "devastated" by her diagnosis, the "Peter Pan" singer continued by sharing that her "good news" is that she was "feeling a lot better."

"The incredible CMT team and my team have bought part of the CMT set to my house, to my little bubble, and set it up to where I can still host and perform," added Ballerini. "It is certainly not what we had expected or planned for, but we are doing our damn best. ... Let's make some lemonade together out of these very bitter lemons."

Ballerini is fresh off her 10-night Heartfirst tour, which wrapped on Oct. 14. Meanwhile, Underwood is currently on her 43-city Denim & Rhinestones tour, which is set to continue through spring 2023.