Kelsea Ballerini Reveals Travis Kelce Is Introducing Her at 2023 CMTs

It’s going to be a Saturday Night Live reunion of sorts at the 2023 CMT Music Awards. 

Co-host Kelsea Ballerini revealed exclusively to ET that she’s going to have a special guest introducing her performance come April 2: Travis Kelce! 

“He is coming in from SNL itself and coming to introduce my performance, which I’m very excited about,” she said. “Anything else is a surprise.”

As SNL fans knows, she and the 2023 Super Bowl champion recently served as the musical guest and host for the March 4 episode of Saturday Night Live. 

But what will the country star be serenading the crowd with? Ballerini confirmed she’ll be performing “If You Go Down (I’m Goin’ Down Too)” off of her newly released fourth studio album, Subject to Change. “It’s a song all about friendship and camaraderie,” she explained to ET, “and the people in your life that you just will stand up for and kind of your ride or dies.”

As for her co-host, Kane Brown, he’ll be doing something he’s never done at the CMT Music Awards before — singing with his wife, Katelyn. The two are set to perform their chart-topping duet, “Thank God,” which is also nominated for two awards, including Video of the Year. 

“I think she’s excited,” Brown said. “She says she’s nervous, but she says it all the time. Then she goes out there and kills it, so it’s gonna be great.”

If they make history as the first husband and wife to win the award, Brown said he’s going to let his other half do the talking. 

“Give her her time to shine,” he said, “and, you know, sit back and watch.”

The 2023 CMT Music Awards will air live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 2 at 8 p.m. PT/ET on CBS and CMT, and will stream live and on demand on Paramount+.