Music City has been buzzing all week with glitz and glamour thanks to the 57th Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday (November 8), as artists, songwriters and music publishers have been coming together to celebrate their hard work on some of country music’s biggest hits this year.
To kick things off, SESAC Performing Rights hosted their annual Nashville Music Awards at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the heart of Downtown on Sunday (November 5) with a star-studded red carpet and ceremony featuring the union’s biggest names. Celeb Secrets Country was in attendance mingling with honorees, artists and other VIPs all evening — including Blanco Brown, Naomi Cooke Johnson, Spencer Crandall, Ana Cristina Cash, Jenny Tolman, and Craig Campbell — where we were able to get an inside look at what the night really means for some of the genre’s most talented.
“It’s an honor to be here. My life since last year — my fans have completely changed my life with [‘Tennessee Orange’] — so everything looks a lot different,” Megan Moroney tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder on the red carpet.
Although Sunday’s event was not her first SESAC Awards, this was her first time being honored at the big show, which she says is all because of her fans.
“We weren’t even going to release [‘Tennessee Orange],'” she reveals. “That’s the craziest thing… I released it as an independent artist, so when you look at that, I think it’s the true testament to my fans because everything I’ve done in the past is because of them. It’s crazy.”
The 26-year-old 2x CMA Award nominee kicked off the reception with her No. 1 single “Tennessee Orange,” which was honored during the awards ceremony. Jon Nite was also named SESAC’s “Songwriter of the Year” at the annual show, as he was recognized for penning hits like Tyler Hubbard‘s “Dancin’ In The Country,” Brett Young‘s “You Didn’t,” and Gabby Barrett‘s “Pick Me Up.”
To no surprise, Kane and Katelyn Brown‘s smash crossover hit “Thank God” was awarded SESAC’s “Song of the Year,” where Kane was on hand to accept the new hardware with songwriters Josh Hoge and Christian Stalnecker. Sony Music Publishing also took home “Publisher of the Year” after winning seven awards throughout the night. Before guests were treated to an array of sweets to say their goodbyes, Dillon Carmichael performed his song “Son Of A,” which received a performance award during the ceremony.
Keep scrolling to watch our interviews with artists and special guests on the red carpet, plus a full list of honorees from the big show. Don’t forget to let us know if you love the songs and artists honored at the 2023 SESAC Nashville Music Awards by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
2023 SESAC NASHVILLE MUSIC AWARDS – HONOREES
“THANK GOD”
Written by: Josh Hoge, Christian Stalnecker
Published by: Blunts and Bonfires Music, Feels Like Friday, Sony Music Publishing, Chorus 2 Music, RMM 416 Publishing
Recorded by: Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown
“DANCIN’ IN THE COUNTRY”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Cuts Like A Nite Music, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Tyler Hubbard
“TENNESEE ORANGE”
Written by: Megan Moroney
Published by: Georgiamo, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Megan Moroney
“YOUR HEART OR MINE”
Written by: Justin Ebach
Published by: Phat Racoon, Universal Tunes
Recorded by: Jon Pardi
“YOU DIDN’T”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Brett Young
“PICK ME UP”
Written by: Jon Nite
Published by: Cuts Like A Nite Music, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Gabby Barrett
“GIRL IN MINE”
Written by: Casey Brown
Published by: Track & Feels, Warner Chappell Music, Tape Room Tunes
Recorded by: Parmalee
“WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE”
Written by: Chris LaCorte
Published by: Card Tables Music, Hang Your Hat Hits, Concord Tunes
Recorded by: Sam Hunt
“BURY ME IN GEORGIA”
Written by: Josh Hoge
Published by: Blunts and Bonfires Music, Chorus 2 Music, Sony Music Nashville
Recorded by: Kane Brown
“OUT IN THE MIDDLE”
Written by: Ben Simonetti, Zac Brown
Published by: Simonetti Music Publishing, Day For The Dead Publishing
Recorded by: Zac Brown Band
“Y’ALL LIFE”
Written by: Josh Jenkins, Pete Good
Published by: Follow Me Where I Go, SMACKWORKS Music
Recorded by: Walker Hayes
“SON OF A”
Written by: Dillon Carmichael
Published by: Riser House Tunes, Sony Music Publishing
Recorded by: Dillon Carmichael
“PARTY MODE”
Written by: Jared Keim
Published by: Twelve6 Sequoia, Warner Chappell Music
Recorded by: Dustin Lynch
“CHANGE OF HEART”
Written by: Margo Price, Jeremy Ivey
Published by: Peach Pit, Fisheye, RMM 416 Publishing, Good Songs We Love
Recorded by: Margo Price
“THAT KIND OF LIFE (THAT KIND OF DAY)”
Written by: Jim Lauderdale
Published by: Wudang Mountain Songs, Critter City Music
Recorded by: Jim Lauderdale
“TALL AND MIGHTY”
Written by: Kelsey Waldon
Published by: MyKaintuck Publishing, Do Write Music
Recorded by: Kelsey Waldon
“DON’T LET THE DARKNESS”
Written by: Ed Jurdi
Published by: Three Pisces Music
Recorded by: The Band of Heathens
“ALL I REALLY WANNA DO”
Written by: Henry Brill
Published by: Kobalt Group Publishing
Recorded by: Devon Gilfillian
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