Kelsea Ballerini talks hosting the CMT Music Awards: "I get to be really hyperinvolved"

Kelsea Ballerini may be a singer/songwriter first, but she also enjoys hosting.

"I love hosting because I get to be really hyperinvolved," Kelsea tells the press ahead of hosting Sunday's CMT Music Awards.

"Whether it comes to the jokes that we open the show with or how we get to present some of my friends [where] I can tell stories, or being able to be backstage when my friends win and I get to be there to hug them. All those moments really matter to me, so it's nice to be able to get that into it," she says.

While Kelsea's now a four-time CMT Music Awards host, this year will be her first time flying solo without a co-host.

"I mean, fourth time's a charm, right? I'm excited. I love hosting, I love being involved in the show and seeing it come together and knowing the performances and the collaborations and all the magic that's going to happen on that stage that year," shares Kelsea.

"It's my first time hosting solo, so send me the good vibes," the "Miss Me More" singer adds.

In addition to hosting, Kelsea will perform the newly released reimagined version of her 2014 debut single, "Love Me Like You Mean It."

The 2024 CMT Music Awards, hosted by Kelsea, air live from Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.

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