Country women lift each other up at CMT Artists of the Year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - This one's for the girls, as CMT honored all female stars, from Loretta Lynn to Carrie Underwood and Kelsea Ballerini, during their annual Artists of the Year show in an empowering night of lifting up each other.

Although female artists still struggle to get airplay, the women saluted each other for breaking through the barriers in the industry on Wednesday night in Nashville, Tennessee.

Underwood ended the show with a medley of iconic female songs from Tammy Wynette to Shania Twain supported by two all-female groups Runaway June and Maddie and Tae. Actress Sissy Spacek accepted an honor on behalf of country icon Loretta Lynn, who could not attend.

The country artists showed off their influences outside the genre with collaborations with artists from soul, gospel, Americana and more.