The 48th annual Country Music Awards celebrated all things country music on November 5.

The CMAs are similar to the Oscars in that members of the Country Music Association vote on the current country music talent instead of having viewers vote like the People’s Choice Awards.

According to ABC News, Blake Shelton brought home male vocalist of the year for the fifth year in a row while his wife, Miranda Lambert, was female vocalist of the year also for the fifth year in a row. Heart-throb Luke Bryan was awarded Entertainer of the Year. Other winners of the night included Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Brett Eldridge, and Little Big Town.

Junior Tara Weaver enjoyed watching the CMAs because of all the music. Her favorite artist is Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan.

“I like his voice,” said Weaver. “[I also like] the music he writes [because] it is fun but also sweet.”

As the night got closer, commercials crowded all ABC channels with previews of performances from pop superstar Ariana Grande and “All About That Bass” singer Meghan Trainor. Both artists were teamed up with country artists Little Big Town and Miranda Lambert. These mash-up performances were supposed to be a huge hit, but some thought it to be annoying that pop took over the CMAs.

“I didn’t like Ariana Grande and Meghan Trainor [performing at the show],” said Weaver. “[The night was supposed to be] country music.”

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Ariana Grande celebrates her performance with Little Big Town. Photo courtesy of Image Group LA of Getty Images.

Despite the fact that some country fans didn’t like the pop influence, there were still plenty of mainstream country performers throughout the course of the show. Stars and groups like Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, and Jason Aldean showed off their vocal talent for both the live audience and those watching at home.

One of the most advertised parts of the CMAs every year is the comic relief that hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley bring to the show. During commercials for this year, the hosts “flash-backed” to when they hosted the CMAs as children.

Senior Kaileigh Krobot thought Underwood and Paisley were one of the highlights of the show.

“[I watched the CMAs] because I’m a huge country fan,” said Krobot. “I loved how [the hosts] really made it funny.”

In addition to hosting, Underwood sang one of her newer songs entitled “Something in the Water.” Being one of the most powerful performances of the night, it got a lot of positive attention.

Senior Rebecca Toy agrees that Underwood is an attention-grabbing performer, and she enjoys the star’s music.

“She brings religious views into her writing,” said Toy. “She’s not afraid of singing what she feels.”

Though pop influence turned off some country music fans, the overall show was dynamic and exciting for a large number of viewers.