Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan performed a stunning rendition of “Cowboys Cry Too,” a vulnerable duet that debuted earlier this year. The pair reunited at the 58th CMA Awards, hosted on Wednesday evening (November 20) on the Bridgestone Arena stage in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

Ballerini, who will return to Bridgestone on her first-ever headlining arena tour in 2025, featured Kahan on the sole collaboration to appear on her fifth studio album, Patterns, which released last month. “Cowboys Cry Too” was one of the first songs to release from Ballerini’s highly-anticipated record. The 15-track project also includes “Sorry Mom,” “Baggage,” “First Rodeo,” ‘Two Things,” and more. Ballerini teamed up with an all-female group of songwriters and producers to bring the album to life.

While creating Patterns, Ballerini said she took a “beautiful and brutal look into myself and the people I love the most. The celebrations and challenges in the name of betterment, growth, and all around elevated vibes. The healthy habits that I hold close and the ones that gotta go.

“Written from my truest self, but meant for you to project onto your own lives and try on for fit,” she continued “Whether you relate, want a song to cry in the back of an Uber music video style to, dramatically/drunkenly tell someone how much you love them, or scream sing about moments gone wrong before they went right…it’s all yours.” Ballerini said she embraced a sense of freedom unlike ever before while creating the record, and credited “the angel-on-earth women who made it with me…the womanhood we made this with will forever be the award.”

The star-studded lineup of performers at the CMA Awards also includes Chris Stapleton and Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn with Jelly Roll, Eric Church, Luke Combs, Ella Langley with Riley Green, Cody Johnson, Megan Moroney, Kacey Musgraves, Bailey Zimmerman, Dierks Bentley (featuring Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes), Luke Bryan, Ashley McBryde, Shaboozey, Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims, and Lainey Wilson. Presenters include Simone Biles, Clint Black, Jeff Bridges, Mark Collie, Jordan Davis, Freddie Freeman, Don Johnson, Jackson Laux, Little Big Town, Dustin Lynch, Katharine McPhee, The Oak Ridge Boys, Taylor Frankie Paul, Carly Pearce, Caleb Pressley, Nate Smith, Daniel Sunjata, Mitchell Tenpenny and Billy Bob Thornton. The Country Music Association also revealed the all-star group of artists — Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum, Chris Stapleton and Lainey Wilson — paying tribute to country legend George Strait. Strait is the recipient of the 2024 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.

Luke Bryan returned to host the show again with Peyton Manning, and this time, they teamed up with first-time host and 2023 Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson. Check back with iHeartRadio for a live-updated list of winners throughout the evening, a gallery of the most stunning red carpet looks, coverage of can’t-miss performances and more throughout the evening. The 58th CMA Awards is airing on ABC on Wednesday evening, and will be available next day on Hulu.

Todd Matthews

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