Carrie Underwood and her CMA Awards co-hosts, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire, are going to take the ceremony’s girl power theme to the next level by sharing the stage with nearly a dozen other female artists for an epic performance.
According to Billboard , the CMA Awards show is going to start out with a bang by having its three co-hosts and their special musical guests take viewers on a musical trip down memory lane. Carrie, Dolly, Reba, and a slew of other stars will perform a “decades-spanning medley” of beloved classic country music songs.
The titles of the songs haven’t been revealed, but the names of the performers have. They are Crystal Gayle, Gretchen Wilson, Jennifer Nettles, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Tanya Tucker, Terri Clark, and The Highwomen, which include Amanda Shires, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, and Maren Morris.
Carrie shared a post about this year’s “history-making” CMA Awards opening number on her Instagram page, where fans shared their thoughts on the packed performance.
“Wowwwww. What a phenomenal lineup of powerful women!!! Can’t wait to see this!” wrote one fan.
“Such great talent and voices. Carrie Underwood is truly earning her way to being a future queen of country,” another remarked.
In addition to taking part in the country music medley, Carrie will be performing her single, “Drinking Alone.”
One famous face who is noticeably absent from the list of opening number performers is Maren Morris’ tourmate and fellow Female Vocalist of the Year nominee, Miranda Lambert.
As previously reported by The Inquisitr , the singer has been lobbying hard for Carrie to take home the CMA Artist of the Year award. Carrie is the only female artist nominated in the category, where she’s facing off against Keith Urban, Garth Brooks, Eric Church, and Chris Stapleton.
While Miranda is included in the night’s biggest performance, she is slated to sing during the ceremony, and she’s just one of many other female stars who will be taking the stage throughout the night. Unlike Miranda, most of them will be paired up with other singers. These groupings include Halsey and Lady Antebellum, Kacey Musgraves and Willie Nelson, P!NK and Chris Stapleton, and Sheryl Crow and Dierks Bentley.
According to ABC News , Carrie’s tourmates, Runaway June and Maddie & Tae, will also get to take part in a big musical number. They’ll be performing two songs nominated in the CMA Song of the Year and Single of the Year categories. For their performance, they’ll be joined by Kelsea Ballerini, Lindsay Ell, Carly Pearce, and Little Big Town.
The CMA Awards air November 13 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.
