On a night filled with killer collaborations ranging from Chris Stapleton and Post Malone opening the show with “California Sober” to Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll’s orchestra-backed performance of “Believe,” Cody Johnson pulled out all the stops and brought out Carrie Underwood for a surprise performance of their current single, “I’m Gonna Love You.”
Unlike Stapleton and Post as well as Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll, Johnson and Underwood’s performance was not announced during the show’s initial performance list which caused the internet to go into a bit of a frenzy after her surprise appearance.
Unsurprisingly, the pair absolutely killed the performance. In a night filled with heavy applause after performances and award wins, the moment Underwood stepped onto the stage and Johnson’s shout-out to her was audibly one of the loudest crowd-reactions of the show.
Shortly after their performance of “I’m Gonna Love You,” Johnson would go on to win Album of the Year for Leather, which marked his first-ever win in the category.
Though Underwood was not nominated for any awards tonight, Johnson has multiple opportunities to add to his successful night with upcoming nominations for Male Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year.
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