Morgan Wallen was the man of the hour at the 2023 CMA Awards, especially after he surprised and brought along fans Erik Kerk with him on stage.
The pair teamed up on Wednesday, November 8, for the world television premiere of their 2023 hit “Man Made a Bar.” During the performance, both Wallen, 30, and Church, 46, played guitar.
The soft, yet powerful rendition of the song drew viewers in and kept them on the tip of their feet until the end.
Wallen is one of the biggest names at this year’s awards show in Nashville, in part because he will take the stage twice. The CMA Awards previously announced that the “Wasted on You” singer would perform HARDY And PostMalone for a country classics medley.
He also teased singing alongside a “special guest” before his mystery collaborator took the stage on Wednesday. Wallen was nominated for two awards at the event, including Album of the Year One thing at a time and Male Singer of the Year.
The ‘Whiskey Glasses’ singer’s comeback at the CMA Awards follows years of difficult times for Wallen. In February 2021, Wallen sparked controversy when a previous video of him using the N-word resurfaced.
‘I’m ashamed and sorry. “I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back,” he said in a statement at the time. “There are never any excuses for using this kind of language. I would like to sincerely apologize for using this word. I promise I will do better.”
Despite his apology, Wallen was temporarily blacklisted from the industry in the wake of the scandal. He was banned from the 2021 ACM Awards, the 2021 CMA Awards and the 2021 Billboard Music Awards, and was also kicked off country radio.
The following year, Wallen quietly began to rebuild his career and began winning trophies again. At the 2022 CMA Awards, he was nominated for Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year for ‘Sand in My Boots’.
Wallen suffered another setback on the road in May when he had to cancel six weeks of shows due to health concerns. “I went inside [to the doctors] I had surgery yesterday and they told me that I re-injured my vocal cords and that I have vocal fold trauma. Their advice is that I should take six weeks of voice rest, so that’s what I’m going to do,” he explained via an Instagram video at the time. “I also tore my lat [muscle] while we were in Australia. I’ve tried to work through that calmly, but this time off will help me get that right again.’
The musician was cleared to perform again in early June and went back on tour shortly afterwards. In September, Wallen announced the continuation of his policy One night at a time tournew dates have been added for 2024.
“It was one of the best years for me and my music, so we’re going to roll it back… same tour name, stay on this album and many more cities to visit,” he wrote via Instagram. “I have plans in mind to still single Cowgirls, Man Made A Bar and who knows, maybe 98 Braves. Let us continue this matter.”
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