Post Malone and Chris Stapleton kicked off the 2024 CMA Awards with the live debut of their buzzed-about collaboration, “California Sober.”
Live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, the pair of superstars joined forces to perform the track on the coveted awards show stage. Post Malone, whose real name is Austin Post, and Stapleton both strummed acoustic guitars as they belted out the lyrics to the fan-favorite hit.
“California-sober on the Highway 1/ Over on the shoulder, thought I saw some fun/ Lookin’ for a ride/ Trouble in some daisies, holdin’ out her thumb/ Stole some sucker’s money, now she’s on the run/ And she wanna get high,” the hitmakers sang, trading verses before joining forces on the chorus. “She said, ‘I’ll take you on a little trip/ Come on, give these lips a try’/ She drank up all my whiskey, blew down all my smoke/ I became the punchline of some cosmic joke/ Damn bottle was dry/ Kinda wanted to cry/ She whispered, ‘Pull it over,’ I said, ‘You’re the boss’/ In a southern drawl said, ‘Here’s where I get off, I’ve enjoyed our time’/ She said, ‘Baby, give me one more kiss’/ Before I kiss your ass goodbye,” Post and Stapleton sang in perfect sync.
Co-written by Post Malone, Chris Stapleton, Louis Bell and Mark Holman as well as Louis Bell and Charlie Handsome, “California Sober” appears on Post Malone’s first-ever country project, F-1 Trillion. The project, which arrived on August 16 via Mercury Records/REPUBLIC in partnership with Big Loud, includes 18 tracks, with 16 of them featuring a star-studded list of collaborators such as Morgan Wallen, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, Dolly Parton, Hank Williams Jr., Tim McGraw and more.
Ahead of their performance, Post Malone and Chris Stapleton opened up about how the song came to fruition during a discussion with the Country Music Association (CMA). “We got together to write a song, and we were there for 12 hours or something [from] start to finish, and the record was made in that moment,” Stapleton explained. “We had a lot of fun, and he was a great writer and great artist and everything. It was a lot of mutual respect in the room, and we just had a big time, and it came out like it came out.”
Post Malone, whose real name is Austin Post, then added, “I was terrified to hang with Chris. He’s just the best… You’re one of the men of all times… It’s nice to be patient with songs. For a long time, I felt like I was super rushed. But sitting there working with Chris, he is super methodical about the way he goes about it. And it was cool to watch. Don’t rush into something that you don’t, it’ll come to you. That’s the best. And sitting there writing at East Iris was so much fun. And it was just, Chris is a total stud, so I just, he’s the best.”
Post Malone, a first-time nominee, earned four nominations at the CMA Awards for his chart-topping collaboration “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen. Meanwhile, Stapleton, who has a career total of 39 total nods since 2015, was up for five awards, including Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year (“White Horse”), Album of the Year (Higher), Song of the Year (“White Horse”), and Male Vocalist of the Year.
2024 CMA Awards
The 2024 CMA Awards featured memorable performances from Luke Bryan, Lainey Wilson, Post Malone, Ashley McBryde, Shaboozey, Chris Stapleton, Cody Johnson, Eric Church, Bailey Zimmerman, Megan Moroney, Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves and more.
The three-hour broadcast showcased a star-studded lineup of one-of-a-kind collaborations and unforgettable moments. Ella Langley and Riley Green delivered their chart-climbing viral hit, “You Look Like You Love Me,” while Kelsea Ballerini and Noah Kahan, along with Post Malone and Chris Stapleton, debuted their fan-favorite duets, “Cowboys Cry Too” and “California Sober,” respectively.
Additionally, Dierks Bentley, Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes paid tribute to the late Tom Petty with a rendition of “American Girl.” Thomas Rhett and Teddy Swims combined their current singles, “Somethin’ Bout A Woman” and “Lose Control,” in a dynamic mashup, and Brooks & Dunn and Jelly Roll performed “Believe,” a standout track from Brooks & Dunn’s latest release, Reboot II.
An impressive lineup of presenters were also on hand to give out the awards and introduce performances, including Simone Biles, Clint Black, Jeff Bridges, Mark Collie, Jordan Davis, The Oak Ridges Boys, Mitchell Tenpenny, Dustin Lynch, Caleb Pressley, Freddie Freeman, Little Big Town, Carly Pearce, Katharine McPhee, and Billy Bob Thornton, among others.
Co-hosted by Luke Bryan, Peyton Manning, and Lainey Wilson, the 58th Annual CMA Awards aired live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 20, on ABC and will be available to stream on Hulu starting November 21.
