Walker Hayes brought the dance party to the 2022 CMT Music Awards stage on Monday, April 11 with a performance of his latest single.
Live from Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, the Alabama native and viral hitmaker brought his chart-climbing single “AA” to a whole new life with a group of choreographed dancers.
“AA” follows his chart-topping hit, “Fancy Like,” both of which appear on Hayes’ latest project, Country Stuff The Album.
Prior to the show, Hayes opened up about his performance, which marked his first-ever awards show performance of a song that wasn’t “Fancy Like.”
“It’s a huge moment for me,” Hayes previously told CMT. “It’s a huge moment for my team because we are so grateful for ’Fancy Like.’ If that’s where it ended for me, my wife and I can say we, by the grace of God, we did the impossible. When ’AA’ fell out, we were like, ’Man, I think this is gonna continue.’ I think the fact that I’m able to do a new song now on a show while ’Fancy Like’ is being honored that’s a move in the direction we want to go. I’m just so grateful to CMT for doing that.”
Hayes also shared that the CMT Music Awards stage is a “special” one as it’s the same stage where he was supposed to make his debut TV performance in 2018, when he was forced to cancel his appearance on the show as he lost his daughter, Oakleigh.
“This is a special stage, this was kind of where I was supposed to have a debut TV performance, but it didn’t work out as we had some family stuff,” Hayes said. “So, yeah, every time this opportunity rolls around it’s just meaningful to me. It’s a meaningful time of our life and again the whole fan voting this is amazing and CMT is just so kind to us.”
The 2022 CMT Music Awards featured performances from Carly Pearce, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, and more.
Also taking the stage with never-before-seen collaborations were Maren Morris and Ryan Hurd, Jason Aldean and Bryan Adams, Jimmie Allen with Monica and Little Big Town, Mickey Guyton and Black Pumas, Thomas Rhett and Riley Green, Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson. The Judds also joined forces for their first televised performance in over two decades.
Presenters for Country Music’s Biggest Party included Gabby Barrett, Faith Hill, Isabel May, Jimmie Allen, Rob Corddry, Jordan Davis, Billy F. Gibbons, Gayle King, Taylor Lautner, Dustin Lynch, Martina McBride, Joel McHale, Kacey Musgraves, Queer Eye’s Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France + Antoni Porowski, LeAnn Rimes, Dylan Scott, and Dennis Quaid.
The 2022 CMT Music Awards, broadcasted LIVE on Monday, (April 11) at (8:00-11:00 PM LIVE ET/delayed PT) for the first time on CBS.
