'Looks like I haven't yee'd my last haw,' she wrote on social media. Fans are already wondering if she might perform her No. 1 country airplay hit on the show. In most cases, Taylor Swift leaves a little bit of suspense in the air as to whether she’ll attend one of the many awards shows where she is nominated.
Within hours of the announcement that she had been nominated for a CMA Award for single of the year for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” Swift went on social media to declare that she would be there this November, with bells on. See you there Nov. 18.” The message was followed by an emoticon of a smiling face wearing a cowboy hat, in keeping with the Jessie-the-cowgirl theme of the hit song that closes the “Toy Story 5” movie. It will mark the first time Swift has attended the CMA Awards in 10 years; it was in 2016 when she last made an appearance, showing up as a surprise presenter to hand Garth Brooks his entertainer of the year award.
Is it possible Swift might go the extra mile and perform on the telecast? That’s one thing she probably will leave fans in suspense about. The last time she performed on the CMAs show was in 2013, right in the midst of her crossover from country to pop, when she sang an acoustic version of “Red” backed by Vince Gill. (Swift is pictured above holding the trophies she picked up in 2013.) (The last time she performed on any country awards show at all was in 2020, when she went on the ACM Awards telecast to sing “Betty,” a country-flavored song from “Folklore,” during the pandemic.) Whatever form her participation ultimately takes — as mere attendee, performer, or something in-between — Swift’s appearance at the CMAs will come amid what looks to be a possibly robust awards season for the superstar.
Read that assessment here.) The other big lingering question heading toward the CMAs: Is it possible she’ll be putting out another country release between now and Nov. 18, and thus have even more to celebrate at the awards shows? Even in the absence of very many clues, Swifties have remained convinced that she is going to issue a “Taylor’s Version” edition of her debut album this fall, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the original version. Swift did say, when she announced that she had purchased her master recordings, that she had completed a re-recording of the debut, and would put it out someday.
But if there is indeed a plan to have that come out in time to mark the anniversary, that remains a closely held secret. The single of the year nomination for the CMAs puts a cap — for now — on Swift’s rapprochement with country music as a genre. It was just three days ago that and Luminate announced that “I Knew It, I Knew You” had finally risen to No. 1 on the country airplay chart.
This is not quite a case of the prodigal daughter returning home, though it may come close to feeling that way, since Swift has always maintained an enduring affection for country, and left a lot of good will behind her in the country industry, even after she announced she was officially picking pop as her lane when the “1989” album came out in 2015. Swift had been the kind of artist who remembered the names of DJs and programmers over the years, and those country stalwarts typically spoke of her with praise well after she stopped issuing singles to their format. As mentioned earlier, “Betty” marked a sort of genre return, as heard on the ACMs in 2020, followed by “No Body, No Crime” on the “Evermore” album.
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