Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood & Kelsea Ballerini bring Lil Naz X, Joan Jett, The Chainsmokers to CMA Fest
Country Music Association
Every year, CMA Fest brings thousands of fans from all around the world to Nashville. And this year, plenty of non-country artists also joined in the massive nightly concerts at Nissan Stadium.
Saturday, rapper Lil Naz X traveled “Old Town Road” to bring his massive hit to the heart of country music, taking the stage with CMA Entertainer of the Year Keith Urban and Billy Ray Cyrus.
The collaboration came together after Keith posted his take on his socials.
“I just loved the song when I heard it and wanted to do my little cover version of it on my ganjo,” Keith explained. “And from that very spontaneous moment, Naz saw the piece that I did, and really loved it apparently. And then next thing I know, I’m playing with him last night.”
On Friday, Carrie Underwood teamed up with a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
“I get to sing with Joan Jett…” she told reporters backstage before their performance. “Super excited. I feel like we’ve kind of had connections and bumped into each other in various places and the stars just aligned… So she’s here. The coolness has arrived, and I’m hoping some of it rubs off on me.”
Kelsea Ballerini convinced her “This Feeling” partners The Chainsmokers to join her on Thursday.
“I was like… ‘This is the biggest thing in country music, and you have to come do it with me.’ And they’re like, ‘IN!’” she recalled. “They love country music, and they’re really good friends with [Florida Georgia Line] and Thomas [Rhett] and stuff, so they kind of had their friend group here.”
You can experience all the superstar collaborations for yourself on Sunday, August 4, when the three-hour CMA Fest special airs on ABC.
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