A Decade After Her Last Appearance, Taylor Swift Will Perform at 2026 CMA Awards
Swift returns to the CMA stage
Swift had indicated she would attend the ceremony after nominations were announced. She will now perform as well, marking a return to the CMA Awards after her last appearance there in 2016.
A nomination for Toy Story 5 song
The track signals a return to Swift’s country music roots after several pop albums in recent years. Swift has won CMA Entertainer of the Year twice and became the youngest recipient in 2009. She received the Pinnacle Award in 2013.
Awards season and Nashville show details
The CMA performance is scheduled two days after the 2026 Grammy nominations are announced. Swift is expected to be a leading contender for both the song and The Life of a Showgirl, which came out after last year’s Grammy eligibility period ended.
Swift also recently was named the recipient of The Hollywood Reporter’s Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. She is set to accept it at the publication’s 2026 Women in Entertainment gala.
Lainey Wilson will host the 60th annual CMA Awards for a third consecutive year. The show airs live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with streaming on Hulu the following day.
Key points
- Swift will perform at the 2026 CMA Awards on Nov. 18.
- She is nominated for single of the year for “I Knew It, I Knew You.”
- Swift last appeared at the CMA Awards in 2016 and last performed there in 2013.
- Lainey Wilson will host the ceremony for the third year in a row.