Carrie Underwood sparked a huge reaction from the audience when she took the stage at the 56th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday night (November 9). The award-winning powerhouse performed her latest single, “Hate My Heart,” at Bridgestone Arena in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, capping the song with an epic ending and sparks flying behind her.
“I hate my heart right now/ Underneath the covers in the dark right now/ Wishin' I was sitting in a bar right now/ Two drinks in/ Makin' me a last call friend/ I want my feel good back/ Instead of feeling bad that I can't get past/ The fact that I can't love nobody else/ I would if I could, but I don't know how/ I hate my heart right now”
Underwood — who co-wrote the song with Hillary Lindsey, David Garcia and HARDY — rocked the fringe and boots (of course, showing off her signature sculpted legs) as she belted her heartbreak anthem, which appears on her latest 12-track project, Denim & Rhinestones. The performance followed a stunning tribute to the late Loretta Lynn, which Underwood performed with Reba McEntire and Miranda Lambert to start the star-studded show on Wednesday evening.
Underwood premiered the music video for “Hate My Heart” earlier this month, bringing a group of female friends together as each woman navigates her own breakup (it even includes a subtle nod to Underwood’s iconic 2005 smash-hit, “Before He Cheats”). By the end, the friend group hits the town in Downtown Nashville, catching a concert performed by their superstar alter egos (the Shaun Silva-directed video took place at Music City’s Wildhorse Saloon).
Underwood’s Denim & Rhinestones is packed with tons of fan-favorite songs, including the title track, “Ghost Story,” “Pink Champagne,” and others. Underwood knew she “really just wanted to make an album that just felt like fun,” and the finished product was packed with “‘throwback’ type songs, but they sound so super fresh.”