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Lauren Alaina joined “legendary” Emmylou Harris to deliver a heartfelt tribute to Trisha Yearwood, though she opened up about why she was unsure about whether she could get through the performance at first.
Alaina and Harris performed “The Song Remembers When” to honor Yearwood, who received the Icon Award at the 17th ACM Honors. The show took place last month at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It aired earlier this week. Alaina shared a video of the performance on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon (September 25), and said “ICON” is “the perfect word for Trisha.”
“When I was first asked to perform to help honor her, I wasn’t sure I could get through it as it was right after my dad went to Heaven,” Alaina shared. She shared in a statement in July that she was mourning the loss of her father. “Then I thought about Trisha. I thought about her showing up to ask me to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry. I thought about her telling me my dad was there. I thought about seeing his pinky in the back of the room. The proudest moment of my career. I thought about my dad coming up to me afterwards backstage and saying, ‘I can’t believe my baby girl knows Trisha Yearwood. I can still hear you singing her songs as a little girl right now. I’m so proud of you.’
“She has truly been in my corner as a true friend and mentor, and I know I am not alone,” Alaina continued of Yearwood. “When I thought about how many women she blazed the trail for, I knew I had to do it. She would do it if the tables were turned. It was my honor. She is truly one of a kind. The voice. The heart. The ICON. Also, a huge thank you to the legendary [Emmylou Harris] for sharing the stage with me to honor our friend together! I will cherish this night forever.”
The performance by Alaina and Harris was one of many stunning tributes to honorees throughout the show. Others in the lineup included Jason Aldean, Lee Ann Womack, Terri Clark, Jackson Dean, Kameron Marlowe, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Tyler Hubbard, Jamey Johnson, Ashley McBryde and Keith Urban. Yearwood was honored alongside Lainey Wilson, Tony Brown, Shannon Sanders, Luke Bryan, Walt Aldridge, Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton and Jessie Jo Dillon. It was all hosted by Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis.