The “Hate My Heart” singer, who could potentially take home her 26th and 27th CMT Music Awards at Sunday night’s show, told on the red carpet that she’s all about celebrating her fans.
“It’s a party here right? I feel like that’s what people focus on. They want to have a good time, just big, fun performances and that’s what I hope we accomplish,” she said.
She continued: “It’s all about the fans tonight. Tonight should just be a fun night celebrating. I’ve seen not just my fans but other people’s fans voting all day long and it’s just really cool that everybody gets behind their person. So yay for all of us!”
Underwood, 40, stepped out solo at the show, and shared that husband Mike Fisher was home with the couple’s two sons Isaiah Michael, 8, and Jacob Bryan, 4. On the carpet, she rocked an all-silver ensemble that was entirely covered in glittering rhinestones.
“My husband’s got the kiddos. He’s always holding down the fort while I’m out doing stuff like this,” she said before offering her family a shoutout. “Hi, guys!”
The singer is nominated at this year’s ceremony for video of the year for “Hate My Heart” and female video of the year for “Ghost Story.” As it stands, Underwood is the most-awarded artist in CMT history, with 25 wins. A win or two at this year’s show would only extend her reign.
Underwood is also on the list of performers for this year’s show, alongside Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Cody Johnson, Keith Urban and more.
At last year’s CMT Awards, Underwood strutted the red carpet in a purple leopard-print mini dress and tall black heels. However, for her performance — which was actually filmed on her Las Vegas residency stage — Underwood wore a more dramatic look.
To perform “Ghost Story,” Underwood wore a lavender asymmetrical playsuit. The outfit had one pant leg and one long sleeve, paired with a short leg and a short sleeve. The drama came from the chiffon skirt and train, as well as the matching ruffled neck piece. That flair was brought to life when Underwood was hoisted into the air, allowing the billowing material to float behind her.
Underwood’s costumes for her REFLECTION show in Las Vegas run the gamut when it comes to sparkles and pizzazz. The singer and her stylist, Emma Trask, took Mister Truth behind the scenes of the spectacular last year to show off the performer’s many looks.
“For REFLECTION, it is all about more rhinestones and more fringe,” Underwood shared. “That was my main directive for the wardrobe and Emma and her team took it to the max. We wanted to combine the glitz and glamour of Vegas with the iconic style women of country have rocked for years. We could definitely do more with the sets, wardrobe and special effects for my residency than we are able to do for a touring production that has to be loaded in and out every night.”
Trask added: “I love working with Carrie ’cause she so creative, collaborative and she knows what she wants.”
Trask and her styling team created 20 looks over the course of two months, and the superstar performer was a sounding board throughout the whole process. The end result was a Nash Vegas wardrobe fit for Underwood’s flawless style.
The 2023 CMT Music Awards are airing live from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on Sunday, April 2 on CBS and Paramount+.