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Cole Swindell and Jo Dee Messina Pull Off Major CMA Awards Surprise With ‘She Had Me At Heads Carolina’ Performance
Cole Swindell pulled off the biggest surprise of the CMA Awards when he shocked viewers with a very special guest…
Jo Dee Messina, Cole Swindell; Photo by ABC
Cole Swindell pulled off the biggest surprise of the CMA Awards when he shocked viewers with a very special guest during his performance: Jo Dee Messina.
The Georgia native performed his multi-week No.1 single, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina.” In the midst of the song, Messina joined him on stage. The audience inside Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena went wild at the sight of the country hitmaker.
The pair recently surprised fans with the release of the “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” remix earlier this week.
Co-written by Swindell alongside Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, Thomas Rhett, Mark D. Sanders and Tim Nichols, “She Had Me At Heads Carolina” finds Swindell tipping his hat to Messina as he reimagines her 1996 debut single, “Heads Carolina, Tails California.”
“Out of all the ‘90s country songs we all love, I don’t think anybody would have thought we would have picked that one, but I think that’s what makes it special,” Swindell explained to media outlets during a recent interview.
Swindell previously shared his desire to work directly with Messina admitting, “I hope someday I get to sing it with her or do something. I want her to be involved because we wouldn’t have the song without the writers and without her making it what it is.”
“She Had Me At Heads Carolina” is the follow-up to Swindell’s two back-to-back, multi-week No. 1 hits, “Never Say Never,” a duet with Lainey Wilson, and “Single Saturday Night,” the debut single from his new album, Stereotype.
The 56th Annual CMA Awards featured performances from Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Cody Johnson, and Carly Pearce.
The show opened with an all-star tribute to the late Loretta Lynn from Underwood, Reba McEntire and Lambert.
Underwood, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, and Lainey Wilson joined together to honor the 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Alan Jackson.
Additionally, the show included star-studded collaborations from Kelsea Ballerini, Kelly Clarkson and Carly Pearce, HARDY and Lainey Wilson, Elle King with The Black Keys, Brothers featuring The War and Treaty, Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry, Chris Stapleton with Patty Loveless, Zac Brown Band, Jimmie Allen and Marcus King as well as Ashley McBryde with Pillbox Patti, Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack and John Osborne.
Mookie Betts, BRELAND, Jessica Chastain, Jordan Davis, Sarah Drew, Cole Hauser, Tyler Hubbard, Wynonna Judd, Lady A, Rex Linn, Little Big Town, Parker McCollum, Reba McEntire, Ben and Erin Napier, Jeannie Seely, Michael Shannon, and Lainey Wilson were on hand to present during the ceremony.
Co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 2022 CMA Awards broadcasted live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena and aired on ABC (8:00-11:00 PM/ET).
The CMA Awards will also be available for viewing on Hulu beginning Thursday, Nov. 10.
The 56th Annual CMA Awards was a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton served as the Executive Producer, Alan Carter as the Director, and Jon Macks as the Head Writer.
Lauren Jo Black, a University of Central Florida graduate, has immersed herself in the world of country music for over 15 years. In 2008, she co-founded CountryMusicIsLove, eventually selling it to a major record label in 2015. Following the rebranding of the website to Sounds Like Nashville, Black served as Editor-in-Chief for two and a half years. Currently, she assumes the role of Editor-in-Chief at Country Now and oversees Country Now’s content and digital footprint. Her extensive experience also encompasses her previous role as a Country Music Expert Writer for Answers.com and her work being featured on Forbes.com. She’s been spotlighted among Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. Black also spent time in front of the camera as host of Country Now Live, which brought live music directly to fans in 2021 when the majority of concerts were halted due to the pandemic. During this time, she hosted 24 weeks of live concerts via Country Now Live on Twitch with special guests such as Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Jordan Davis, Brett Young, and Jon Pardi. Over the course of her career, she has had the privilege of conducting interviews with some of the industry’s most prominent stars, including Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, and many others. Lauren Jo Black is a longtime member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.
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