Old Dominion and Megan Moroney Shine With Collaborative Performance Of ‘Can’t Break Up Now’ At CMA Awards

Megan Moroney and Old Dominion took center stage at the CMA Awards to make the live TV debut of their collaborative breakup ballad, “Can’t Break Up Now.” 

The songstress lit up the CMA Awards stage in Bridgestone Arena as she kicked off the tune while donning a glamorous white dress with a rhinestone bodice and ruffled skirt that flowed down as a stunning train. To top it all off, she left her mark on the stage with her tall, white country boots. 

The five-piece group’s lead singer, Matt Ramsey then joined in with his leather jacket, black ascot, which paired effortlessly with his epic guitar playing skills and smooth vocals, making for a stream of effortless harmonies.

Bringing The Emotionally Charged Narrative To Life

This live performance elevated the track’s emotionally charged narrative that finds the country stars depicting the struggles of two people debating with themselves on whether or not it’s easier to stay in the relationship instead of calling it quits and having to unravel the life they’ve created together. 

“Yeah, I’ll battle this out all night till we fix it / If the ship’s going down, I’m going down with it / Your friends are my friends / I start where you end / We’ve got too much history / So we / Can’t break up now / No, we Can’t break up now / We’ve come too far and we’re in too deep / We love too hard just to let it go / So we / Can’t break up now,” Moroney and Old Dominion sing on the chorus

Co-written by members Matthew Ramsey and Trevor Rosen with songwriters Emily Weisband and Tofer Brown, “Can’t Break Up Now” was shipped to country radio on August 18. Upon its impact to airwaves, the tune became No. 1 most added with 52 first-week stations. 

They followed up the release with an accompanying music video directed by Mason Allen and Nicki Fletcher that unravels the tune’s tension-filled narrative in a way that reflects the challenging artist lifestyle.  

Milestone Night For The Country Stars

The live performance comes hot on the heels of the release of Old Dominion’s new Memory Lane album as well as the deluxe version of Moroney’s debut studio album, Lucky.

Megan Moroney’s attendance at “Country Music’s Biggest Night” serves as a milestone for her career. Just one year ago, the “I’m Not Pretty” singer was preparing to make her CMA red carpet debut as a guest host for Country Now. This year, she walked the red carpet as both a performer and a first-time CMA nominee in the categories of New Artist and Song of the Year (“Tennessee Orange”).

Old Dominion was also nominated for Music Video of the Year and was crowned the winner of CMA Vocal Group. 

57th CMA Awards

Co-hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, the 57th Annual CMA Awards aired live on Wednesday, November 8 on ABC (8:00-11:00 PM/EST). The star-studded show featured performances by Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Luke Combs, Dan + Shay, Chris Stapleton, Jordan Davis, Cody Johnson, Ashley McBryde, The War And Treaty, Lainey Wilson, and more. 

Always known for epic collaborations, the 2023 CMA Awards also featured a Jimmy Buffett tribute from Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Mac McAnally, and Zac Brown Band, a not-to-be-missed performance of country classics from Post Malone, Morgan Wallen, and HARDY, a performance honoring The Judds from Jelly Roll and K. Michelle, plus special duets from Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton, Old Dominion and Megan Moroney, and Little Big Town with Tanya Tucker.  

Paula Abdul, Bill Anderson, Nate Bargatze, Kevin Cahoon, Jordan Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Sara Evans, Brian Kelley, Lady A, Martina McBride, Parker McCollum, Craig Morgan, Darius Rucker, Corey Seager, Gerry Turner, Keith Urban, Hailey Whitters and Chris Young appeared to present during “Country Music’s Biggest Night.” 

Those who are unable to watch the show in real-time can watch the CMA Awards the following day on Hulu.