NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Taylor Swift will return to the stage at the Country Music Association Awards next week, bringing one of the most closely watched names in popular music to Nashville for the ceremony’s 60th anniversary.
The Country Music Association announced Friday that Swift will perform during the awards show on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at Bridgestone Arena. The appearance will be her first performance at the CMA Awards in 13 years, according to the announcement. For Nashville, the booking adds another major national spotlight to an event that remains one of the city’s defining annual music occasions.
A return tied to a CMA nomination
Swift’s appearance follows her nomination for Single of the Year for “I Knew It, I Knew You.” The nomination adds to a CMA awards history that began in 2006, when Swift first attended the ceremony. She received her first CMA award the following year and later became the youngest artist to win Entertainer of the Year, taking that honor in 2009.
Her current nomination also brings her career total to 25 CMA nominations. The announcement places her return in the context of a long relationship with the country music organization, even as her career has expanded well beyond the genre’s traditional boundaries. The CMA did not provide additional details about the song or staging for her performance.
| Event detail | Information announced |
|---|---|
| Venue | Bridgestone Arena, Nashville |
| Performance date | Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026 |
| Swift’s nomination | Single of the Year |
| Career CMA nominations | 25, including the current nomination |
What Nashville viewers can expect
Lainey Wilson will host the ceremony for the third consecutive year. Organizers have announced several other performers, including Luke Combs, Ella Langley and Chris Stapleton. The program also will include a tribute to Brooks & Dunn, who are being recognized with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Brothers Osborne, Luke Bryan, Halestorm, HARDY and Marcus King are scheduled to participate in that Brooks & Dunn tribute. The CMA also has announced a separate tribute to Dolly Parton, although the performers for that segment had not been identified as of Friday’s announcement.
- Swift is nominated for Single of the Year.
- Ella Langley leads this year’s nominations with nine.
- Miranda Lambert has seven nominations.
- Kacey Musgraves and Ben West each received five nominations.
Langley’s nine nominations lead the field, while Lambert follows with seven. Musgraves and West each have five nominations. The full list of presenters had not yet been released, leaving additional details of the broadcast still to come.
A significant night for Music City
The CMA Awards will place Swift, the announced performers and the year’s leading nominees together at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. Swift’s return is particularly notable because of the length of time since her previous CMA Awards performance and because the ceremony is marking its 60th edition. Her earlier milestones — including her first appearance, first award and record as the youngest Entertainer of the Year winner — give the return a distinct place in the event’s history.
Swift announced that she would attend after receiving the Single of the Year nomination. The CMA’s announcement Friday confirmed that her participation will include a performance, rather than attendance alone. Organizers have not released a complete rundown of the ceremony or all of its presenters.
Coverage of the event will continue from the red carpet and inside the awards ceremony. For Nashville residents following the city’s biggest country-music night, the central question now has an answer: Swift will be part of the 60th annual CMA Awards, with her performance set for Nov. 18 at Bridgestone Arena.
