The 2025 CMA Awards took over Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday (Nov. 19) night for the 59th annual edition of the Country Music Association’s annual awards show.
But when Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert took the stage to perform their duet “A Song to Sing,” you might’ve thought you were watching a CMA Awards broadcast from the 1970s or ‘80s. Not only did Stapleton and Lambert bring out the disco balls to create golden, shimmering stage lighting and evoke that retro roller rink aesthetic, but their duet gently brings to mind the easy-going vibes that Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers radiated when they performed their iconic duet, “Islands in the Stream,” back in the day. (In fact, Parton and Rogers did perform “Islands on the Stream” at the CMA Awards in 1983.) Not unlike Parton and Rogers, Lambert and Stapleton don’t spend their duet trying to out-sing the other; rather, the two real-life friends let their voices blend together naturally, propping each other up and letting the song ride its easy melodic wave.
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“A Song to Sing” is Lambert and Stapleton’s first recorded collab together, although they’ve shared the stage together and co-written songs together previously. The Dave Cobb-produced “A Song to Sing” has hit No. 20 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart.
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Miranda Lambert was nominated for female vocalist of the year at the 2025 CMA Awards, while Chris Stapleton was nominated for male vocalist of the year and entertainer of the year. “A Song to Sing” is nominated for two Grammys at the 2026 ceremony: best country song and best country duo/group performance.
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