Carrie Underwood Effortlessly Owns the Stage at the CMT Music Awards 2023

By Ashley Turner

Carrie Underwood blew fans away with her dazzling performance of "Hate My Heart" during the 2023 CMT Music Awards on Sunday, April 2. The crowd roared along with Underwood's performance of the song, the latest single from her Denim & Rhinestones album, as she delivered punchy guitar riffs and plenty of attitude to the track. Underwood wore glitzy black shorts and a pink jacket that sparkled with pink, bedazzled hearts during her set. Flashing lights glowed onstage throughout her performance, and fireworks lit up the sky at the end of the song. The nighttime outdoor performance took place in downtown Austin, Texas, steps away from the awards show venue and with the Texas Capitol dome in the distance.

"Hate My Heart" was a finalist for the CMT Music Awards' coveted Video of the Year award. The category had sixteen nominees initially, but fans whittled it down to six by voting in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. Just before the ceremony, the top three contenders were revealed. In addition to Underwood and Kane Brown and Katelyn Brown's "Thank God," which won, as well as Hardy and Lainey Wilson's "Wait in the Truck" represented the top three. Moreover, the video for "Ghost Story," the lead single from Denim & Rhinestones, also received a nomination for Female Video of the Year. With 25 CMT Music Awards trophies in total, Underwood is the winningest artist in the program's history. And while the country star went home empty-handed this year, her fans still consider her the number one artist of the night. Read on to discover what viewers thought of Underwood's glitzy CMT performance.

She is fire.

One fan praised Underwood, writing, "Award or not, no one is out here performing like @carrieunderwood in country music. She is fire."

Leg day.

Another Underwood admirer tweeted appreciation for the country star's physical fitness: "A scene from my one act play Carrie Underwood Everyday At The Gym: Carrie: Leg day? Trainer: Leg day."

The Super Bowl Halftime Show?

One tweet appeared to be manifesting a bigger stage for Underwood, tagging the CMT Awards to say, "GIVE @carrieunderwood THE SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW NOW!!"

A league of her own.

This enthusiastic poster loved the performance, though unfortunately Underwood didn't win Video of the Year. "What an AMAZING and EXPLOSIVE performance. @CarrieUnderwood is on a league of her own. Best performance of "Hate My Heart" so far. VIDEO OF THE YEAR, WE ARE COMING!"

Now That Is How You Entertain!

One commenter gave an excited all-caps appraisal of Underwood, writing, "CARRIE UNDERWOOD JUST SHUT DOWN THE ENTIRE STREET? YOU SEE THAT CROWD. NOW THAT IS HOW YOU ENTERTAIN!"

Undisputed Queen of Country

For one poster, "Carrie Underwood going from American Idol to the undisputed Queen of Country will never not impress me every time her dominance is reinforced."

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