Elle King Debuts Baby Bump During 2021 ACM Performance

Elle King donned more than just a sparkly jumpsuit with blue fringe when she took the stage at the Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday night. Opening the 2021 ACMs alongside Miranda Lambert with a performance of their song “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” King officially debuted her growing baby bump. King announced just last month that she is expecting her first child with her fiancé Dan Tooker.

King and Lambert hit the stage at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in matching fringed jackets, Lambert sporting pink and King blue, and surrounded by blue-and-pink streamers. Released in February, “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” marked the duo’s second collaboration after their CMA-winning cover of “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” with Maren Morris, Ashley McBryde, Tenille Townes, and Caylee Hammack. Prior to the performance, King joked on social media, “Me & this baby are ready to open the [ACM Awards],” adding that Lambert is “drinkin fer 2 cuz I’m pregnant.”

Speaking with PEOPLE following a rehearsal last week, King opened up about performing while pregnant, telling the outlet that it’s “a really sweet thing because [Lambert’s] done this kind of stuff a whole bunch of times, but it’s a big deal for me,” she explains. “And to know that I could tell my kid one day I did that one cool thing and you were there — it’s cool.” She also expressed her excitement about her approaching due date.

“My fiancé and I are really, really excited and my family’s excited. This is going to be the first grandbaby for my dad and one of many for my mom, so we just can’t wait. I feel like I’ve done a lot of things that I shouldn’t have done in my life and this feels like something that I should do,” she said. “I just can’t wait to meet them and you know, Miranda will babysit.”

King’s ACM performance came just a little more than a month after the “Ex’s and Oh’s” singer shared the exciting news that she and her fiancé are expecting a rainbow baby after previously suffering multiple miscarriages. The singer made the announcement on Instagram, where she wrote, “Me and [Dan Tooker] made a little human! We are very excited to share the news that we are pregnant.” She went on to reveal that “this miracle baby comes after two very big losses. It’s a terrifying and extremely painful experience for everyone. But the sun always rises, and I never really let go to let the universe decide when I was ready.” She later reflected on the humorous irony of being pregnant amid the hype surrounding her collab with Lambert, writing, “I am a very sober pregnant lady.”