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American country singer Bailey Zimmerman performed at the Country Music Awards on November 20, 2024, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. On Wednesday, he sang his latest hit single, New to Country on the CMAs stage. The song was released in June of this year, and was seemingly a response to claims that he wasn’t country enough.
In the wake of his performance, the internet is having diverse reactions, with most left unimpressed. For instance, X user @Thatsit696969 shared a post on the platform making an unusual comparison between Bailey Zimmerman and country pop singer and songwriter, Morgan Wallen.
“Bailey Zimmerman is the Aldi version of Morgan Wallen #CMAawards,” the user wrote.
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For the uninitiated, the Louisville artist served as the opening act for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At a Time World Tour in 2023.
Many people joined the conversation and shared similar reactions.
“Can we please stop trying to make Bailey Zimmerman a thing?” a person wrote.
“I thought I must have hit the remote and changed the channel - certainly not what I expect at the CMAs,” one person wrote.
“Bailey Zimmerman is the Warren Zeiders of Brantley Gilberts #CMAawards,“ wrote another.
Others continued to weigh in.
“David Allen Coe would not approve,” a netizen wrote.
“No, no, no, I was afraid of this. They not going to let him sing,” another netizen wrote.
“Wtf is that? Glad I done watch anymore,” an individual wrote.
“The takedown of country music,” another individual wrote.
Bailey Zimmerman wore a white vest, a matching pair of denim shorts, white sneakers, a baseball cap, and a flashy gold wristwatch, during his performance at the 58th CMAs.
His mother, Kristi Bailey-Haerr walked the red carpet on Wednesday night with him.
Bailey Zimmerman received his first CMAs nomination this year
Country singer Bailey Zimmerman, who’s well-known for his songs Fall in Love, Rock and a Hard Place, and Never Leave, among others, marked his debut nomination at the CMAs 2024 with his performance.
Earlier this year, after being nominated for the New Artist of the Year award, the 24-year-old sat down with ABC Audio and shared that his immediate feeling was he “did it.”
“It’s something that I’ve never felt before. It was super weird. It didn’t feel like real life. We woke up and saw the news and people were calling me and I called my mom and it was sick,” he shared.
Zimmerman continued:
“It’s like, you just remember and flashback to all the work that’s been put into it and all the people that have really cared about what we’re doing and put so much love and effort into it. It’s just a big win for us, you know? Whether we win or lose, being nominated and acknowledged is all you can ask for.”
Notably, Bailey lost to fellow country singer Megan Moroney on Wednesday night. Other artists nominated for the New Artist of the Year award were Shaboozey, Nate Smith, Zach Top, and Mitchell Tenpenny.
CMAs 2024 had a star-studded lineup who performed, including Post Malone, Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, and many more. Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Parker McCollum,
Lainey Wilson, and Chris Stapleton together paid tribute to legendary country musician George Strait, who was honored with the 2024 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award later in the night.
