It’s well known among Swifties that Taylor Swift‘s lucky number is 13.
Probably not coincidentally, ABC has officially confirmed that she’ll be performing at this year’s edition of the CMA Awards — marking her first time performing on the CMA stage in 13 years.
A Long History with the CMAs
On Friday, November 13 (that number again!), ABC issued a press release to declare that Swifth would be “marking her much-anticipated return to Country Music’s Biggest Night a decade after her most recent appearance and 13 years since her last performance.”
As the release points out, Swift has a long association with the Country Music Association. A two-time winnier of the CMA Entertainer of the Year award, Swift is a CMA nominee this year in the Single of the Year category for “I Knew It, I Knew You,” her hit single from the “Toy Story 5” soundtrack.
This marks her 26th career CMA nomination. She attended her first CMA Awards ceremony back in 2006, and won her first CMA Award the following year, taking home the Horizon Award during the 2007 CMAs.
In 2009, Swift was just 19 years old when she won Entertainer of the Year, making CMA history as the youngest artist to ever win the award. To this day, that record is still unbroken, and Swift remains the youngest person to ever take home that award.
The last time Swift performed at the CMA Awards was back in 2013, when she received the prestigious Pinnacle Award. She was presented with that award by country music stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, George Strait, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban and Rascal Flatts — all of whom she had opened for in the fledgling years of her career.
During that broadcast, she performed her hit song “Red,” joined by Vince Gill and Alison Krauss, which also marked the last time she’d performed at the CMAs.
Country Music’s Biggest Night
Swift will join an impressive roster of performers who’ll be taking to the stage of Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for what promises to be a very special show, with the CMA Awards marking its 60th anniversary.
In addition to Swift, the list of performers for the 2026 CMA Awards includes Cody Johnson, Miranda Lambert, Ella Langley, Tim McGraw, Kacey Musgraves, The Red Clay Strays, Zach Top and Tucker Wetmore.
Meanwhile, this year’s CMA Awards will also feature a special tribute to Dolly Parton, which promises to feature the ceremony’s most emotional moments.
According to a release from ABC, this year’s show will celebrate “six decades of Country Music’s Biggest Night,” while bringing together “genre icons and the artists shaping its future.”
Hosted by Lainey Wilson for a third consecutive year, the “Bell Bottom Country singer admitted she’s looking forward to the CMAs honoring Parton.
“I’m very excited,” Wilson said in an interview with Pure Country about her third time as CMAs host. “We are going to have a tribute to Dolly, and that part is really special. It still feels like she’s here.”
The 60th Annual CMA Awards will air live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, November 18 on ABC and Disney+.
Taylor Swift Confirmed to Perform at CMA Awards For the First Time in 13 Years