When Eric Church took the stage at the 2015 CMA Awards, he had a bold plan. He would debut a brand-new song, “Mr. Misunderstood,” live during the broadcast — and the moment the performance ended, the full album would go live in stores and online. Church viewed it as a daring, game-changing rollout strategy.
“We’re gonna debut a song on the CMA Awards called ‘Mr. Misunderstood,’ and the minute that song is over, it’s gonna go live. We’ve already got the records in the stores,” Church recalled. “Sometimes in my life, you have things that are timestamps… But we walked out on the CMA Awards, and we played “Mr. Misunderstood,” and I feel great about it. I end it and I’m like, ‘This is going to be the greatest campaign of all time. This is going to f–k up music for a decade.’”
However, Church quickly realized that even the most carefully crafted plans can be unpredictable.
“I got one minute into that and went, ‘We’re f–ked.’ I just knew. Your whole moment is like, ‘Ok, this is it.’ And then I went, ‘Oh, no, it’s not.’ It ended up being ok,” he admitted.
The reason? Just moments later, Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake delivered a surprise duet — a powerhouse performance that became one of the most talked-about moments in CMA Awards history. Their impassioned performance of “Tennessee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away” was taking all headlines and social media, basically cancelling Church’s high-risk rollout.
Regardless of this unexpected turn of events, Mr. Misunderstood ultimately left his mark on history. Released on Nov. 4, 2015, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and was certified 3× Platinum. It would eventually yield Church’s number-one single, “Record Year,” alongside fan favorites, “Mistress Named Music” and “Knives of New Orleans,” all of which are performed regularly at live shows to this day.
Looking back, the moment reminds us that even the boldest of campaigns can be thwarted by the unforeseeable — but true artistry remains long after the headlines are forgotten.
