Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton Bring Their Steamy, Grammy-Nominated Duet to the CMA Awards Stage

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton have penned multiple songs together. However, fans never had the chance to hear them sing together until earlier this year. “A Song to Sing” marked their first duet. It also reminded many fans of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers’ iconic “Islands in the Stream.” Tonight, they brought those classic vibes to the CMA Awards stage for fans everywhere.

Host Lainey Wilson introduced the duo as “two of the best in country music,” and they proved the accuracy of that statement. Surrounded by spinning disco balls and golden light, a nod to the single’s cover art, and the perfect compliment to song’s vintage-sounding arrangement. The combination was enough to take the audience back in time for a moment.
 

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While Stapleton is no stranger to slipping into soul and blues, Lambert usually stays close to her Texas country roots. As a result, “A Song to Sing” brought her out of her comfort zone. However, she was up for the challenge, and their voices work perfectly together on the recording. Their performance during tonight’s broadcast, though, took their musical chemistry to a new level.

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert Sat on “A Song to Sing” for a While

Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert co-wrote “A Song to Sing” over a track provided by Jesse Frasure and Jenee Fleenor.

According to Billboard, Frasure wanted to build a handful of tracks to present as inspiration during songwriting sessions. So, he reached out to Fleenor, an award-winning fiddler, and they put down a handful of instrumentals. One of them had a very slick 1970s feel. After a writing session between Stapleton and Lambert, Frasure showed them the vintage-sounding track. It caught the stars’ ears and, before long, they had penned the bulk of the song.

They took the track and producer Dave Cobb to Georgia Mae Studios to cut the song in 2024. Fans finally heard it for the first time in July.

“Singing with Chris, you have to be so powerful,” Lambert said. “Country music just bleeds out of my pores. But this song, with the soul part of it, how the melody goes and how soulful Chris is, I was like, ‘All right, I gotta step up and really find some other places to go in my voice.”

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