Maren Morris drops out of the CMT Music Awards just a day before the show… after Gabby Barrett canceled over ‘personal circumstances’
Country singers Maren Morris and Gabby Barrett left the CMT Music Awards in a lurch when they both announced that they would be skipping Wednesday evening’s ceremony.
Morris, 31, and Barrett, 21, announced on Instagram that they wouldn’t be able to make their scheduled performances.
Morris took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to share her news, citing a ‘scheduling conflict’ as her reason for dropping out.
Dropping out: Maren Morris, 31, announced Tuesday that she would no longer perform at the 2021 CMT Awards shortly before Wednesday’s ceremony in Nashville, a day after Gabby Barrett, 21, also dropped out
‘Due to a scheduling conflict, I will not be performing at the CMT Awards on Wednesday,’ the Middle singer wrote over a pale pink background.
She was scheduled to perform the collaborative song Line By Line with JP Saxe, but Ingrid Andress will now be filling in for her.
‘I know @jpsaxe will slay it and I am so excited for his album to come out soon!’ she added.
Barrett looked back at the pyrotechnics of her 2020 CMT performance, which was pushed back from its scheduled June date into October due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, in an Instagram post shared on Monday.
Backing out: ‘Due to a scheduling conflict, I will not be performing at the CMT Awards on Wednesday,’ Morris wrote, though she later deleted her post
Vague: Barrett shared a photo of her 2020 CMT performance and said she was backing out of a performance with Lady A and Carly Pearce due to ‘personal circumstances’
‘Still thinking back to last year’s CMT Music Awards performance and my very first award win,’ she captioned the epic photo of herself performing amid a blast of fireworks. ‘Such a special moment that I will never forget.
‘I’m really sad to share that because of personal circumstances I won’t be able to perform with @ladya and @carlypearce on Wednesday at the @cmt Music Awards!’ she continued.
‘I’ll be rooting for you guys and all of the incredibly talented nominees and performers! ❣️So appreciate all of your support and will see yall on the road this summer :).’
Lindsey Ell will now be performing with Lady A and Carly Pearce in her place.
Covering for them: Ingrid Andress was able to fill in for Morris, while Lindsey Ell will be joining the group performance in Barrett’s place; Morris seen with husband Ryan Hurd in April
It’s unusual for artists to pull out of an award show so close to the date, and the singers’ vague reasons for withdrawing explain little about why they won’t be present at the ceremony.
Morris’ departure in particular is likely a disappoint for the CMT Music Awards, as her crossover appeal would likely have made her a popular performer.
Puzzlingly, she deleted her Insta Stories post, which would normally disappear after 24 hours, within hours of sharing it.
She tied for the second-most nominations of the evening with three, meaning there was a good chance she might be in front of the cameras often.
She originally had even more nominations with two nods in the Video of the Year category, though she failed to make the short list of six nominees.
Morris has had several performances in recent months, including a spot at last month’s SHEIN Together Fest and in April at the ACM Awards, both of which were held in Nashville, where the CMTs will take place.
Shocking departure: It’s unusual for performers to cancel on the show this close to the air date. Morris was among the most-nominated singers, while Barrett won her first major award at the CMTs in 2020; Barrett seen May 23 in LA
Barrett scored one of her first major awards last year at the CMT Music Awards when she won Breakthrough Video of the Year for her song I Hope.
The songstress will be competing against Morris’s video for To Hell & Back this year in the Female Video of the Year category with her song The Good Ones.
Morris and her singer husband Ryan Hurd ware also nominated together for Collaborative Video of the Year and the recently added category Best Family Feature for their single Chasing After You.