“I haven't Yee'd my last Haw!”: Taylor Swift sets internet ablaze after confirming return to CMA Awards following a decade away
The superstar will attend the 2026 ceremony after earning a Single of the Year nomination
Taylor Swift is going back to the CMA Awards, and she made sure the announcement sounded like a return to her roots.
Swift confirmed on Thursday that she will attend the 60th annual CMA Awards in Nashville on November 18, ending a 10-year absence from the ceremony.
“LOOKS LIKE I HAVEN’T YEE’D MY LAST HAW THANK YOU CMA!!!! See you there Nov. 18,” Swift wrote on Instagram Stories.
The appearance will be her first at the CMA Awards since 2016, when she presented Garth Brooks with the Entertainer of the Year award. This time, Swift will arrive as a nominee.
Her song “I Knew It, I Knew You,” written for the Toy Story 5 soundtrack, is nominated for Single of the Year. Swift is credited as a producer alongside Jack Antonoff , with Laura Sisk serving as mix engineer.
Swift’s country return comes with real momentum
The nomination isn't simply a nostalgic nod to the beginning of Swift ’s career. “I Knew It, I Knew You” recently climbed to No.1 on U.S. country radio, giving her a country radio chart-topper for the first time in 13 years.
The song is also her 13th solo No.1 at country radio and 14th overall. Swift faces strong competition in the category.
Ella Langley has two nominated singles, “Be Her” and “Choosin’ Texas,” while Lainey Wilson is represented by “Somewhere Over Laredo” and Cody Johnson by “The Fall.”
A victory would give Swift her 13th career CMA Award. She has already won 12, beginning with the Horizon Award in 2007, now known as New Artist of the Year.
Swift later won Entertainer of the Year in both 2009 and 2011, Album of the Year for Fearless, Music Video of the Year for “Love Story” and the prestigious Pinnacle Award in 2013.
CMA stage played a major role in Swift’s rise
Long before Swift became one of the biggest pop artists in the world, the CMA Awards were a central part of her early career. That history makes the 2026 appearance especially notable.
Her most recent CMA nomination before this year came in 2022 for the music video for “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” but she didn't attend the ceremony. Now, she will return in person.
The 2026 CMA Awards will take place at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, with Lainey Wilson hosting. Swift ’s confirmation adds another major name to the night, but the bigger story is what the appearance represents.
After years firmly established as a global pop superstar, she is stepping back onto one of the stages that helped build her career in the first place. And judging by her announcement, she plans to enjoy every second of it.
