Kacey Musgraves Makes Her ACM Awards Performance Debut

On Sunday, May 17, the 61st ACM Awards took place live from the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

The night was one for the books, especially with how different things felt this time around.

For 2026, the Academy of Country Music welcomed several changes and “firsts” throughout the ceremony. There were multiple first-time nominated artists, including Carter Faith, Mackenzie Carpenter, and Caroline Jones, among others.

The show’s host, Shania Twain, also stepped in to lead the broadcast for the very first time.

Another standout moment of the night came from Kacey Musgraves, who delivered a memorable performance debut.

Musgraves is no stranger to the awards show. She’s earned a total of four ACM Awards over the years. Her wins include Album of the Year twice, once for Same Trailer Different Park (2014) and again for Golden Hour (2019). She also took home Female Artist of the Year in 2019, along with the Jim Reeves International Award that same year.

But, oddly enough, she’s never actually performed on the ACM stage… until now!

Kacey Musgraves Performs “Dry Spell”

As her first time performing on the show, Musgraves made sure to bring her best, and she didn’t disappoint.

She performed her new song “Dry Spell,” the lead single from her seventh studio album, Middle of Nowhere, which was released on May 1.

The song has been quite the hit for the singer. It reached No. 15 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

Mugraves kicked off her daring performance while sitting on top of a washing machine, and if you know the song, then you probably understand the reference.

As she performed, a grocery store-inspired backdrop filled the stage, and there were some eye-catching visuals made from everyday food items.

Needless to say, it turned into a memorable debut performance that fans will probably be talking about for quite a while!