Remember When Miranda Lambert Stole the Show at the 2005 CMA Awards?

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In November 2005, Miranda Lambert was a little known 22-year-old singer from East Texas, struggling to turn her time on ‘Nashville Star’ into a country music career. As a nominee for the Horizon Award, she was allowed to perform her new single on Nashville’s biggest stage — actually, the show was held in New York City that year — and viewers came away asking, “Who was that?” She didn’t win the award, but she won the night.

What started as flickering fires around her feet burst into a full inferno by the song’s conclusion. She totally gave into the emotions of the song, overcoming any inhibitions she may have had. Once in a while, an awards show performance can launch a career to new heights. This performance (seen below) put Lambert on the map as country music’s new bad girl.