Maren Morris Captures the Single of the Year Trophy at 2020 CMA Awards
Maren Morris picked up the first award of the night at the 2020 CMA Awards, winning Single of the Year for her Girl tune "The Bones." It was the singer's first win for the CMA's Single of the Year.
Morris beat out fellow nominees Gabby Barrett ("I Hope"), Luke Combs ("Beer Never Broke My Heart"), Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber ("10,000 Hours") and Miranda Lambert ("Bluebird") to take home the honor.
"Thank you so much," Morris said as she took the stage to accept the award before commenting on the CMA Awards unusual seating setup this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
"This is very weird, but I love this kind of setup because we can all hang out all night with each other. That's a cool first," she reflected. "I had a baby eight months ago, so just being out tonight is a win in itself."
She continued, "Thank you country music and my peers for nominating us and voting for us."
Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are this year's CMAs hosts, after Carrie Underwood relinquished the gig following 12 years as co-host. Underwood had joined with McEntire and Dolly Parton to emcee the 2019 CMA Awards; before that, she hosted the show for over a decade with Brad Paisley.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus made its presence known among the 2020 CMA Awards contributors, with scheduled artists such as Lee Brice and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard revealing positive diagnoses ahead of the ceremony. An hour before the broadcast, Lady A ducked out of the live portion with news that one of their family members had contracted the disease. (The group's Charles Kelly pre-taped a performance with Carly Pearce.) Fiddle player Jenee Fleenor, set to be in the evening's opening number, also pulled out at the last minute. Still, rolling with the setbacks, the show was doing what it could to stay safe.
Notwithstanding McEntire's blinged-out personal protective equipment, that included not allowing fans inside the show — only presenters, performers, crew and guests. It also meant a socially-distanced red carpet and a switch from the usual Nashville venue of Bridgestone Area to the smaller Music City Center.