Taylor Swift’s Last CMA Awards Performance Was Truly Special [WATCH]

If Taylor Swift's upcoming CMA Awards performances is anything like her last, country fans — real country fans — have a lot to look forward to.

Swift was just announced as a performer for Wednesday's CMAs (Nov. 18). Her song isn't known, but she is nominated in the Single of the Year category for "I Knew It, I Knew You," from the Toy Story 5 soundtrack.

• The 2026 CMA Awards will air on ABC at 8PM ET.
• Lainey Wilson is set to host for a third straight year.
• Chris Stapleton, Luke Combs, Wilson and Ella Langley are also 2026 CMA performers.

It's been 10 years since Swift took the CMA stage, and 13 years since she performed. Her transition to pop music would come months later.

Jason Davis, Getty Images

Taylor Swift's 2013 CMA Awards Performance

On Nov. 6, 2013, Swift took the CMA stage with an unlikely band.

Alison Krauss was seated to her right, and Sam Bush and Vince Gill took chairs to her left. Edgar Myer and Eric Darken fill out the ensemble. Together they performed a hushed, acoustic version of "Red."

Taste of Country described the performance as "breathtaking and beautiful." Swift led and harmonized with both Krauss and Gill at times, but the best part was the second verse, when the three vocalists traded lyrics.

It was a one-of-a-kind performance and a fine way to send Swift into the pop world with an invitation to return as she pleases. Watch the full performance — introduced by then-host Brad Paisley — here:

That night, Swift also earned the Pinnacle Award.

Her nomination for Single of the Year is her 26th lifetime nomination. She became the youngest person to win Entertainer of the Year in 2009, and that record has held.

Fans had begun to suspect she would play the CMAs in recent weeks, as she's signaled a return to country in some capacity.

In October of 2026, Swift was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and during her speech she spoke fondly of her time in Nashville and in country music.