Kellie Pickler won the country’s heart when she burst onto the scene while appearing on American Idol back in 2006 (back when people actually cared about those kind of shows).
During her time on the show, Kellie was extremely candid about the personal struggles she’d dealt with when it came to her relationship with her parents.
Kellie was raised by her grandparents after her mother left her when she was 2 years old, and her father spent much of Kellie’s childhood in and out of prison.
In October 2006, Kellie released her debut album Small Town Girl. And the second single from the album, “I Wonder,” was a deeply personal message to her mother.
“I think about how it ain’t fair
That you weren’t there to braid my hair like mothers do
You weren’t around to cheer me on
Help me dress for my high school prom like mothers do
Did you think I didn’t need you here
To hold my hand, to dry my tears?
Did you even miss me through the years at all?”
At the 2007 CMA Awards, Kellie was nominated for the Horizon Award (now known as New Artist of the Year). And while the award ultimately went to another up-and-comer named Taylor Swift, it was Kellie who ended up stealing the show that night with her performance of “I Wonder.”
An emotional Pickler broke down during the song before receiving a standing ovation for the heartbreaking performance. But a little while later, Kellie would reveal just why the performance was so emotional for her.
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In an interview with People, Kellie revealed that she had struggled with adjusting to fame – falling into a depression and turning to antidepressants to help her navigate her new lifestyle.
But just before the CMA Awards, she decided to stop taking the medication that, as she put it, made her feel like “a zombie.”
“The CMAs were right after I’d gone off the pills, so my body still needed them. I was an emotional wreck.”
That wasn’t all though. Right before her performance, Kellie found out that her estranged mother, who she hadn’t spoken to in 12 years, had given an interview on television talking about why she had abandoned Kellie all those years ago.
“Then 10 minutes before I went onstage, I got a call saying my mom was on TV. I hadn’t seen her in years. I felt like, “Tonight I’m good enough?” It really hurt. My hands shook all during the song. Then I lost it.”
The end result was a powerful, emotion-filled performance that brought Kellie and the audience to tears – and to their feet.
It’s the kind of performance that you don’t often see at these awards shows, which are usually filled with bland personalities and forgettable performances.
Which is why this is one performance we’re still talking about today.
CMA Awards Add Luke Combs, Chris Stapleton, Ashley McBryde And More As Performers
The 56th Annual CMA Awards are right around the corner.
Miss Lainey Wilson leads the pack with six nominations in total, and coming in right behind her with five each is Ashley McBryde, Carly Pearce, Chris Stapleton, and producer Shane McAnally. Cody Johnson notably came away with four nominations, and Luke Combs scored three.
Miranda Lambert continues her reign as the most nominated female artist of all time with 61 nominations in total now.
And today, they revealed the second round of performers, which includes some of the Lindeville crew in Ashley McBryde, John Osborne, Brandy Clark, Caylee Hammack and Pillbox Patti, as well as adding Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Elle King, Patty Loveless, Reba McEntire, Katy Perry, Chris Stapleton, Cole Swindell, The Black Keys, The War and Treaty and Thomas Rhett.
They previously announced Jimmie Allen, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, HARDY, Marcus King, Miranda Lambert, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and Zac Brown Band as performers.
The opening of the show is set to include an all-star tribute to the late, great Loretta Lynn, which will surely be a highlight of the night.
The CMA Awards will air live on November 9th on ABC, and Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan will co-host in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kellie Pickler Moves Bartender To Tears Singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” In Japan
Music… the universal language.
First of all, how cool is this bar? Just a little hole in the wall that barely holds more than five people… this how more bars should be. Small, intimate, personal, not a six-story circus like half the places down on Broadway.
Anyways, a few years back, Kellie Pickler was visiting Japan and when she popped into this little bar, and when the staff found out that she was a country music singer, they asked her to sing a little something. And they got WAY more than they bargained for.
Performing the Willie Nelson-written tune “Crazy,” recorded by Patsy Cline in 1961, Kellie brought the entire room (as small as it was) to a complete standstill. So much so that one of the bartenders was even moved to tears.
That’s the power of music on full display folks.
