It's the stuff that legends are made of. Wynonna Judd and Ashley McBryde took to the stage at the 2023 CMT Music Awards for a stirring rendition of Foreigner's 1984 rock classic "I Want to Know What Love Is." But the pair's powerhouse vocals came secondary to Judd's touching onstage tribute to her mother, the late legend Naomi Judd, who died in April 2022 at the age of 76.
Wynonna Judd took the stage solo donning a black suit, wearing her signature red locks sleek and straight. The country star began a cappella, slowly intoning the first few verses: "I gotta take a little time / A little time to think things over," as the audience cheered. The cameras of the awards telecast panned to the audience, where Carrie Underwood could be seen singing along, visibly moved by Judd's emotional performance.
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Ashley McBryde, who joined Judd as a special guest on The Judds: Final Tour, entered the stage for the chorus, as the country stars joyfully belted out, "I want to know what love is / I want you to show me." The real emotional wallop came towards the end of the performance, when Judd addressed her late mother while McBryde sang background vocals:
"Mama, you need to be here tonight," Judd chanted, directing her gaze upwards and pointing to the sky as the audience erupted in applause and collectively stood up to honor the late Naomi Judd.
"And I miss you, and I love you, and I don't understand," the country legend continued over the instrumentation.
Judd ended the powerful cover with a low and stirring "Yeah," looking up towards the sky and clasping hands with McBryde, making for a powerful image of solidarity and overcoming grief. Both Judd and McBryde could be seen exhaling after the performance, overcome with emotion.
The stirring duet comes one year after Naomi and Wynonna Judd's final live performance. The mother-daughter duo lit up the 2022 CMT Music Awards with a performance of their hit "Love Can Build a Bridge."
In the wake of Naomi's passing, Ashley McBryde stepped in as a guest performer on Wynonna Judd's The Judds: Final Tour, making their soaring duet all the more meaningful.
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