Luke Combs’ ‘Cold as You’ Performance Heats Up the 2020 CMA Awards Stage
Luke Combs roared onto the 2020 CMA Awards stage on Wednesday night (Nov. 11) with a performance of his heartbreak banger, "Cold as You." The song is one of six new tracks rounding out his What You See Ain't Always What You Get deluxe album, which came out in October.
Combs brought at least a few of the people in attendance to their feet with his performance, which he delivered in his patented, full-throated style (and in his traditional jeans, frat shirt and hat getup). The hard-rocking song provided a bit of a dynamic shift for the evening, which has featured tributes to artists who have passed away and performances of nominated songs, among others.
Combs' newest album is a deluxe version of his 2019 sophomore album, What You See is What You Get. Its release returned Combs to the top of the all-genre Billboard 200 album chart, which is also where the album debuted back in November. That's a major milestone for the singer, whose project officially became the first country project in five years to spend multiple weeks at No. 1 on the chart. The last album to do it was Chris Stapleton's Traveller, which was No. 1 for back-to-back weeks.
That's just the latest record in a string of accolades and successes for Combs, who is facing the prospect of another potential big win at the end of Wednesday night's CMA Awards ceremony. He received his first-ever nomination in the coveted Entertainer of the Year category in 2020, along with Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church and Keith Urban.
Combs entered the 2020 CMA Awards show with a whopping six nominations to his name, more than any other artist except for Lambert, his fellow Entertainer nominee. He also scored mentions in the categories of Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year and Single of the Year. Plus, Combs' name appears twice in the Song of the Year category: once as both songwriter and artist for "Even Though I'm Leaving" and once as a songwriter for Carly Pearce and Lee Brice's "I Hope You're Happy Now."