Carrie Underwood Debuts ‘Cry Pretty’ at 2018 ACM Awards

Carrie Underwood rocked the crowd at the 2018 ACM Awards with an emotional performance of "Cry Pretty," her brand-new single. Underwood shared the song only a few days before Sunday night's (April 15) awards show, the first taste of her upcoming album, which will be her first since 2015's Storyteller. 

Lines like "You can't turn off the flood when the dam breaks / When all your mascara is going to waste" were accentuated by tears on Underwood's face -- at first, just silver glitter made to look like tears, but then by the emotional end of the song, genuine tears. Underwood tearfully stepped back from the microphone and took in the crowd's standing ovation, welcoming her back after a hiatus following an injury.

The crowd panned over various country stars' faces in the crowd, in an emotional moment that seemed to affect everyone in the room.

Underwood received a nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2018 ACM Awards. She won the honor for three years in a row from 2007 to 2009.

Following the ACMs, Underwood has most of 2018 open still, though she's already scheduled to headline WE Fest 2018, in Detroit Lakes, Minn., in August. She recently shared a photo of herself in rehearsals for some sort of live performance, and says a tour in in the works, but hasn't shared any details.

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