Gwen Stefani made an appearance at the 2023 CMT Music Awards alongside husband Blake Shelton, but her solo performance caught some viewers off guard.
During one of country music's biggest events of the year, the former No Doubt front lady partnered with Carly Pearce to sing a rendition of her hit song "Just a Girl." As the duo tore up the stage with their memorable performance, folks watching the awards show couldn't get over seeing the former The Voice coach remix a well-known rock anthem into a different genre.
"We can’t get enough of @gwenstefani and @carlypearce’s ICONIC #CMTAwards performance of 'Just A Girl' 👏💕," CMT's official Instagram later captioned posted a snippet of it.
While many loved seeing Gwen team up with the "What He Didn't Do" vocalist and perform the popular song in a unique way, longtime country fans had other opinions. Some took to the comments on Instagram to share their thoughts about it not resonating with them like it has in the past.
"I absolutely 💯 love Gwen. This was a disgrace. It was butchered, and it did not belong on Country Music Television Awards," one person wrote. "[Just my opinion] ... that was a hot mess. Trying to put a round peg in a square hole ... it just don't fit. 🤦🏼♀️," another added. "I'm just a girl NOT feeling this entire performance!?? @cmt what are you thinking," a different follower said.
Still, some viewers immediately started going down memory lane upon hearing her onstage. "Man I miss this Gwen ... she can rock anything 👏🔥," someone else chimed in.
What's more, the "Hollaback Girl" musician left Austin with lots of feel-good memories, even posting behind-the-scene clips of her fun outfits and sweet moments with Blake. "Thank [you] @cmt and @carlypearce for such a wonderful night ❤️🔥," she captioned her video on Instagram.
To put the cherry on top, Carly was also over the moon about their duet. "I love this girl ♥️ Such an honor to share the stage the other night!! A moment I’ll never forget 👯♀️," the singer added in her own separate Instagram.
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
