On a night built on big duets and bigger moments, Chris Stapleton walked out alone at the 2025 CMA Awards and made the whole arena feel small. No fireworks. No tricks. Just that rough, soulful voice and a bluesy new song, “Bad As I Used To Be,” rolling through Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The track comes from F1: The Album, the soundtrack to F1: The Movie, and it sounds exactly like a comeback story. The lyrics talk about a man who has been through it and is still standing: “I think it’s my responsibility / To tell you I’m just as bad as I used to be,” and “No one’s accusin’ me of sanity.” It felt like a fighter walking back into the ring, older and wiser, but still dangerous.
Stapleton is already a record-holder with eight CMA Male Vocalist of the Year wins and more nominations this year, including Entertainer of the Year. Later that night, he teamed up with Miranda Lambert for a much-hyped duet. On paper, that should have been his “big” TV moment.
But here is the question country fans cannot stop asking:
Did the simple, no-frills solo performance hit harder than the star-powered duet?
Chris Stapleton – “Bad As I Used To Be” | Live at CMA Awards 2025
Later in the same 2025 CMA Awards show, the two record-breaking vocalists finally shared their first full duet, “A Song To Sing.” Co-written with Jenee Fleenor and Jesse Frasure, it traded the gritty blues of “Bad As I Used To Be” for a shimmer of ‘70s disco: giant disco ball, burnt-orange suits, and a groove that mixed country, soul, and nostalgia. The performance drew rave reviews and GRAMMY nods for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and Best Country Song.
Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton – “A Song To Sing” | Live at CMA Awards 2025
Before “Bad As I Used To Be” and the big 2025 duet, there was “White Horse” at the 2023 CMA Awards, the lead single from his hit album Higher. It is loud, gritty, and soulful, mixing country, blues, and rock in a way that won both Grammy and CMA awards.