Garth Brooks Admits To Lip-Syncing His CMA Awards Performance

"We made a gametime call on whether to sing to a track or lip-sync. And we decided to lip-sync it,” Brooks told reporters backstage. 

Written by Cillea Houghton
Garth Brooks Admits To Lip-Syncing His CMA Awards Performance
Garth Brooks; Photo by ABC/Image Group LA

Viewers watching the 51st Annual CMA Awards on Wednesday night wondering if Garth Brooks lip-synced his performance are correct. The singer admitted in the press room backstage that he did in fact lip-sync due to an illness.

“We made a gametime call on whether to sing to a track or lip-sync. And we decided to lip-sync it,” Brooks told reporters (quote via USA Today.)

He performed his latest hit, “Ask Me How I Know,” off his top 5 album Gunslinger, released in 2016, and revealed that in addition to being sick the past few days, he’s also had to cram 12 shows into 10 days, taking a toll on his voice. He decided to mime the song, with backup help from the song’s writer Mitch Rossell, in an effort to preserve his vocal chords while still delivering a quality performance.

“We decided to lip-sync it because my voice was just not there, and we wanted to represent country music the best we can,” he admitted.

Brooks took hope the night’s most prominent accolade, Entertainer of the Year, where he was nominated along with Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Chris Stapleton. He also participated in the show’s big opening number, singing the classic Hootie and the Blowfish song “Hold My Hand” alongside Darius Rucker, Reba McEntire, Little Big Town, Tim McGraw, Kelsea Ballerini and many more.