Gabby Barrett Offers Glowing ACM Awards Rendition of Lee Ann Womack’s ‘I Hope You Dance’

Who loves a little Lee Ann Womack?

Gabby Barrett Offers Glowing ACM Awards Rendition of Lee Ann Womack’s ‘I Hope You Dance’
Gabby Barrett; Image Courtesy of Academy of Country Music

Gabby Barrett brought us back to 2000 with a stunning performance of Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance” at the 2022 ACM Awards

Barrett introduced the song by reflecting on how Womack was named Top New Female Vocalist at the 1998 ACM Awards, two years prior to her breakthrough hit. The American Idol season 16 finalist then offered a beautiful performance of the classic country song, giving it new definition with her multi-layered voice.

Transporting country fans back to the beloved era of country music, Barrett delivered a passionate performance that showed off the range in her voice as she sang, “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean / Whenever one door closes / I hope one more opens / Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance / And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance / I hope you dance,” her husband and fellow American Idol contestant Cade Foehner looking lovingly at her as he played guitar by her side. Barrett honored another female country great at the top of the show when she sang Faith Hill’s “Let’s Go to Vegas” with her ACM Awards co-host, Jimmie Allen.

The moment was also a throwback to Barrett’s standout American Idol performance in 2018, which wowed the show’s judges and helped her finish the season in third place — launching her country career.

Since Idol, Barrett has emerged as one of the hottest new faces in country music, and she came into the ACMs with a massive spotlight on her. One of the night’s co-hosts, alongside Jimmie Allen and Dolly Parton, Barrett was last year’s ACM New Female Artist of the Year and nominated for this year’s Female Vocalist of the Year honor. Her single “The Good Ones” was one of 2021’s biggest hits, and she welcomed the birth of her first child with husband (and fellow Idol contestant) Cade Foehner in January of 2021.

Marking the first time a major country awards show aired exclusively as a live stream, the 57th annual ACM Awards took place on Monday (March 7) at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. The show featured more than 20 performances and aired on Amazon Prime Video. Check out full coverage of the 2022 ACM Awards here, including a full list of winners.