I had never even heard of these guys before last night—and then they walked onstage and absolutely blew the roof off. The Red Clay Strays made their CMA Awards debut with their new single, and it felt like the whole room snapped awake the second they started playing. They weren’t just performing—they were jammin’ like they owned the place. Honestly, they’re almost too cool for the CMAs. The moment they launched into “LOVE IS THE ONLY WAY,” it was clear they picked the perfect song. Raw. Loud. Real. And hearing it live for the first time? Even better than the studio version—stronger, sharper, straight to the heart. Hands down the best performance of the night. This wasn’t just good; this was FIRE. You could feel the future of country music right there on that stage. No gimmicks, no glitter—just grit, soul, and the kind of sound that blows your hat clean off. Country pop has its place, sure, but when a group brings the real, old-school fire like this? It hits different. And the best part? Their hard work finally got the spotlight it deserves. Best Vocal Group of the Night. They said “Thank you, Jesus” not once, but twice—and the crowd felt every word. This group isn’t just rising. They’re about to take over… WATCH BELOW 👇👇👇
The Red Clay Strays perform at the 59th Annual CMA Awards (Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
The Red Clay Strays Were Announced As CMA Awards Performers On November 13
The announced the first and second round of performers a few weeks ago. So, we already knew that some epic performances would be taking place.
On November 13th, they revealed that The Red Clay Strays would be taking the stage along with Kelsea Ballerini, Chris Stapleton, Old Dominion, Patty Loveless, Riley Green, and more.
The Red Clay Strays are announced as a performer at the 59th Annual CMA Awards (Photo Credit: CMA / Instagram)
In a press release, it was revealed that the award-winning band would be performing their new single “People Hatin’.”
The Red Clay Strays took home the ACM Award for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year and Emerging Artist of the Year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards.
The Red Clay Strays Performed Their Latest Single
The Red Clay Strays are one of the fastest rising country bands we have seen in a while! With over 2.1 million followers on Instagram, 1.8 million followers on Facebook, and over 22.5 million likes on TikTok, they are one of the most popular country bands out there right now!
The Red Clay Strays are made up of Brandon Coleman, Andrew Bishop, Drew Nix, John Hall, Zach Rishel, and Sevans Henderson.
Red Clay Strays in 2025 (Photo Credit: The Red Clay Strays / Facebook)
They kicked off the bluesy song on a dimly lit stage with really cool red lights backlighting them. The Red Clay Strays gave a bluesy and passionate performance of “People Hatin’” that had everyone jump to their feet to applaud them.
They proved why they won Vocal Group of the Year!
Watch their performance below.
