Who Is K. Michelle, The Artist Singing A Judds Tribute At The CMA Awards?

CMA/K. Michelle/Instagram

Performers for the 57th CMA Awards were announced Wednesday (Oct. 25). Among the lineup were familiar names like Chris Stapleton, Lainey Wilson and Luke Bryan. But there was another name that may be unfamiliar to country fans…K. Michelle.

A press release from the CMA revealed that K. Michelle will be joining Jelly Roll for a tribute performance to the Judds. The pair will sing the legendary duo’s 1990 hit, “Love Can Build A Bridge.”

The announcement left many country fans wondering – who is K. Michelle?

Also known as Puddin, K. Michelle first gained fame as a cast member of the VH1 reality television series Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. She also appeared in Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood, Love & Hip Hop: New York, and K. Michelle: My Life. She signed with Atlantic Records following her reality tv success and has built an impressive career as a hip-hop artist.

A Tennessee native, K. Michelle always wanted to pursue country music, but she was told that her only route to success would be in R&B.

“Basically, I was told that going into R&B was the only route, or at least the easiest route,” the singer told PEOPLE in a March 2023 interview. “So, that’s what I did. But there was always this little piece of loneliness and a sadness in me because I couldn’t do what I know I was supposed to do.”

In 2021, at the encouragement of her friends, K. Michelle returned to her home state to pursue her longtime dream of being a country music singer.

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Her upcoming tribute to The Judds will be a full-circle moment for the singer. She told PEOPLE that she first saw the mother-daughter duo on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the first music she got was “Love Can Build A Bridge.”

“That’s all I listened to,” she told the publication.