Carrie Underwood Joins Cody Johnson in Onstage Surprise as They Perform 'I'm Gonna Love You' at 2024 CMA Awards

"I'm Gonna Love You" was the lead single from the deluxe version of Johnson's album 'Leather', which was released in November

Carrie Underwood and Cody Johnson gave the 2024 CMA Awards quite the surprise.

At the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards on Wednesday, Nov. 20, the American Idol alum and Leather hitmaker performed their duet "I'm Gonna Love You."

"So good that it almost hurts / Steady and true as a Bible verse / My heart skips just thinkin' of you / Go on and bet it all, baby, we can't lose," Underwood, 41, and Johnson, 37, sang in the chorus.

The ballad was released as the lead single of Johnson's deluxe version of his album Leather in November, alongside a stunning music video featuring landscapes and horses surrounding them as they sing. The backdrop for their performance had similar scenery.

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Johnson told PEOPLE in November that he always thought Underwood would be the one for the track. “It’s like Carrie Underwood or nobody,” he said. "I just heard her voice."

He also spoke about the incredible process of recording the song. "I’m watching her mouth, and I can see where every breath is gonna be," Johnson recalled.

He added: "We’re just staring at each other, kind of going off each other. It was weird because that was the first time Carrie and I had ever sang together, and it was just perfect family harmony. And I think that speaks to the caliber of vocalist she is really."

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Johnson has been nominated for five CMA Awards at the 2024 ceremony and took home album of the year with Leather.

His songs "Dirt Cheap" and "The Painter," are both nominated for song of the year and the latter for music video of the year. He was also nominated for male vocalist of the year for the third year in a row. He previously won the CMA Award for single of the year in 2022 for " 'Til You Can't."

Underwood, meanwhile, has become a fixture at country music's biggest night. She hosted 12 consecutive years of the awards show and has taken home seven CMAs over the years.

The 58th Annual CMA Awards broadcast live from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on ABC. The show streams the following day on Hulu.