Lauren Alaina Shares Heartfelt Story Following Tribute To Trisha Yearwood

Lauren Alaina joined “legendary” Emmylou Harris to deliver a heartfelt tribute to Trisha Yearwood , though she opened up about why she was unsure about whether she could get through the performance at first.

Alaina and Harris performed “ The Song Remembers When ” to honor Yearwood, who received the Icon Award at the 17th ACM Honors . The show took place last month at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee. It aired earlier this week. Alaina shared a video of the performance on Instagram on Wednesday afternoon (September 25), and said “ICON” is “the perfect word for Trisha.”

“When I was first asked to perform to help honor her, I wasn’t sure I could get through it as it was right after my dad went to Heaven,” Alaina shared. She shared in a statement in July that she was mourning the loss of her father . “Then I thought about Trisha. I thought about her showing up to ask me to be a member of the Grand Ole Opry . I thought about her telling me my dad was there. I thought about seeing his pinky in the back of the room. The proudest moment of my career. I thought about my dad coming up to me afterwards backstage and saying, ‘I can’t believe my baby girl knows Trisha Yearwood. I can still hear you singing her songs as a little girl right now. I’m so proud of you.’

“She has truly been in my corner as a true friend and mentor, and I know I am not alone,” Alaina continued of Yearwood. “When I thought about how many women she blazed the trail for, I knew I had to do it. She would do it if the tables were turned. It was my honor. She is truly one of a kind. The voice. The heart. The ICON. Also, a huge thank you to the legendary [Emmylou Harris] for sharing the stage with me to honor our friend together! I will cherish this night forever.”

The performance by Alaina and Harris was one of many stunning tributes to honorees throughout the show . Others in the lineup included Jason Aldean , Lee Ann Womack , Terri Clark , Jackson Dean , Kameron Marlowe , Eric Church , Vince Gill , Tyler Hubbard , Jamey Johnson , Ashley McBryde and Keith Urban . Yearwood was honored alongside Lainey Wilson , Tony Brown , Shannon Sanders , Luke Bryan , Walt Aldridge , Alan Jackson , Chris Stapleton and Jessie Jo Dillon . It was all hosted by Carly Pearce and Jordan Davis .