Carrie Underwood dedicated her CMT Music Awards performance of “See You Again” to the Oklahoma tornado victims in a touching tribute on Wednesday, June 5.
Wearing a sequined blush-colored Oscar de la Renta dress with her hair pulled back in curls, the Oklahoma native performed as powerful images of the storm-ravaged state flashed behind her. A gospel choir from Christ Church Nashville later joined her in the emotional performance, which garnered a standing ovation from the crowd.
“We really wanted to do something really special with the song,” the 30-year-old singer told ET Online before the show. “The song itself, I think, is really beautiful. I’ve heard the most incredible stories about how it’s affected different people and what it means to them.”
In late May, Underwood, who grew up in Muskogee, Okla., also donated $1 million to the Red Cross in support of relief efforts after a monstrous tornado struck residents of Moore, Okla., on May 20, killing 24 people and injuring 120 others.
Besides her memorable performance, the American Idol alum walked away a winner at the awards show, where she won Video of the Year for “Blown Away.”
“The good Lord has been very good to me — well, to all of us in this room — for a very long time,” she told the crowd.