As we established last week, Cher is not going country, but it would appear that Rihanna is. She will perform her ballad “California King Bed” with Sugarland”s Jennifer Nettles during the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday (April 3).
Rihanna and Nettles will appear at the first ACM Fan Jam, a live concert taking place during the ACM Awards at Las Vegas” Mandalay Bay. The ACM Awards will be happening down the street at the MGM Grand. The pair”s performance will be remotely broadcast during the awards show to the country masses.
Sugarland headlines the Fan Jam, which will also include appearances by Eric Church, the Band Perry, Randy Houser, Little Big Town and many more. Looks like there”s going to be a lot of shuttling going back and forth between the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay.
While we”re not so sure that Rihanna has many country fans, the song lends itself to a country audience; after all, it treads the same themes covered in the ’70s by Barbara Mandrell”s country classic, “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed.” Also, Nettles and her Sugarland partner Kristian Bush are well known for launching into pop songs in concert, whether it by Beyonce”s “Single Ladies” or Kings of Leon”s “Sex on Fire.”