AceShowbiz - The Red Clay Strays delivered a powerful and moving rendition of "Demons in Your Choir" during the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday night. Known for blending Southern rock and country influences, the Alabama-based band once opened for the Rolling Stones in 2024, showcasing their ability to cross musical boundaries.

Fronted by Brandon Coleman, whose resonant voice carries a distinctive country twang, the group elevated their latest single with the help of a full gospel choir. This collaboration added a deeply spiritual and ethereal dimension to the performance, perfectly complementing the song’s gospel-infused energy. "Demons in Your Choir" is featured on their upcoming album, Grateful, which is highly anticipated by fans and critics alike.

The performance underscored why the Red Clay Strays earned the ACM Award for New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year in 2025 and how they went on to secure the Group of the Year title earlier in the same ceremony. Accepting the award, Coleman expressed heartfelt gratitude, saying, "Just at a loss... it doesn't feel real, truly. We're just some rednecks from Mobile, Alabama, and when we started playing in bars, we never thought we'd go this far."

In addition to "Demons in Your Choir," the band previewed another track from Grateful titled "People Hatin'" at the 2025 CMA Awards, where they were also recognized as Vocal Group of the Year. The song’s success across rock, country, and adult alternative airplay charts highlights their wide-ranging appeal and genre-defying sound.

Coleman reflected on the band's unique position within the music landscape in 2024, stating, "I don't think we're country. I love country music. That's what I was raised on. If anything, we're Americana. And it's funny, because actual country music like Sturgill [Simpson] and Tyler Childers get lumped into Americana."

Their 2026 ACM Awards performance not only celebrated their past achievements but also set the stage for continued success and genre-blending innovation in the years ahead.