While backstage at the 57th Annual CMA Awards broadcasting live from Nashville on Wednesday, November 8, host Sabrina From Queens got a chance to talk with singer Luke Combs, who is heading into the event with quite a few nominations.
LISTEN NOW: Luke Combs at the 2023 CMA Awards
Among his numerous nominations this year, Luke Combs is up again for his third year in a row after taking home the CMA Entertainer of the Year trophies in 2021 and 2022. Don't expect any prepared words from him though, as he says he's never done a speech before, finding it more comfortable expressing "whatever emotion [he's] feeling" in the moment. "I don't like to pretend to be anything I'm not," he explains.
"I don't want to make some thing that feels disingenuous," Luke adds. "The second the index card comes out, if I was a fan, I'm checked out... I don't believe it... The card's a lie. The card feels very political, like I gotta make sure I say this thing... Pretty soon we're gonna be dropping shoutouts to Mountain Dew. At what point are we doing that? Thank the wife and the kids and peace out, you know?"
Speaking of... Luke, now a dad of two under two with his wife, Nicole, says the transition has been wild. "Honestly, it's a crazy juxtaposition, it's super difficult, but we're enjoying it," he says. "So many fun memories already... it's going really, really well."
Another huge undertaking that he's been involved with lately has been prepping to open his very own venue in Downtown Nashville. "They're just about to start doing the renovations," he says. "I'm excited for it, I love the plan for it... it's gonna be great."
Listen to Sabrina's full chat with Luke above, and grab your tickets for his 2024 Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour -- on sale now -- which will feature back-to-back dates in a number of U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Jacksonville, Santa Clara, Houston, Phoenix, and many more.
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Don't miss the 57th Annual CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, airing Wednesday, November 8 at 8PM ET /7PM CT on ABC, and available the next day on Hulu. Find more of Audacy's CMA Awards coverage at audacy.com/cma.