Luke Bryan will co-host the 2023 CMA Awards tomorrow night. It will be his second year hosting alongside Peyton Manning and his third consecutive year as a host. Recently, Bryan looked back on his history with the award show.
Videos by American Songwriter
Bryan’s history with the CMA Awards goes back more than a decade. He received his first nomination for New Artist of the Year in 2010. He also received the same nomination in 2011. However, his first CMA win came in 2014 when he took home Entertainer of the Year. He would go on to win the prestigious award in 2015 as well.
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In a video posted by the Country Music Association, Bryan recalls his first CMA Awards show. “I just remember sitting out there in the crowd, taking it all in,” he said. “I was right behind the camera. Pretty much, I looked around the cameraman’s butt the whole night,” he added.
Despite the less-than-optimal view, Bryan recalls the night fondly. “It was amazing being in the room and seeing all my heroes and stars and dreaming to be on that stage one day.”
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Then, Bryan discussed how winning his two major CMA Awards impacted him. “When I won my two Entertainer of the Years, it changed my life forever. I mean, it made it all worth it. You know, the sleepless nights and going through everything to get to that point. So, it really validated everything I ever wanted to do when I moved to [Nashville]. And, like I said, it was one of the biggest nights of my life,” he recalled. Then, he corrected himself “Two of the biggest nights of my life.”
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Bryan also discussed how country music has changed his life in the video. “Country music has impacted my life in so many ways,” he began. “When you leave your life, you leave your town, and put it all on the line to move to Nashville, it’s pretty special. And, lucky for me, it paid off,” he added.
In addition to hosting, Bryan will perform a medley of his No. 1 hits. The show starts tomorrow night at 8/7c on ABC, the ABC app, and Hulu.
Photo by Sara Kauss/FilmMagic
