Brett Young Is Not Writing a CMA Awards Acceptance Speech
Brett Young is nominated for New Artist of the Year at the 2017 CMA Awards, and if he wins, he's not quite sure what he's going to say.
The singer has a general idea of how his speech might go if he wins against Luke Combs, Old Dominion, Jon Pardi and Lauren Alaina, but he's not writing an actual prepared speech.
"I want to make sure that I don't leave anybody out, but I also don't want to be that guy that gets told to get off the stage," he tells us with a laugh. "I have a bunch of bullet points; people that need to be thanked and recognized, but one thing that I think is important is to let some of it be a genuine reaction, let people see you be human."
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Young's been one of the year's breakout artists with the success of his self-titled debut album and hit singles including "In Case You Didn't Know" and his latest, "Like I Loved You." He's been on the road for much of the year with Lady Antebellum on their You Look Good Tour, and he says the nomination is validation for everything he's been working toward for years.
"Being mentioned in the category is everything. As a new artist, it's really intimidating to have started out in this industry, with all of the huge superstars that there are in our format. It's like, 'Now, where am I gonna find my niche, my hole? How am I gonna convince people to give me a shot here with my music?'" he shares. "There are so many great young artists, and you see that in the category that I'm nominated in."
Young says he doesn't even feel bent on winning.
"It's a strange thing; the athlete in me ... I played sports my whole life, and I would have thought that I would have seen the nomination and said, 'Okay, what have we got to do to win this thing?' And obviously a win would be incredible, but what I'm noticing is just being nominated, I'm over the moon flattered and honored to even be mentioned in this category with these incredible acts."
Young will also be among the presenters when the 2017 CMA Awards air live on ABC from Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 8 on ABC, and he's just teamed up with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to share his favorite places to visit in Nashville and Orange County as part of their Instant Insider program, whose perks he might be able to put to good use while on the road for his Caliville Tour.
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