Luke Bryan is celebrating a major accomplishment.
When speaking with Fox News Digital, Bryan opened up about how it feels to have released 30 No. 1 hit singles as a country artist, calling it “a really defining moment in [his] career.” He recalled the early days of his career, saying he “had always been working singles” and hoping his songs would get played on the radio.
“For my first four, five, six, singles, I had always had pretty good first weeks as an artist, but when ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)’ came out, I think I had 45 [additions] that week,” Bryan said. “After all the work to get to that point, I remember sitting on the floor, my wife and I, and we were just crying about it. It was a big day, and it felt like radio and everything was starting to work.”
He continued, “Then from ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me),’ we went to ‘I Don’t Want this Night to End,’ and that went crazy, and I’d always told myself, ‘if you could put three big, big songs in a row together, things would really start happening, and then we did ’Drunk on You,’ that was…so that little era right there was kind of like the moment. All I ever wanted was to know that I could do this for the rest of my life.”
Bryan recalled the moment he realized he had made it in the music industry. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/WireImage)
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The “Play It Again” singer explained it’s hard to know when you have officially made it as a musician, but said that “when I had that moment happen, I was like, ‘I think I’m gonna do this for the rest of my life. I don’t have to move back to Georgia to work at my dad’s peanut mill.'”
He joked THAT reaching 30 No. 1 hits “is certainly far behind what I expected of myself,” saying it is something you “can’t predict” and “can only work to get to kind of little goals.”
WATCH: CMA Awards host Luke Bryan recalls moment he made it big in country music
In addition to his accomplished country music career, Bryan is set to return to the CMA Awards stage, hosting the show for the third year in a row, and what will be his second time partnering with his co-host, former NFL quarterback, Peyton Manning. The two hosted the award show together in 2022, and it was announced in May 2023 they would be returning this year.
“Audiences can expect to see great music, the big moments, the heart-wrenching moments,” Bryan told Parade in October. “The CMAs always does such a great job at honoring the heroes, the superstars, and the next wave of talent. When you put all that in the room, it’s always a great show.”
While Bryan knows the two have different hosting styles, saying he is “a little more loose, off the cuff, and Peyton wants a play in,” he is confident they will be able to “blend them together,” and play off each other’s strengths to make it a great night for everyone.
Bryan and Manning are returning as the hosts of the CMA Awards in 2023. (Larry Fink)
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“I spend most of my time kind of nudging him, ‘No Luke, just read teleprompter,'” Manning told Parade.
In addition to co-hosting the show, Bryan will also take the stage to sing a medley of some of his biggest hits, including “One Margarita,” “Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day,” “Play It Again,” “That’s My Kind Of Night” and “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).” Other performers include, Kelsea Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Little Big Town and Lainey Wilson, as well as Chris Stapleton and Carly Pearce, who will be collaborating on stage.
Pearce and Stapleton will be performing her song “We Don’t Fight Anymore” on the CMA Awards stage, something she called “a bucket list moment.” For the time being, Pearce told Fox News Digital, she’s unsure who she will be collaborating with next, adding, “I don’t really care, because I made it with Chris Stapleton.”
WATCH: Carly Pearce calls performing with Chris Stapleton at the CMAs a ‘bucket list’ moment
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“It’s a total dream come true bucket list moment for me to get to sing with one of the greatest voices of all time and one of my absolute heroes…and fellow Kentuckyan,” Pearce told Fox News Digital about her excitement to perform with Stapleton. “I wrote this song and heard his voice on it, and to see it all play out the way that it has and to actually get to have this moment together on a stage that’s been so good to me is crazy.”
Pearce told Fox News Digital she is excited to perform with Stapleton on the CMA Awards stage on Wednesday. (Getty Images)
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The 2023 CMA Awards is set to air Wednesday, Nov. 8 on ABC, and will be available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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