Luke Bryan Knows The Key To Hosting The CMAs Is To ‘Be Yourself’
Luke Bryan has been busy rehearsing for Wednesday night’s (11/9) CMA Awards in Nashville, which he will be hosting with Peyton Manning.
Luke shared what he has learned from hosting the show in the past, “What I’ve learned is just be comfortable, be yourself, and just walk out there and be yourself. That’s the main thing. Be natural, be fun. If you want to go off the script a little bit, don’t be scared to. If something in the moment happens or something in the room happens that you want to go down that path for a minute, obviously stick to the script, stick to the show, but don’t be afraid to just have fun and relax.”
He added, “I think if you’re relaxed as the host, then the whole night takes a different shape and form. But Peyton’ll do great. He’s been in some pretty high-profile moments in his life, so he can always call an audible and help me too.”
As for hosting with football great and country music lover Peyton Manning, Bryan said, “The thing about co-hosting with Peyton is all gloves are off. We can cut up with one another, have a little fun, and roast each other a little bit, but it takes a little pressure off during the night – even if I’ve got a performance, then Peyton can do one of the segments while I get a little more time to get ready for the performance and coming back in and out.”
He continued, “But the bottom line is it’s gonna be a fun thing to share with Peyton, it’s gonna be fun to be backstage, kind of toasting right before we go out, and he’s a pro, and hopefully I’m a pro at this point. I still try to be a kid about all this, but I do have to take it seriously now and then. But, yeah, I think having someone else to share some of the duties takes a little bit of the stress of it all being all on me, takes a little bit of the stress away.”
Luke also admitted he loves being such a big part of the show that calls itself “country music’s biggest night.” “To be a representative of the music that I love, to be someone to carry on a tradition and to be the host and conduct this show with elegance, class, humor, reverence, to really make the show an example of country music and to represent the show to the best of my ability to the people watching at home is a big task, and it’s something I’m so honored to have the chance to do.”