Dustin Lynch Undeterred by Lack of CMA Awards Nominations

Dustin Lynch’s name was noticeably absent from the recent CMA Awards nominations, but the singer is undeterred by the lack of industry recognition. Scheduled to become the next member of the Grand Ole Opry on September 18, Lynch is too busy watching his career move forward to focus on anything but his success.

“We’re having a blast,” Lynch tells PopCulture.com. “I think that’s the most important part. It feels like we’re just getting started. I feel like an Opry induction right around the corner – in a way it’s a little bit weird for me because I feel like I was just this brand-new kid who’s just learning how to live and do this. It took, not only myself, but I know for a lot of my friends, we we’re just songwriters and having fun performing and learning how to cope with the ups and downs, and the patience it takes to be in this world and business. It takes a while.

“I think finally the last few years I figured out how to manage those ups and downs by just not giving a crap, just enjoying,” he continues. “It’s so special what we get to do and I have so much fun. I live and breathe music. All I think about is writing songs and performing. It’s an addiction, I know it is, but it’s not too bad of an addiction to have, I guess.”

As Lynch’s career grows, so does his responsibility. Employing more people than ever, from bus drivers to band and crew members, the 33-year-old admits he feels the responsibility to keep moving ahead.

“There’s a lot of pressure; as we have success we have to grow,” Lynch concedes. “We love growing, but there’s growing pains, believe it or not. Every single time you have more success and get to add to the team, there’s always those growing pains of, ‘Dude, we have no more room on the bus, we need another one.’ But it’s a lot of fun. When we started out we were just a bunch of single dudes on one bus. Now we’re up to two, my band guys are married and we have kids running around everywhere now.”

While Lynch is grateful for his momentum, he knows he can’t slow down anytime soon, not only for himself but for the people who rely on their jobs to support their families.

“I’ve gotta keep all my success to buy diapers for all these guys,” Lynch says. “It’s changed a lot. “It’s gone from just me and my buds in my Excursion playing frat parties and worried about where our next Waffle House stop is gonna be and more cold beer, to now having dozens of people that rely on us to keep this train going, It’s a fun challenge. It keeps me on my toes, keeps me working hard. It keeps life fun.

“I love that drive,” he adds. “I love the drive of having pressure, I think its the athlete in me, that competitiveness that I learned growing up doing sports all the way through college. It’s great; it’s something that keeps me going and gives me life and a reason to wake up and work hard.”

Lynch will launch his Reason to Drink … Another Tour with Cole Swindell and Lauren Alaina on October 4 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Find dates at DustinLynch.com.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Erika Goldring