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Luke Combs Discusses His 'CMT Music Awards' Performance, Nominations

Luke Combs also discusses the power of music videos and a classic Garth Brooks video

Luke Combs is a double nominee at tonight's CMT Music Awards, and he recently teased his performance for tonight's show during an interview with CMT Hot 20 Countdown host Katie Cook.

"I think the fans can expect some high energy from this performance. My last two singles were songs about my wife, so they've been kinda more low key love songs, but we're taking it back to the basics on this one, so I'm excited to see what people think."

Combs is nominated for Male Video of the Year, for his video "Loving on You." He told Cook about the unique concept for the clip.

"The roller skating rink [idea was] kind of 'little kid' vibe. I wish I could take credit for the idea. I have a great creative team that pitched me that idea. I grew up going to the roller skating rink and my mom loved to roller skate, my mother-in-law loves to roller skate and so it was just an easy home run...I got a great team to thank for it to be honest."

Combs knows the powerful impact the right kind of music video can bring to a song, and offered up an example of a Garth Brooks classic that left an impression on him.

"I think a music video can elevate a song to a place that it never would have gotten without it. I think of a song like 'Standing Outside the Fire,' which is a music video that I'll never forget from my childhood. [I would turn on] CMT in the mornings and just seeing those videos, that was a time when you would turn it on and go, 'I hope I hear my favorite song this morning.' And then you saw the video and it just added to the story of the song. So I think that's a really important thing. And I think it's awesome that we still get to do it today."

Combs has had some spectacular moments performing his own music on the CMT Music Awards' stages, but he says he is particularly grateful that this awards show also offers a platform for unique collaborations.

"My song with Brooks & Dunn ["1,2 Many"], it was never a single for me, so to come out and get to have that cool moment with those guys that I wouldn't have gotten to have anywhere else. To be able to come and do things with Leon Bridges [for a 2018 installment of CMT Crossroads] and have these opportunities that are kind of atypical for what Nashville usually does, I think is the thing I love about it so much."

Combs' collaboration with Brooks & Dunn of "1, 2 Many" on the 2020 CMT Music Awards is up for CMT Performance of the Year this year.

For more, visit CMT Hot 20 Countdown here.

Combs also shared that three of his hit songs will be included on a vinyl dubbed The Trilogy. Side 1 will include "Beautiful Crazy" and "Better Together," while Side 2 will feature "Forever After All."The Trilogy will release July 16.

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