If last yearâs ACM Awards was Old Dominionâs coming-out party, this yearâs 52nd annual show will find the lovable quintet taking a seat at the âbig kidsâ table.â
âIt feels like next-level stuff because weâre not the new kids anymore,â says Old Dominionâs lead singer Matthew Ramsey. âWeâre actually part of the party. And then we got asked to do a performance and itâs like âWhoa, we really are a part of this now.ââ
Speaking with Nash Country Daily as the band heads to Las Vegas for Sunday nightâs (April 2) ceremony, Matthew says the bandâknown for quirky hits like âBreak Up With Him,â âSnapbackâ and âSong for Another Timeââwas invited back to this yearâs show in a big way after winning the 2016 trophy for New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year.
This time theyâre nominated in one of the nightâs heavyweight categoriesâVocal Group of the Yearâand theyâll give a full performance instead of the 90-second quick-hitter they delivered last year. Itâs just more evidence that the band has broken through to countryâs mainstream, and now the nerves are starting to set in.
âLast year when we played, it was such a short, little thing that I didnât really get nervous until we got done,â Matthew admits. âWe were walking offstage and I was like âThat just happened!ââ
Theyâll play ALL of their brand-new single, âNo Such Thing as a Broken Heart,â at this yearâs show, giving many fans the first taste of their hotly anticipated second albumâand the follow-up to 2015âs deliriously fun Meat & Candy.
Full of inspiring lyrics and sung with bold enthusiasm, Matthew and company will unleash âNo Such Thing as a Broken Heartâ on the same stage as superstars like Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Chris Stapleton, but since they were only asked to do it a week ago, theyâre still not even sure what to expect. Luckily, theyâve been playing the new song in their sets on tour.
âAt least we wont be learning the song on the big stage,â Matthew says.
As for their nomination, the lighthearted singer/songwriter figures he and the band have about a snowballâs chance in hell of beating Little Big Townââthe juggernautsâ of the field have won the Vocal Group prize at three of the last four ACMs. But thatâs fine by himâjust hearing their name called in the same breath as those stars will be âmind-bending,â says Matthew.
In addition to their ACM Awards show performance, the group has a spot on the ACM Pool Party for a Cause stage on April 1, as well as countless interviews and other appearances, so Matthew says visiting Sin City wonât be much of a vacation this year. But now that Old Dominion has been admitted to the club, Matthew is ready to take care of business.
âItâs a lot of business,â he says. âBut our business is a fun one.â
Old Dominionâs second album is tentatively slated for release later this year. Shane McAnally, who produced Meat & Candy, is once again producing Old Dominionâs new album.
The 52nd ACM Awards air live Sunday, April 2, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
main photo courtesy of Academy of Country Music