The 50th annual Academy of Country Music Awards are coming up on April 19, and Dierks Bentley is hoping 2015 is his year to shine. The "I Hold On" singer is up for seven awards, including Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year, which is sort of a big deal, since he's very superstitious.
"Seven has always been my lucky number. It’s on my guitar pick, in sports, that was always the number I was, and 'Riser' is my seventh album," Bentley told The Huffington Post. "With this album kind of coming to an end and having seven nominations at the ACMs, it feels like a bigger story in play for me and it’s the perfect number. I wouldn’t have wanted eight!"
Still, eight might have been nice, considering Bentley feels like he's always one step behind country superstar and pal, Miranda Lambert, who scooped up, you guessed it, eight ACM nominations.
"No matter what I do, I’m always one behind her nomination-wise," he said. "But the actual collection of awards, she’s a lot further along than anyone else in the business. I have such respect for her and getting anywhere near her level of achievement when it comes to award shows is pretty cool."
Bentley has had his fair share of nominations over the years, but his latest album has meant more to him than any other record he's completed. The 39-year-old has been in the music business since 2003 and has released hits such as "Every Mile a Memory," "Long Trip Alone," "Home" and, most recently, "Say You Do." Still, something about the tracks on "Riser" affect him more than any of the tunes he's sang on countless stages across the U.S.
"I just try to make the best records that I can and make sure I’m leaving something behind that I’m really proud of. I feel like I did that for 'Riser' and the rest is kind of working out," Bentley said, adding that his hope is to take home the ACM for Album of the Year.
“'I Hold On' is a special song for me, so if that won, that would be incredible. But I think the award that would really mean the most is Album of the Year. Everyone makes a record and it probably feels like it’s a special process completing it, and I felt that way about all my records, but there was some magic on this record," he said. "A lot of life events just surrounded this record and I feel like it was captured in the music."
Dierks Bentley performs at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 19, at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.