Sam Hunt Admits He’s Nervous About His CMT Performance

Sam Hunt admits he is nervous about his CMT performance on Sunday (4/7). He will perform his new song "Locked Up" at the CMT Music Awards in Texas.

Sam told us in an interview this week (4/2) his plans for the performance, "I'm gonna try to recreate some of that 'Folsom Prison' vibe. I don't know if we settled on exactly how much they're gonna let us do with how we're gonna recreate that scene, but we're gonna try to go for it if we can."

It's been a while since Hunt performed on a country music award show. He admitted that he is a bit nervous, "I did a run of award shows for years and haven't done any in a while, especially in country. The country music award shows there are a lot of new acts, and the artists I would call peers has changed."

"There was a time when I knew everybody and had at least an acquaintance relationship with everybody; now, there are a lot of them that I don't know. I see 'em, I listen to their music, and I'm a fan of a lot of them."

He added, "I think it will be interesting to play in front of what feels like a slightly different award show audience in terms of the industry and my peers that would have been here, maybe in 2016 or 2017. Because of that, maybe there are a few more butterflies just because I'm not as comfortable and don't feel like part of the current club."

Hunt concluded, "I think it will be fine. There are a lot of folks that I still know, a lot of familiar faces, and the fans. They've been with me a long time, and I'm very appreciative."

The 2024 CMT Music Awards will air on Sunday (4/7) on CBS.

Sam on the red carpet at the CMT Music Awards in 2016.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images 

In the same interview, the country star told us that he has struggled in the past: "I certainly have a wayward streak, a wider wayward streak than Hannah does; I don't know that she has one at all."

He explained, "Since I was twelve or thirteen or fourteen years old, I've been trying to wrestle that part of me into submission and bring it to heal. It has taken a long time, and my relationship with Hannah and God has been an important part of making progress in that department."

One more thing helped him to change for the better. He told us, "Having kids has been a huge part of that as well. I think having children wisened me up in a way that I don't think anything else could have."

Sam Hunt celebrates his 39th birthday today (12/8) as a new dad to he and his wife Hannah's second child. Sam kept the birth of his new baby under wraps until after Thanksgiving when he posted a photo of his family on Instagram. In the picture, you see his wife Hannah, daughter Lucy, and a new baby.

Recently, a rep for his management told People magazine that he and his wife Hannah welcomed a baby boy named Lowry Lee on Tuesday, October 24.

Their second child's name comes from his parents — Lowry is Hunt's middle name, and Lee is Fowler's. Lowry joins big sister Lucy Louise, who is 18 months old.

Sam announced quietly Baby Hunt No. 2 had arrived with a social post on Instagram, including a photo of him and his wife, his 2-year-old daughter Lucy Louise, and his wife holding the new baby.

He captioned the photo the day after Thanksgiving (11/24), "Thank you, Lord."

You can see the post here.

Hunt recently announced his "Outskirts Tour 2024," which Live Nation produced. The five-time Grammy nominee and Diamond-selling artist sets course for his arena headlining tour with a February 22 kickoff in Grand Rapids, plus stops in Louisville, Nashville, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and more.

Special guests include Brett Young and fellow Georgia native Lily Rose.

Sam also released a new song in October (2023) called "Came The Closest." He wrote the new tune with Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne.

Hunt has been making a name for himself in country music since 2014, when he released his debut country album, Montevallo. Since then, he has released some great music videos. As Sam celebrates his birthday with his family today (12/8), we look at some of his best music videos.

It's hard to believe that Sam Hunt never had an official music video release for his biggest song, which is diamond-certified for moving 10 million units. However, the popular song does have an official lyric video. The video, which has over 27 million views on YouTube, features the song and lyrics over vintage video clips of youngsters doing motocross.

Two music videos were produced for the song. The first music video premiered in August 2014. The video shows Sam performing at a festival and clips of him playing sports with band members and having fun in various situations with the band on the road.

A second "alternate" music video premiered in June 2015. this video is a little more produced, with Sam singing to the camera and showing him partying and performing at a small Nashville club.

The video was shot in Macon County, Tennessee. This dramatic video shows Sam's acting skills as he works through a tough breakup in a small town, complete with his small house burning. The song was inspired by his breakup with his then-girlfriend Hannah Lee Fowler, whom he has since married and now has two kids.

This video won Breakthrough Video of the Year at the 2015 CMT Music Awards in Nashville. In the video, Sam sings while he portrays a Yellow Cab driver in Nashville. The video also features his cab passengers, many wearing cowboy hats and drinking, dancing along as Hunt sings the uptempo catchy song.

The video's dramatic storyline involves domestic violence. In the video, Sam's character witnesses several instances of a tattooed man abusing his young girlfriend in public, including at a biker bar and a coin-operated laundry. Together, the two have a baby. Near the end of the video, the woman tries to leave with her baby when the boyfriend comes outside to stop her. When he begins hitting her, Hunt, who happens to be walking by the tattooed man's house, sees this and begins to fight with the man.