Luke Bryan may be a CMA Fest veteran by now, but his love for the festival hasn't wavered.

"I truly love [CMA Fest] for hundreds of reasons," shares Luke. "I always remember my first ones and starting out and doing River Stages and always dreaming of coming over here and performing at LP Field (now Nissan Stadium) and all of the stuff building the fan base early in the week."

"It's an amazing week for Nashville, and it’s a great week for me," adds the "But I Got A Beer In My Hand" singer. "And then I get to be home and do all this stuff. It’s always been a fun week for me. A lot of my family always comes in for this week."

Luke's set to perform at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, June 11. So if you're in Music City for CMA Fest, don't miss it.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreLuke Bryan always enjoys being at CMA Fest

Albums, posters and T-shirts aren't the only things artists have to sign sometimes. There are other items like boots, cowboy hats and bandanas, especially if you're a country singer.

But, those are a far cry from one of the most bizarre things Dierks Bentley recalls autographing: "A baby’s head."

"Yeah, like a 2-week-old baby. I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to do it. The woman was like, 'Please.' I was like, 'Alright,'" Dierks recounts. "The head at that point is so vulnerable, transparent, so I’m just hoping they didn’t get any ink in the child’s brain."

Dierks will be wearing multiple hats at this week's CMA Fest. On Thursday, June 8, he'll take the CMA Close Up Stage inside Fan Fair X for an Artist of the Day conversation hosted by Charlie Worsham. On Sunday, June 11, the "Gold" singer will perform his hits and more at Nissan Stadium.

Additionally, Dierks has been tapped to co-host CMA Fest with Lainey Wilson and Elle King. The three-hour television special is slated to air July 19 on ABC.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreDierks left his autograph on a baby's head: "I didn’t want to do it"

Fans aren't the only ones excited about CMA Fest. Artists are, too, especially "Come Back Song" hitmaker Darius Rucker.

"Music Fest is like nothing else. I say all the time that country music is the only genre that could have something like that. It’s truly amazing," shares Darius. "People are everywhere and they want to be your best friend. It’s always cool and I love coming here."

One thing that Darius continues to be in awe of? The string of artists who come together to perform for fans from everywhere.

"The thing that always gets me is the show. The fact that you can get that many superstars at one show all playing for free, for the same goal — to entertain those people that are in that stadium that come here for the whole week from all over the world," Darius notes. "They come here for one week to see country music, and it’s amazing that those artists say on Friday and Saturday night, 'This is country music, come on out.' That’s awesome."

Darius recently played his 14th annual Darius and Friends benefit concert at the Ryman Auditorium. The event, which benefitted St. Jude, featured surprise performances from Jake Owen, Jelly Roll, Hardy, Megan Moroney and Vince Gill.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreDarius Rucker loves how CMA Fest brings artists + fans together

Carrie Underwood is dropping a new song, "Take Me Out," on Friday, June 9.

"A new track is being added to the #DenimAndRhinestones era!" TeamCU announced on Carrie's Instagram. "#TakeMeOut will be available everywhere you listen to music tonight at midnight ET!"

Carrie's latest album, Denim & Rhinestones, dropped in June 2022 and features the singles "Ghost Story" and "Hate My Heart."

In March, the country superstar released a new single, "Out of That Truck."

Fans can head over to Carrie's latest Instagram post to hear a snippet of "Take Me Out" now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreCarrie Underwood teases a snippet of new song

Kane Brown has unveiled the music video for his latest single, "Bury Me in Georgia."

The monochrome video features various clips of Kane's high-energy performance of the track onstage, with footage of fans beaming at his shows included, as well.

"Bury Me in Georgia" is off Kane's third studio album, Different Man. The expansive 17-song project also spawned the hits "Thank God," "Like I Love Country Music" and "One Mississippi." 

Kane is currently on his Drunk or Dreaming Tour with upcoming stops in Colorado, New Mexico, Maine, Massachusetts and more. For the full schedule and tickets, visit Kane's website.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreKane Brown rolls out "Bury Me in Georgia" music video

Dustin Lynch's ready to go into full "party mode" with his first Pool Situation party in Nashville during CMA Fest.

"This is one of those, like, 'Duh, how did we not think of that until now? We should have a Pool Situation at CMA Fest,'" Dustin tells ABC Audio. "I hope [it's] something that goes off well and fans have fun at and appreciate. I think they will."

He teases, "I mean, I'm going to try and have as many guest artists as I can to join. It seems like a great opportunity to have some friends come out and join us. As every Pool Situation goes, the crowd dictates how crazy they get."

Looking ahead, Dustin's dreaming big for the longevity of his summery Pool Situation. 

"I would love for it to become an annual event, and just keep it special [and] continue to do Situations elsewhere," shares Dustin.

"We've done one in Las Vegas, we do one down in Mexico every year, and hopefully, that type of brand keeps growing for us. But Nashville seems like a great platform and an easy one," the "Stars Like Confetti" singer notes. "You know, fans are already there. It's kind of a built-in roster of artists already around town."

Dustin Lynch Pool Situation: Nashville takes place June 10 at Margaritaville Hotel Nashville.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreDustin Lynch is ecstatic about his debut Nashville Pool Situation at CMA Fest

Randy Travis surprised Josh Turner at the Grand Ole Opry with a plaque commemorating Josh's new RIAA certifications. Your Man is now an RIAA-certified three-times Platinum album, while the title track is a four-times Platinum single. Check out the photo on Facebook. 

New UMG Nashville signee and chart-topping country-Christian artist Anne Wilson has dropped a deeply personal new song, "Seventh of June." The powerful number was penned by Anne, Jeff Pardo and Matthew West, and chronicles Anne's profound grief and faith as she navigates the death anniversary of her older brother, Jacob.

Brothers Osborne have shared a special live performance video of their song "Rollercoaster (Forever And A Day)." The clip was filmed at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium. Preview it on Twitter and watch the full video on Facebook.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreNashville notes: Randy surprises Josh + Anne Wilson's "Seventh of June"

Ever wanted to own something from Carly Pearce's personal wardrobe collection? Well, here's your chance.

Carly's Closet returns to this year's CMA Fest on Thursday, June 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Noelle Nashville. The pop-up shop will allow fans to purchase items that Carly's owned and been decked out in.

"So excited to be bringing Carly’s Closet back for the 2nd year in a row at #CMAFest!" the "What He Didn't Do" hitmaker shared on Instagram. "It has been so fun looking at all of my wardrobe and finding some good pieces for y’all to choose from. Per Johnny & June’s request, we are excited to announce the ASPCA as Carly’s Closet’s charitable partner. See y’all there!"

If you're not in Nashville for CMA Fest, fret not. Exclusive online-only items will also be available to fans on TalkShopLive.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. Read moreShop Carly's Closet at CMA Fest + online