It's been a hell of a year for Dustin Lynch.
The "Cowboys and Angels" singer catapulted onto the country music scene following the release of his album, "Where It's At," last September. The title track off the record is Platinum-certified and the second single, "Hell of a Night," just hit No. 1 on both the Mediabase and Billboard Country Radio Airplay charts, finding a solid place on Billboard's Hot 100, as well.
"What I’ve learned over the last couple of years is to be present," Lynch told The Huffington Post in an interview ahead of his "Today" show debut last week. "You’re only going to get so many No. 1 songs, so you got to soak it all in. This is a huge win for not only me and my team, but my record label and this whole village of people that spend time away from their families on the road allowing my dreams to come true. I still crank the song up; try to blow the speakers with it."
The 30-year-old got his start alongside some other country up-and-comers, including Kip Moore, Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line, as he beat around the Nashville music scene. "It’s kind of weird, you have a class of people that rise at the same time in Nashville. We all played the club thing, we all got publishing deals, then this guy got a record deal, I got a record deal, and we all got songs on the radio together. It’s been neat growing together, and hopefully we’ll continue to grow together and keep on living the dream."
And living the dream he is. After opening up for acts like Keith Urban, and most recently Luke Bryan, Lynch is set to headline his own tour -- kicking off this November in Richmond, Virginia.
"It’s exciting, but a little nerve-wracking, too. There’s a lot more to do than when you’re a support act on another tour," he told HuffPost. "I’m nervous because I want my fans to leave and go, ‘Wow. That was worth the money and worth our time, let’s go do it again.' So whatever it takes to create that experience is what we’re going to do. If anyone has ever been to our show, it’s high-octane, high-energy -- we’re there to party," he continued. "We might give you a breather to go take a bathroom break once, but that’s about it!"
Lynch is not taking any of his success for granted and plans to hit the road for another 300-plus days this upcoming year.
"It's mind-blowing to me because I didn’t assume that people would buy my album or song, learn the words, spend money to come to a show and then sing it with me. It’s a crazy, crazy thing to think that this is real life right now," he said.
His biggest goal, though?
"I want to get home to my family on Christmas. Sounds like a movie, right?"
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