Dierks Bentley jumped at the chance to co-host this year’s ACM Awards with his pal, Luke Bryan. It seems the Phoenix native is always up for a challenge, such as when he was learning how to pilot his own plane or taking chances with his music or seizing new opportunities to stretch himself, like hosting a major awards show.

“I’m constantly picking things up just to see if I can do them, and I view music that way in some ways. I try to challenge myself to make better records,” says Dierks. “The idea of hosting the ACMs – that’s pretty crazy. Yeah, let’s give it a shot and see what happens. So, it should be a lot of fun. I feel pretty comfortable with Luke, obviously, being around him, and I’ve watched those guys the last couple of years, and I think I can get up there and take a shot at it.”

The 51st Academy of Country Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas April 3rd at 8pm ET/PT delayed on CBS.

Dierks is making his way up the charts with “Somewhere on a Beach,” his fastest rising single to-date.