Russell Dickerson On Hosting the ACM Honors, His Song "Happen to Me" Going Viral & His New Album 'Famous Back Home"

Billboard

5 months ago

Russell Dickerson caught up with Lindsey Stirling on the red carpet at the ACM Honors 2025.

Transcript

00:00I'm here with Russell Dickerson, and tonight's a big night for you.

00:03It is your first time hosting the ACM Awards.

00:06How have you prepared for this moment?

00:08You know, just a lot of thinking about what I should be looking over,

00:13but not doing it, you know?

00:15And it's just, I feel like we're going to go out there,

00:18not cold turkey, we just ran through the whole thing.

00:20Okay.

00:21I got my binder, I've been reading my lines, so I'm ready.

00:25You are ready, I feel it.

00:26You feel that?

00:27I feel your aura is like confidence.

00:29Confident and ready.

00:30Did Carly give you any words of advice?

00:32She's done this five times.

00:33Yeah, she's the five-time host, and I am just following her lead.

00:39And during the run-through, we got the energy dialed, we got the band or the...

00:46I can't tell you how dialed in we are right now.

00:50You can know what she's thinking at this very moment.

00:52Yes, because we go way back.

00:53I mean, we go back to 2010, maybe.

00:57I mean, we've known each other a long time.

00:58I've been friends for a long time.

01:00So, yeah, we can kind of finish each other's sandwiches when it comes to that.

01:05As real friends do.

01:06Okay, so you had a massive hit with Happens to Me.

01:10Why do you think that song in particular has struck such a chord with people?

01:14Well, you know, the chorus kicks off with Girls Just Want to Have Fun.

01:17Just a little nod to sweet Cyndi Lauper.

01:21And, yeah, I don't know.

01:22I just feel like it's been the summer jam, and I can't explain why.

01:29I don't know why, but thank you to everyone who has listened to it and done the dance.

01:34We do have a little dance.

01:35I was just about to ask.

01:37I've heard about this dance.

01:38I've seen this dance.

01:40Was this your idea?

01:41Did you come up with it yourself?

01:42I did.

01:43You did?

01:43Yeah.

01:44I mean, I wasn't going to hire a choreographer.

01:47But, no, I just set up my camera, and I just did as many stupid dances that I knew how to do.

01:52And my video guy just chopped it all up.

01:56Next thing we know, it's like millions of views.

01:58And I was like, we don't do those kind of numbers normally, you know?

02:02So I knew something was up.

02:03So we just kept kind of feeding the beast and doing stupid dance moves.

02:06And now everybody has kind of made it their own, and it's the easiest thing.

02:11And it's just being yourself.

02:12It's being goofy.

02:13I think that's why it's taken off.

02:16Is dance in your future from now on now?

02:19It always is.

02:20You've always been a dancer.

02:21It's been a part of me.

02:23As the internet has now known.

02:25Yes.

02:26Okay, so your new album, Famous Back Home, comes out this Friday.

02:30Friday.

02:30Huge congrats.

02:31That is so much work.

02:32It is.

02:33Blood, sweat, and tears.

02:34Yeah.

02:34How are you feeling about it now that the baby is almost born?

02:37Yeah.

02:37I mean, I'm so hands-on with all of my records.

02:40I played so many things on this record and poured my heart and soul into it.

02:46I mean, Happened to Me may have been the first song off of this record.

02:49We wrote that in 2023.

02:52So we're almost three years into this record and putting in the blood, sweat, and tears.

02:57But I'm so proud of it.

02:59It's so freeing for me.

03:03Because I was just like, there's no fences.

03:06There's no boundaries.

03:07Who cares?

03:09And I just wrote from the heart.

03:10And I wrote just, there's heavy guitars.

03:14There's some attitude.

03:16There's some big, bold, boisterous bass note.

03:21I don't know.

03:21All the big things.

03:24Bees.

03:24All the bees.

03:26Bold bass.

03:26It's all the bees' knees, too.

03:28Well, I can't wait to hear all the bees, all the boldness.

03:31But congrats on just a really great chapter, it sounds like, that has kicked off for you.

03:36Yeah.

03:37And have so much fun tonight.

03:38Congratulations.

03:39Fun is the word.

03:40Fun is the magic word tonight.

03:42Good.

03:42I can feel it.

03:43Feel the vibes.

03:44Yes.

Russell Dickerson On Hosting the ACM Honors, His Song "Happen to Me" Going Viral & His New Album 'Famous Back Home" | ACM Honors 2025

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