Luke Combs is preparing to take the stage at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards for a performance of his current single, “Going, Going, Gone.”
The country superstar will perform the tune for the first-time ever on a televised award show.
Ahead of “Music’s Biggest Night,” the six-time GRAMMY nominee opened up about his performance and the opportunity to perform at the coveted awards show.
“I’m going to be doing a song of mine called ‘Going, Going, Gone‘ from my last album that me and two of my friends wrote when we were in Montana and I have always loved this song and always believed in it ever since we wrote it,” Combs explained.
Combs Says “Going, Going, Gone” Is The “Perfect” Song Choice For The GRAMMYs
He said that he was “nervous” about releasing the song as it’s “different from things that we’ve done in the past,” but admits the tune is the “perfect fit for this show.”
“I’m excited for a lot of people who maybe never heard of me or listen to me before get a chance to at least hear me and go, ‘oh, this guy’s not so bad,’ or something,” Combs added. “Gain a couple fans somehow. So that would be fun.”
Luke Combs also admitted that he is “nervous” about performing the tune.
“I just came off doing my rehearsals and seeing everybody that’s going to be sitting out there and watching you perform,” Combs said. “Also, my performance starts out with just me and the guitar, which is like a little nervy, ya know? I’m not the best guitar player in the world. So, It makes me a little nervous, but I’m excited about it.”
He went on to share a few additional details about his upcoming performance.
“We added some strings to try to spice it up a little bit, but it’s exciting, but yeah, the beginning is really just me and the guitar and that’s not something that I’ve done… I mean I do it in my show every night, but I’ve never done it in this capacity. Obviously, I’ve never done it at the GRAMMYs, but have never done that at an awards show, where it’s just me and a guitar. So, nervous, but I’ve been practicing a little bit more than usual for this just to make sure I don’t mess up. It’s going to be fun though, it’s really exciting.”
Combs, who is one of three country artists performing at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, also told The Recording Academy that he still in disbelief that music would become his full time job.
“I didn’t believe this would happen,” Combs continued. ”I believed my job would be music in some capacity. My job would be being in a band or singing background vocals on people’s records, or being a demo singer, or being a songwriter, working at a publishing company. I just wanted to work in music. I just wanted to have a job that never felt like a job. That was the goal. It wasn’t to be famous or to be a big Garth Brooks or anything.”
He then added, “Those goals, kind of… as you continue to hone your craft, it’s like the statue that you’re ultimately sculpting begins to reveal itself. But you have to start by chiseling pieces away and figuring out what it looks like. So, I went into it with an open mind of, I know I can do this in some capacity, and then ultimately figuring out what that is has led me to here.”
The Tune Appears On Luke Combs’ Third Studio Album, Growin’ Up
Co-written by Combs alongside James McNair and Ray Fulcher, “Going, Going, Gone” is his current single at Country radio and has been a standout track from his third studio album, Growin’ Up, which was released in June of 2022.
“Like a runaway southbound train / Like an Arizona desert rain / Like lightning in the sky / Like fireworks in July / Like a left field home run ball / Like a whiskey shot at last call / It’s like she was made for moving on / That girl is going, going, gone,” Combs sings on the track’s chorus.
Luke Combs Is Nominated For Three GRAMMY Awards
Combs is currently nominated for three GRAMMY Awards, including Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Outrunnin’ Your Memory”), Best Country Song (“Doin’ This”) and Best Country Album, for his chart-topping 2022 project, Growin’ Up.
On Saturday (Feb. 4), Combs celebrated his nominations at the star-studded pre-GRAMMYs Gala that was attended by artists of all genres, including Chance The Rapper, Machine Gun Kelly, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Jennifer Hudson, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd, Carly Pearce, Melissa Etheridge, Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton and many more.
He and his wife, Nicole Hocking Combs, attended the annual Clive Davis party, which served as a tribute to industry icons Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
The couple, who welcomed their first child in June of 2022, had a date night at the star-studded event that took place one day before “Music’s Biggest Night.”
.@lukecombs & Wife Nicole at the Pre-GRAMMY Gala & GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons Honoring Julie Greenwald & Craig Kallman#pregrammygala pic.twitter.com/nTUMVs6ESO
— Award Show Update. (@AwardShowUpdate) February 5, 2023
Who Is Performing, Presenting During “Music Biggest Night” & When Are The 2023 GRAMMYS?
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature performances from Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more.
“Music’s Biggest Night” will also include an all-star 50th Anniversary celebration of hip hop, featuring performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort. LL COOL J will be on hand to introduce the segment and give a dedication to hip hop.
Several tributes will take place during the In Memoriam segment at the all-genre ceremony. Kacey Musgraves is set to take the stage to honor the late Loretta Lynn with a cover of Lynn’s signature hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” while Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt are slated to pay homage to late Fleetwood Mac member, Christine McVie, with a performance of McVie’s “Songbird.”
Maverick City Music and Quavo will remember the late Migos’ rapper, Takeoff, with a special tribute performance of “Without You,” a song that Quavo wrote after his passing.
Don't miss a second of GRAMMY Sunday. ✨
Tune in to the Premiere Ceremony, GRAMMY Live Red Carpet, and of course the 65th #GRAMMYs! pic.twitter.com/3UE7qivpdX
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 5, 2023
First Lady Jill Biden, Cardi B, James Corden, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Dwayne Johnson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain and more are confirmed to present during the ceremony.
Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations, including the prestigious Album Of The Year (Renaissance). Following behind Beyoncé are Kendrick Lamar with eight nods, Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven nominations as well as Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Future, The Dream and Randy Merrill have six. For a full list of 2023 GRAMMY nominees click HERE.
Prior to the GRAMMY Awards, several winners are being revealed during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in the City Of Angels. For a full list of winner, visit live.GRAMMY.com.
Co-hosted by GRAMMY-nominated comedian Trevor Noah, the 2023 GRAMMYs will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5 at 8/7c on CBS. The coveted awards ceremony is also scheduled to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.
