Charles Esten Excitedly Kicks Off CMA Fest at Celebrity Softball Game
Charles Esten has had a busy schedule following the launch of his 2024 Love Ain’t Pretty Tour with stops in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, and more in recent weeks. Now that he’s back in the United States, the Outer Banks star and country singer is ready to take on CMA Fest in Nashville. To Charles Esten, the CMA Fest is a huge deal.
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Esten kicked off his CMA Fest week by playing in the 4th annual Rock ‘N Jock Celebrity Softball Game on June 3, benefiting Folds of Honor TN, a nonprofit organization raising funds to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen military members and first responders.
Next up, Esten is among the star-studded lineup for the sold-out CMA Fest event, ‘Tracy Lawrence and Friends,’ this Saturday, June 8 at the Ascend Amphitheatre, which he says “blows my mind” that he gets to be a part of a show with Lawrence and “sing a couple songs.”
“I came to town about 12 years ago, to do a little show called Nashville, and I’ll never forget. I had no idea what CMA Fest was, and I got to partake of it rather quickly. And, I don’t know, I just have been excited about it from the start, I think because I came here later,” Esten told Backstage Country.
He continued, “There’s not a jaded bone in my body. I love country music and I just love it being celebrated, this beautiful week. So to me, this great cause is always the kickoff of CMA Fest. So, I’m just excited in general.”
When Esten heads back out on the road later this month, he’ll make stops in Maryland, Vigirnia, Connecticut, and more. His current headlining tour marks the first tour he’s ever done in support of an album. He’s promoting his debut album, Love Ain’t Pretty.
The singer-songwriter released the 14 track collection, produced by Marshall Altman, at the top of the year. Esten’s Love Ain’t Pretty album features “A Little Right Now,” “Another Song About You,” “Candlelight,” and “Willing To Try.”
“That’s been the most special thing I think: I’ve never toured an album before. I’ve had singles before, but just the unity of an album means that when I’m out there, I could see them singing the words back. You can tell what their favorite song is off the album. That makes these concerts even a little bit more special. So I’ve been really enjoying that part of it,” Esten said.