ABC/Image Group LASure, Dierks Bentley may be a headlining star with the number-one album in the country, but the man behind Black works to never forget that deep down, he’s just like the people who come to see him — a country fan.
“You know whenever I’m signing or stuff like that, I don’t use a chair, I don’t sit at a table, I stand up just like they do,” Dierks says. “And I’ll stand for six hours just as long as they are, and try to be present with everyone I talk to. And it might only be ten seconds… but I try to get as much out of that interaction as I possibly can.”
Thursday night at CMA Music Festival, Dierks surprised the audience, bringing “Ex’s and Oh’s” hitmaker Elle King on stage to sing their new duet, “Different for Girls.” He confesses it’s been a particular thrill to get to show her exactly how wonderful the country community is.
“People who come from outside the genre just don’t know what Nashville’s like, what the fans are like, how appreciative they are of people. Like Minnie Pearl said, ‘Love ’em and they’ll love you back.’ That still holds true today. It’s been fun watching her be around all this. I don’t think she can believe it, how cool everyone is.”
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