Even with two CMA Awards trophies already sitting on his mantel at home, Dierks Bentley says the validation of being nominated never loses its luster. The singer-songwriter, whose career has skyrocketed in the past few years, scored four nominations when the nominees for the 50th annual CMAs were announced Wednesday morning.

“There’s so many talented people in this town, so anybody who thinks [the honor is] a cliché has no idea how hard it is to make it,” he tells Rolling Stone Country. “It’s a really big deal to be one of the five people on any one of these cards I’m holding. So for a new artists out there, or maybe an artist who’s been struggling for a little while and they’re finding their footing again and are on one of these lists, it’s a tremendous honor.”

Bentley, who helped reveal the 2016 nominees with Keith Urban and Cam onstage at the Opry House this morning in Nashville, is tied for second on the list of total nominations, competing for Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Black), Musical Event of the Year (“Different for Girls” with Elle King) and Video of the Year (“Somewhere on a Beach”). He compares the waiting game until the winners are announced this fall to a nice stiff drink.

“You get to soak this in until November 2nd,” Bentley says. “For me, I’m nominated for four things, so hey, I’ve got months to enjoy this. It’s like a good shot of whiskey, you just sip on it.

“You might get to the end of it and not win, but you’ve got months to really enjoy it and a lot of your friends will come up and congratulate you,” he continues. “It’s a really nice period when you’re between the nominations and the actual awards show.”

The 50th annual CMA Awards air live Wednesday, November 2nd, at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Check out the full list of nominees here.

– Rolling Stone