Still cresting the wave of landing the 2018 CCMA award for Songwriter of the Year, singer Aaron Goodvin is ramped up about hosting the Association of Country Music Awards on Jan. 27th at the Sheraton.

His latest single, You Are, also just received one million streams on Spotify, and marks his fourth consecutive Top 10 single.

And his latest disc, V, is set for release Feb. 15th.

These days, he’s prepping for his hosting gig in Red Deer and is excited at the prospect. He’ll be performing during the show as well.

“I had never thought of myself as someone who would do that,” he said during a recent chat. “And one of the cool things that people have picked up on I think is that I love to talk to the audience during my shows.

“I think maybe some people saw that and thought, hmmm, he might be a good host,” he added with a laugh. “I’m honoured to do it. And I love to be onstage with a microphone in my hand so it’s no problem!”

Goodvin released his 2016 self-titled debut disc after already proving he was quite the songwriter, having penned Out Like That for Luke Bryan’s multi-platinum CD Crash My Party.

It wasn’t long before audiences began to take note of his own unique talent.

In 2016, he also enjoyed his first Top 10 hit with the single Woman In Love but it wasn’t until the summer of 2017 and the release of Lonely Drum that things started to explode.

The single landed more than one million YouTube views on the video and five million streams.

Writing is what Goodvin has really been all about ever since he relocated from his hometown in Spirit River, Alberta to Nashville.

He recalls a love for music coming along pretty early in life.

“My family all plays – both my parents play guitar,” he explained. “My uncles were also always playing around the campfire, so I grew up with that. It was the normal thing for me.

“My family is also very tight-knit – most of us are from Alberta and we also do a camping trip every year that we’ve done for 35-plus years. We go out to B.C. and camp, and I grew up doing that. Any excuse my family could have to get together, we would do it.”

Music was, and is, an intrinsic part of those gatherings, he added.

Goodvin didn’t start playing guitar himself until he was about 12. “I started lessons, and we got a karaoke machine when I was about 12 as well. My sister and I would always goof off in our living room singing songs, so it didn’t take long for me to sort of fall into country music after that,” he said.

His journey to where he is today unfolded rather organically, with a growing list of gigs here and there and a growing confidence in himself in terms of his own songwriting and performance.

“There were a couple of turning points. The first time I got on stage, I was 12. It was during a karaoke contest in Grande Prairie – it was literally in the mall, so it was one of those awkward mall things,” he added with a laugh.

“I remember being onstage and getting that rush, and I think that was one of the main things. So we kind of kept just pressing on with it,” he said. “I was always looking for a place to play.”

Goodvin also took part in a Vocal Spotlight competition several times, which led to more shows. Around that time, he started his own band and the guys hit the bar circuit.

Around the time he was 23, he landed an invite to Nashville, and as mentioned, that’s when the wheels really started turning.

In terms of the upcoming album, Goodvin couldn’t be happier with the results.

“We’ve gone out on the road and we’ve seen what people like – we’ve been able to hone the set list to find out what people want to hear from me.” That’s helped to guide what ultimately made it onto the record. And Goodvin has plenty to choose from. “I’ve probably written 100 songs a year since I’ve been here (in Nashville). And I’ve been here for eight years.”

Another single called Bars and Churches will be featured on the disc, and is set for release as a single in April.

“We’ve been playing Bars and Churches on the road, and it’s just kind of one of those epic songs. And it kind of got everything started for me here in the U.S. It’s a really big piece to the record.”

Meanwhile, being in Nashville has been a terrific means of stirring up his own creativity.

“The best part of Nashville is the people here who I love to work with and who I love to write with.”