Elle King on Hosting Nashville’s NYE ‘Big Bash’: “I Love This Job”

Elle King is set to host New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash this year for a second time. King will be joined by cohost Rachel Smith during the event, which promises to help ring in 2024 with the biggest stars in Music City.

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“I’m so excited they asked me back again, I guess I didn’t screw up too badly last year,” King tells American Songwriter of her second time hosting. “I love this job. I get to just be myself and interview some of the best artists in country music, and perform a few of my songs too. Plus co-hosting with my girl Rachel is always a blast. It’s just a fun night for me.”

[New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash: Get Tickets]

The event boasts a star-studded lineup, featuring the likes of Lainey Wilson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blake Shelton, Carly Pearce, Morgan Wallen, Thomas Rhett, and more.

“I’m always excited to see Lainey perform,” King continues. “I’m such a fan of her music and I love to celebrate with friends! Also, Lynyrd Skynyrd will be there and that’s pretty cool. There are a lot of special surprises in store so tune in, you don’t want to miss it!”

King brought her trademark humor to the Big Bash last year. According to King, the gig reminded her “how lucky am I to live in this great city with such an amazing creative and welcoming community.”

[RELATED: Blake Shelton and Carly Pearce Join Nashville’s New Year’s Eve Lineup]

“I get to do this cool job hosting and singing and then go home and get in my bed,” she says. “The second thing is that last year I made a commitment to myself that I wasn’t going to drink until midnight. I was almost perfect, but there was one iconic band in particular that kept on me to have a shot with them, so I did a baby shot just before midnight – which for me is no shot at all – so I think I made it!”

New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash will air live on CBS on Sunday, December 31. The show will be split up into two parts. The first half of the show will run from 7:30-10:00 pm ET/PT. Then, CBS stations will break for news coverage. The second half of the show will kick off at 10:30 and run until 1:05 am ET/PT.

Photo by Jason Davis/Getty Images

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