NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Eric Church will be angry when he walks out on stage to perform at the Country Music Association Awards tomorrow.

He says he has a huge chip on his shoulder from all the times when other artists got things he didn’t and when he couldn’t get a song played on the radio. He carries that with him when he’s on stage, and he believes it makes him a better performer. Church is the lead CMA Awards nominee, and he says no one is more surprised about that than he is.