Reba McEntire isn't ready to step back and reflect on all the years she's hosted awards shows like the CMA Awards and ACM Awards. One day after the Country Music Association confirmed she won't be brought back for 2021, the Hall of Fame singer sounded more like a woman looking for the next opportunity than a woman defeated.

Simply put, McEntire loves live television.

"I do love doing awards shows," she eagerly tells Taste of Country Nights. "They’re a lot of fun and exciting. It's adrenaline-flowing."

In breaking the news of a new host for 2021, Billboard added up a historic 20 country awards shows that were hosted or co-hosted by McEntire. Blake Shelton, Vince Gill, Hank Williams Jr. and Randy Travis were just a few of her co-hosts along the way. The hardest part, she shares, is finding clothes to host, because you have to wear outfits that are fresh and truly unique. Off-the-rack items just won't do for country music's biggest nights.

As for who should host next? McEntire wouldn't offer an opinion, but she did readily offer advice to anyone interested in hosting, noting that it takes one special quality.

"You've got to be direct-able," she says. "Because if you’re running over, or running short … you've got to adapt to that. You can't be locked into, 'This is the way it's going to be and there's not going to be any changes.'"

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This year's CMA Awards host has not yet been announced, but the CMAs confirmed they'd be moving on from McEntire, who co-hosted with Darius Rucker in 2020. She was first to share that she had not yet been invited to host, leading to Billboard's request for comment.

There was no air of disappointment as she spoke to ToC Nights, however. A very energetic country music icon described past awards show experiences, as well as how natural it felt to record Revised, Remixed and Revisited, her box set which is due on Oct. 8. Taste of Country will have more on from the interview coming on Friday.

See Reba McEntire Pictures, Through the Years

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