Article author:
Associated Press
Kristin M. Hall
Nashville, Tennessee (AP) — Singer-songwriter Luke Combs rises to unprecedented country top this year Has made a big leap in. Music both personally and professionally.
North Carolina-born singer, Billboard record for 14 consecutive No. 1 country airplay singles with hits such as "Beer Never Broke My Heart" and "Beautiful Crazy", which graduated from the arena and sold out football. Is holding. This year's stadium.
But when the 32-year-old Combs was preparing to sing in front of the packed Nissan Stadium at the CMA Fest last month, he was thinking more personally.
There is a hospital bag in his truck parked in the stadium, informing him that his wife Nicole is ready to give birth to his first child. I was waiting. After all, Combs became the first dad to have his son Tech Lawrence Combs on Father's Day.
"When I get off the stage tonight, my next trip seems to be my parents," Combs said behind the scenes at Nissan Stadium in early June. "It's like my only focus after this."
This year's active CMA entertainers have been focused on getting to their current location for the past decade. But he's climbing a peak that most country artists never reach, so his heart is in the unknown of being a new parent.
"I haven't worked in any other way in the last decade other than trying to do my best in what I'm doing," Combs recalled. "Therefore, trying to figure out how to balance these two is a bit stressful, but very exciting."
His new title, "Growin" 'Up' shows that Combs is aware of what the transition was for him. The lead song "Doin'This" is an autobiographical reflection of the idea that he was singing at a bar in an unnamed town on Friday night, even if no one found him.
"It wasn't about the amount of success or the number of prizes you have," he said. "You are grateful to be able to do that."
Despite being scaled up, it was the loyalty to those who first believed in him that underpinned him. , Bringing in people who felt they deserved a chance in the big league. He's like recording a song he wrote with guitar technician Jaime Davis and cutting a duet with superstar Miranda Lambert. His manager, Chris Kappy, had no control over the artist until he persuaded Combs to represent him.
"Many band members, many of the players playing in the stadium are the same players who originally played the club with him," Randy Goodman said. Told. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sony Music Nashville.
Goodman said that when he signed Combs, the young singer already had a strong fan base packed with shows.
"Even at that moment he had a self-awareness of its skillful aspects, maturity, his instruments, his voice and the songs and connections he was singing. I did, "Goodman said.
This year's tour will feature only three stadiums. More stadium gigs are possible in the future as the first shows will be held in Denver and Seattle earlier this year, and one in Atlanta on July 30th. Combs admits that he is more cautious than some of the team when it comes to booking a stadium.
"If a failure occurs, it will be much more spectacular, like more public display than if it failed at the bar," Combs said. I said with a laugh.
He also wanted to focus on completing the album and delivering the best songs to where he was playing.
"There is no pyro. There is no fire. There are no bells or whistles," he said. "If you can't live and die in a song in this business, it won't last long, and I think it's very important to what we do. There's always a moment of me and the guitar in the show. We. It's been the case since he played at the bar, and it's the same at the stadium. "
As the leading music discovery tool, the transition from traditional radio to streaming is more than any other format. It's also a slow format, and Combs is great for both. And he's watching the number of streams very carefully while planning those setlists.
"I'm not very proud to see the analysis," he said. "It's not hard to go." Fans are listening to this song more than they are. "
Goodman's goal for the next few years is to put Combs on the world stage. That is. According to Goodman, he has already invaded by touring pre-pandemic Britain and Europe, where fans find him primarily through streaming.
"I see Luke doing what he is doing now in the United States in the near future in other parts of the world, which has been done by artists in most countries so far. It was a playground, an arena, a stadium. I never even thought it was possible, "Goodman said.
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