Luke Combs

Luke Albert Combs (born March 2, 1990) is an American country singer. He was born in North Carolina and grew up there, performing as a child. After leaving college to pursue a career in music, he moved to Nashville and released his debut EP, ''The Way She Rides'', in 2014.

In 2017, Combs released his debut album, '' This One's for You'', which reached number four on the ''Billboard'' 200. His second album, ''What You See Is What You Get'', was released on November 8, 2019 and topped the charts in multiple territories, becoming his first to do accomplish that. He has received three Grammy Award nominations, two iHeart Radio music awards, four Academy of Country Music Awards, and six Country Music Association Awards including the 2021 and 2022 Entertainer of the Year award, their highest honor.

Early life

Combs was born in Huntersville, North Carolina adjacent to Charlotte, the only child of Rhonda and Chester Combs. The family moved to Asheville in western North Carolina. As a child he performed in chorus class, multiple school musicals, and joined his church choir, which had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall.

He attended Appalachian State University, where he studied business and later switched to criminal justice intending to be a homicide detective. While in college, he worked as a bouncer at a bar before being on stage in that same bar. He played his first country music show at the Parthenon Cafe in Boone, North Carolina. After five years and with 21 hours left on his degree, he dropped out to follow a country music career path. He later moved to Nashville pursuing more opportunities in music.

Career

2014–2019: Beginnings and ''This One's For You''

Combs released his first EP, ''The Way She Rides'', in February 2014. Later that year, he released his second EP, ''Can I Get an Outlaw''. In November 2015 he released his third EP, ''This One's for You''. In late 2016, he was named one of Sounds Like Nashville's "Artists to Watch". In 2016, his first single, "Hurricane", sold 15,000 copies in its first week, and debuted at number 46 on Hot Country Songs. He signed a deal with Sony Music Nashville, and the debut single from ''This One's for You'', "Hurricane", was re-released on Columbia Nashville. "Hurricane" reached number one on the country radio airplay chart on May 15, 2017, holding that spot for two weeks.

In June 2017, he released his major label debut album, also titled '' This One's for You,'' on Columbia Nashville and River House Artists. It hit number one on ''Billboard''s Top Country Albums and number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 in its first week. The album's second single, " When It Rains It Pours", was released to country radio on June 19, 2017. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart in October 2017. The album's third single, " One Number Away", was released to country radio on January 8, 2018. In June 2018, he released a deluxe version titled ''This One's for You Too'', with five bonus tracks, two of which (" She Got the Best of Me" and " Beautiful Crazy") were issued as singles with both reaching number-one. " Beautiful Crazy" reached number one on Country Airplay in February 2019, giving him five number-ones on the ''Billboard'' country chart with his first five singles. The song reached number one on three additional country charts – Hot Country Songs, Country Streaming Songs, and Country Digital Song Sales.

2019–2021: ''What You See Is What You Get''

On June 11, 2019, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. In August 2019, ''This One's for You'' spent its 44th week at number one on Top Country Albums, setting the record for the longest reign at the top of that chart by a male artist. His second album, ''What You See Is What You Get'', was released on November 8, 2019. The album has charted the singles " Beer Never Broke My Heart", " Even Though I'm Leaving", " Does to Me" (a duet with Eric Church), and " Lovin' on You", all of which have reached number one on the country chart.

In May 2020, he released the single " Six Feet Apart". The single quickly became popular to listeners as it illustrated the challenges of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020 he confirmed his next single would be " Lovin' on You", which was released on both his second album and the EP '' The Prequel'', which predated the album. He announced a deluxe version of ''What You See Is What You Get'', titled ''What You See Ain't Always What You Get'', with five new songs; it was released on October 23, 2020. The track " Forever After All" set streaming records in country music on Apple Music and Spotify.

2022–2023: ''Growin' Up'' and ''Gettin' Old''

''Growin' Up'', his third album, was released on June 24, 2022. The album has charted the singles "Doin' This"; " The Kind of Love We Make", which reached number one on the country chart and number eight on the Hot 100; and " Going, Going, Gone". In May 2023 Combs collaborated with English star Ed Sheeran on the single " Life Goes On". Following the release of the single, Sheeran's solo version of the song was released on his fifth studio album '' - (Subtract)''.

His fourth album, '' Gettin' Old'', was released on March 24, 2023. A promotional single, " Growin' Up and Gettin' Old", and a single, " Love You Anyway", were released ahead of the album. His cover of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" was streamed more than 65 million times on Spotify in less than two months after the album was released, making it the most popular song from the album on that platform. Combs's version of "Fast Car" reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, higher than Chapman's original 1988 version, and No. 1 on the US Adult Top 40, US Country Airplay and US Hot Country Songs charts, as well as No. 1 on the Canada Country charts. The song garnered Combs the Single of the Year at the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards on November 8, 2023. At the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, Combs performed a duet of the song with Chapman.
He counts the song as his first favorite song and having an impact on him since he was a child.

2024–present: ''Fathers & Sons''

In May 2024, Combs released " Ain't No Love in Oklahoma", the lead single from the '' Twisters'' soundtrack. Combs released "The Man He Sees in Me" on June 6, 2024, along with the announcement of his fifth studio album titled '' Fathers & Sons'', which was released on June 14, 2024.

Combs and Eric Church put together the "Concert for Carolina" on October 26, 2024 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, which raised over $24 million for Hurricane Helene relief.

Personal life

In early 2016, Combs started dating Nicole Hocking, and the two became engaged in November 2018. They married in Florida on August 1, 2020. On June 19, 2022, they had their first son. On August 15, 2023, their second son was born.

Combs began to struggle with anxiety and primarily obsessional obsessive compulsive disorder in adolescence through his college years; he has said that while it is something he has learned to control better, he still struggles with obsessive thoughts from time to time.

In 2023, Combs obtained a $250,000 SAD Scheme default judgment against Nicol Harness inadvertently, who was a fan who had sold $380 worth of tumblers featuring a likeness of Combs. Combs subsequently issued an apology, sent Harness $11,000, and offered to sell the tumblers through his official merchandise store to assist with Harness's medical bills.

Discography

*'' This One's for You'' (2017)
*''What You See Is What You Get'' (2019)
*'' Growin' Up'' (2022)
*'' Gettin' Old'' (2023)
*'' Fathers & Sons'' (2024)

Tours

Headlining
*Don't Tempt Me with a Good Time Tour (2017–18)
*Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour (2019)
*What You See Is What You Get Tour (2020–21)
* Luke Combs World Tour (2023)
*Growin' Up and Gettin' Old Tour (2024)

Supporting
*The Devil Don't Sleep Tour (2017) with Brantley Gilbert
*High Noon Neon Tour (2018) with Jason Aldean
*Here on Earth Tour (2020) with Tim McGraw

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Combs, Luke
1990 births
Living people
21st-century American singer-songwriters
21st-century American male singers
American country singer-songwriters
Country pop musicians
American male singer-songwriters
Country musicians from North Carolina
Musicians from Asheville, North Carolina
Singer-songwriters from North Carolina
People with obsessive–compulsive disorder