Zack Massey
Luke Combs is having his most successful year yet.
He recently celebrated his ninth consecutive No. 1 country song, “Lovin’ On You,” and made history as the first artist to have their first two studio albums spend 25 weeks (or more) at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart—breaking Taylor Swift’s record of 24 weeks.
This month Combs released a new deluxe album What You See Ain’t Always What You Get on Oct. 23, which included all 18 of the tracks from his platinum sophomore album What You See Is What You Get, as well as five new songs. In September, Combs was on hand to announce the nominations for the 54th Annual CMA Awards and learned he was up for six himself—including the coveted Entertainer of the Year Award. And if all that wasn’t enough, Combs married longtime love Nicole Hocking at a small ceremony in Key West on August 1.
While that may sound like a lot, Combs isn’t used to anything less. One of the hardest working guys in country music, Combs spent most of last year on the road with his successful “Beer Never Broke My Heart Tour,” which included two sold-out shows at Bridgestone Arena. Along the way he picked up a string of awards and played Saturday Night Live (the only country star to do so for the show’s entire season). That last accolade was a benchmark for the North Carolina native.
“That was a career moment for me,” he says. “I grew up watching SNL with my dad every Saturday night. Being there was surreal. Meeting Lorne Michaels; Alec Baldwin popped in my dressing room and was like, ‘Hey man, you’re really great!’ It was all just so cool. There’s a feeling in the air there that’s different than anywhere else. It was really neat to get asked to do it.”
Now that COVID has put a pause in his touring plans, he’s finding other ways to engage with his fans, including livestream shows and writing new music, including the on-point ballad “Six Feet Apart.” And he’s finding plenty of time for the things that matter most.
“We were planning a stadium tour for this year, and we had two nights at Madison Square Garden, so all that has been pushed back,” says Combs. “It’s been a great year for chill time, which I haven’t had in five years, so that’s been nice. And it’s given us an opportunity to do a lot of things we haven’t gotten to do, especially getting married. I’ve learned that I really value my free time, so having the extra time with my family and friends has been nice. I appreciate the opportunities I’ve been afforded and am able to afford, but it’s been nice to not be that country singer guy all the time.”