Seemingly overnight, Luke Combs went from being a local performer to country music superstar.
But this crooner does more than just sing, and his path to chart domination was nothing
but straight. Grab your camo Crocs, because this is the untold truth of Luke Combs.
Combs' original career path looked a whole lot different than a country musician touring
around stadiums. In an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, he told the titular host:
"I wanted to be a homicide detective."
His college major was actually criminal justice. The singer said this often surprises people.
"If you've noticed, I don't actually have the physical build of a police officer necessarily."
So, he and Kimmel agreed that perhaps going "undercover" would be the best role for Combs
in the field.
What inspired this love for justice? TV shows like CSI definitely helped. As Combs said,
"It was solving the puzzle that was the intriguing part to me, which is what I love so much about
writing songs. It's a puzzle that has no pieces. So, you make the pieces and then you have
to put them together."
Add puzzle-solving to his list of talents. Maybe he can be a singing detective on the
next CSI?
One of the most memorable shows for any musician is their first. In a chat with Pollstar, Combs
talked about trying to play in different areas around campus when he attended Appalachian
State University in Boone, North Carolina, saying:
"I was in college, working two jobs, and there was a bar...I asked the owner if he would
let me play there and he said, 'Sure.' I charged $1 a ticket to get in and I sold 200 tickets.
That was more money than I made at both of my jobs that week."
Combs then went back to the bar where he worked as a bouncer and used the success of his show
as leverage with his boss.
"I said, 'Hey. I played a show next door, 200 people came on a Wednesday, I can either
keep doing that or I can do that here. The choice is yours.'"
His boss chose wisely, and Combs started his rise.
Combs' down-to-earth and easygoing attitude isn't surprising, considering the fact that
he set realistic goals from the start. He told Pollstar:
"When I first picked up the guitar, I didn't go, 'I want to be Garth Brooks.' To me that's
an insanely unrealistic goal that would let you down mentally pretty fast."
Instead, Combs planned out a systematic approach to become a performer:
"My goal was to learn one chord. Then it was to be able to learn two. Then it was to be
able to play a song. Then play enough to play three hours. Then put together a band. Then
it was book some shows. Write some more songs. Move to Nashville."
Turns out all those affirmations turned true, probably to a bigger extent than ever imagined.
And as an only child, he kept his parents in mind. Combs joked to Rare Country:
"If I mess up, there's no other kid that's a lawyer that can save my horrid reputation."
Like any true artist, inspirations can come from seemingly normal places to wildly creative
ones. Sure, it makes sense that Luke Combs likes country music, but would you have guessed
boy bands? During an interview on Nightline, correspondent Adrienne Bankert asked about
the songs that Combs sings to himself around the house.
"As I got a little bit older, singing what all kids that were born in 1990 were singing
was Backstreet Boys, NSYNC."
He said any viewer who, quote, "didn't listen to Backstreet Boys" is lying, admitting that
he didn't get into country music until college, where he was introduced to Eric Church. Combs
later talked to Billboard about other acts outside of country that inspire him, saying:
"I listen to Ed Sheeran pretty routinely. That's what's on in the car and that's what's
on in the green room. When I find something, whether it's new or old, I'm really bad about
wearing it out."
That includes Post Malone, The Avett Brothers, and Adele. Oh, and rapper DaBaby. Combs said:
"I know it doesn't seem like I would be a DaBaby fan, but he's from Charlotte. I'm from
North Carolina. You gotta get hyped before the show. Everybody's got a chance if they're
from Carolina for sure."
"Fashion icon" may not be the first two words you think of when describing Luke Combs. But
it's actually not that crazy. See, Combs designed a pair of custom Crocs, the foam clog shoes
that are so often ridiculed. The singer clearly tapped into the right market, though, telling
Jimmy Kimmel:
"The first editions went out so fast."
Combs' shoes were so successful that the brand collaborated for a second time with the singer,
a line that he lovingly referred to as, quote, "high camouflage fashion." Combs said the
camouflage helped match his self-proclaimed "Jiffy Lube look." And what about the orange
accents?
"If you're in the woods and you're hunting and you don't have this orange on, how do
I know that you're not a fox?"
Even more, the second edition came complete with a beer bottle opener and hunting-themed
jibbitz, those little pins in the holes. According to Footwear News, "Luke Combs Crocs" was the
most searched shoe term on Google in 2019. As of 2020, the original line of Combs' Crocs
were selling for over $200 on StockX, a site mainly for sneakerheads looking for rare kicks.
With jams like "Beer Never Broke My Heart," it's clear that Combs can party with the best
of them. But the country music star is just as popular for his heartfelt songs. Speaking
with Billboard, Combs revealed which song of his holds the most meaning, saying:
"'Beautiful Crazy' definitely is that song, because I wrote that about my fiancée."
"She's constantly inspiring me to write songs, which is great to have somebody like that,
that makes you feel that way."
"Beautiful Crazy" went on to win song of the year at the 2019 Country Music Awards, and
became the first in a trilogy of singles devoted to Combs' now wife, Nicole Hocking. In August
2020, Combs posted a teaser for a new song on Twitter, writing:
"1st came Beautiful Crazy, then Better Together, and now Forever After All"
Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina produced not one but two country
music stars. The first was Eric Church. At the time Combs began to make music at the
school, the Grand Ole Opry declared:
"[Church's] presence could still be felt on campus as his career began to take off in
distant Nashville."
Combs would follow in the exact same footsteps as Church, moving to Nashville to play music.
He once told Billboard he was a, quote, "huge Eric Church guy" and "always loved his stuff."
In 2018, Combs opened five shows on Church's tour, although the two didn't exactly cross
paths.
"You know, he's been a big influence on me for a really long time, we didn't really get
to hang out or meet, up until probably two or three months ago."
That was when Combs said he took a risk and passed along the demo for "Does to Me" over
to Church's manager, hoping it would be a genuine connection for a collaboration. Unsurprisingly,
Church liked the song and, according to Combs, it brought the two singers closer together.
On October 1, 2017, the last day of the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, Nevada,
tragedy struck when a gunman fired into the crowd, killing 58 people and injuring 869
more. It's one of the darkest days in recent American history. Jason Aldean was performing
when the devastation began. In an interview on Nightline, Combs revealed he was on stage
watching Aldean's performance when the chaos broke out.
"It's one of those things you don't love to relive it, I guess. It will always be a part
of you a little bit."
Combs then admitted:
"As much as you'd like to forget it, you don't want those people to be forgotten either.
It makes you appreciate what you do a whole lot more. Because it all could be gone. Especially
that night, it could have been gone for any of us."
Like Aldean and the other performers, Combs was miraculously unharmed. He confessed:
"I'm definitely blessed to be out here...and [to] change people's lives in a positive way."
Combs' career took off like a rocket, with all his smash singles, records, and tours.
He landed on Billboard's list of highest-paid musicians of 2019 and, according to the publication:
"[Combs] closed out the year with the best streaming numbers of the genre: 3.2 billion
overall streams."
With his massive success, the singer and songwriter is worth an estimated $5 million. Most of
his net worth comes from record sales and touring, but don't forget about the Luke Combs/Crocs
collaboration.
To celebrate his success, Combs told The Country Daily that he was looking for a home near
Nashville, Tennessee, where his fame started, saying:
"I'm looking for a piece of land. I want some acreage to hunt and kind of get away from
everything. I really like that space. I'm excited. I'd love to get that peaceful spot."
All that money should also come in handy for growing his family. When Combs proposed to
Hocking in 2018, the pair were too busy for much wedding planning, but he told People
they definitely wanted to ensure that they would both like the venue. Meanwhile, the
couple had time to adopt their rescue puppy, Jojo, and likely, Combs uses some of his net
worth to spoil the little pup.
Combs met Hocking well before he was famous. The musician told People the two started dating
when he had, quote, "no publishing deal, no record deal, no booking deal," plus an inexperienced
manager, saying:
"I didn't have anything when we met."
But his music career eventually took off, and Hocking stayed by his side the entire
time.
Ready to take the relationship to the ultimate height, Combs proposed to Hocking in 2018
— though not exactly in a romantic location. He referenced the engagement alongside a sweet
snapshot of the couple in picturesque Hawaii that November on Instagram:
"She said yes a while ago but this is a way better place to take pictures than the kitchen."
In an interview with ET Canada, Combs explained his part in the wedding planning.
"I'm like the booze guy, for sure. Probably gonna dabble in some playlists."
He added:
"I'm just a good-time engineer."
Though he also admitted that Hocking was, quote, "doing all the heavy lifting."
The two officially tied the knot in the summer of 2020 in a gorgeous beach wedding. Combs
announced the happy news on Instagram with the caption:
"Still seems like a fairytale [Nicole], I love you. Probably gonna post a lot of these
so just get used to it."
He also called on his new wife to make a special cameo appearance in the music video for his
single, "Lovin' on You."
Despite being stuck inside for much of 2020 due to a global health crisis, Combs appeared
to have made the best out of the scenario. His second album, What You See Is What You
Get, continued to dominate the airways and charts. Due to the success, Combs announced
on Instagram that a deluxe version, titled What You See Ain't Always What You Get, was
scheduled for release that October. The expanded record would come with five new songs from
the country star.
Sharing a list of the remaining stops on the rescheduled What You See Is What You Get tour
in July, Combs revealed on Instagram that he never would have believed his last headlining
show of the initial tour would have been in Europe, saying:
"Playing shows for y'all is what I love to do, but I want y'all to be completely safe
[...] I can't wait to see y'all in person next year."
Once again, 2020 saw the Country Music Awards recognize Combs for his tremendous talent.
The award show nominated the singer-songwriter in major categories like Entertainer of the
Year, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year. In an Instagram post that September, Combs
thanked his team, family, and fans for all their help and support, writing:
"None of this is possible without any of you. WE did this. THANK YOU!"
It seems that Combs' main goal with music is to provide entertainment for the world.
Combs once told the Grand Ole Opry website:
"I'm going to give everything I've got on stage and play songs that I've written that
are genuinely important to me."
It shows the power of music, to bring people together and help heal when needed. But does
that really work with songs like "Beer Never Broke My Heart?" In a March 2020 interview
with The Times, Combs explained why he sings about the simple pleasures in life, like beer
or even mediocre careers. According to the country music crooner:
"People who drink beer and have boring jobs are the fabric of our society. They're also
my fans."
Indeed, per Combs' website, he calls members of the official Luke Combs fan club "The Bootleggers."
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