Since becoming a father in June, Luke Combs’ world has changed completely and the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year says he has a new perspective on life after the birth of his son.
Ahead of the taping of his Apple Music Live concert at Coyote Joe’s in Charlotte, North Carolina, the country superstar sat down with The Kelleigh Bannen Show to discuss his latest project, Growin’ Up, and how he has changed over the course of the last few years.
During the interview, the “Doin’ This” singer also revealed that he suffers from anxiety and “crippling” obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and that things have changed since the birth of Tex Lawrence.
“There’s stuff that used to matter as far as the things that you worry about, you just don’t really worry about that stuff anymore. I mean, and almost instantly. Really… Like, you’re just kind of like, ‘Don’t care about that. Don’t care’ And I was fine before, but I did tend to have pretty tremendous anxiety at times in my life.”
While Combs does admit that the conditions do not affect his live performances, he acknowledged “it’s not about that stuff,” referring to his music and concerts.
“[It] could be anything. It’s really stuff that’s out of my control, whether it’s my health. It’s just really insane. Stuff you could never get an answer to. So you have to learn to live with the uncertainty of never knowing becomes the only way to get over it.”
As his album title implies, Combs is still “Growin’ Up” and has a new outlook on life.
“In a lot of ways, it’s just looking at things… I look at things now in ways that I never would’ve been able to before. And even before the kid. After getting married and then spending a lot of time at home during COVID. Just a bunch of stuff happened. It was time to process all of this craziness that’s happened in my career, too. I mean, that’s important.”
Combs celebrated the release of his third studio album, Growin’ Up, with an exclusive concert on July 28 at his hometown venue, Coyote Joe’s, a venue he used to beg to play at early on in his career.
The recorded concert will stream in over 165 countries on August 24 at 7:00 pm PST, exclusively on Apple Music as part of the Apple Music Live series.
Combs recently teased an upcoming world tour and is currently preparing for his upcoming fall trek, dubbed the Middle Of Somewhere Tour.
Combs first announced the tour, which features support from Jordan Davis, Morgan Wade and Lainey Wilson on select dates, in late April of 2022. The North Carolina native also revealed at the time of the tour announcement that in an effort to keep ticket prices down, he’s setting the price at a pre-inflation rate with hopes to allow more fans the opportunity to see him on the road.
“I know that the price of everything has been going up these last couple years and there’s nothing I can do about that, but the one thing I could do is set the price of my tickets,” Combs shared at the time. “So, what I wanted to do was keep the ticket prices the same as they were before the pandemic. I really, really hope you guys will come out and check us out. Can’t wait to see you on the road!”
The fall 2022 trek kicks off in less than a month on September 2 with back-to-back nights in Bangor, ME at Maine Savings Amphitheater.
Following his Middle Of Somewhere Tour, Combs will embark on a Canadian headlining trek with support from Riley Green and Chayce Beckham in November.
Luke Combs’ new album, Growin’ Up, recently debuted at No. 1 upon its release. The 12-track project features the chart-topping hit, “Doin’ This,” Combs’ current single, “The Kind Of Love We Make,” and “Outrunnin’ Your Memory,” a duet with Miranda Lambert, among several others.
For more information on Combs’ new album and his upcoming tour dates visit: www.lukecombs.com.
