Luke Combs and his wife, Nicole Hocking Combs, enjoyed a “date night” at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday evening (Feb. 5).
The couple was all smiles as they walked hand-in-hand on the GRAMMYs red carpet ahead of “Music’s Biggest Night,” where Combs was nominated for three awards and performed his latest single, “Going, Going, Gone.”
Styled by Katy Robbins, Nicole donned an ombre Cucculelli Shaheen Degrade Crystal Medallion Maxi Dress that blended shades of rose pink champagne and blush with a deep ruby red. Her look was complimented with earrings by Elizabeth Cole Jewelry and Aquazzura shoes.
Luke opted for an all-black ensemble complete with an Eton shirt, a brocade Jack Victor suit jacket and custom M L Leddys boots.
Hair, makeup and grooming was provided by Cali Jeffries.
“Grammy date night!! @lukecombs,” Nicole wrote on Instagram, sharing photos of their stylish red carpet looks.
“Hottest date in the whole place,” Luke commented, gushing over his wife’s beauty.
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The Country Hitmaker Performed “Going, Going, Gone” At The GRAMMYs
During the star-studded awards show broadcast, Combs took to the GRAMMYs stage for a performance of his current single, “Going, Going, Gone.”
The country superstar was introduced by his former boss, Justin Davis, who owned the bar where he began his career in Boone, North Carolina.
“Long before Luke was a country superstar he was a bouncer for me at Town Tavern in Boone, North Carolina…. Now Luke’s playing the biggest stages in the world, including this one tonight,” Davis said just moments before Combs took to the stage.
Sans his trademark Blue Otter mesh cap, Combs appeared on stage with just a guitar. He kicked off the performance with the signature guitar lick and his band soon joined in. Combs also added strings into the tune in an effort to “try to spice it up a little bit.”
The stage mirrored an outdoor scene with a full moon and a large tree.
Ahead of the star-studded 2023 GRAMMYs, Combs admitted that he was “nervous” about performing the tune at the coveted awards show.
“I just came off doing my rehearsals and seeing everybody that’s going to be sitting out there and watching you perform…” the 32-year-old hitmaker said. “Also, my performance starts out with just me and the guitar, which is like a little nervy, ya know? I’m not the best guitar player in the world. So, It makes me a little nervous, but I’m excited about it.”
Luke Combs Is Still In Disbelief He Gets To Do Music Full Time
Combs, who is one of three country artists performing at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, also told The Recording Academy that he still in disbelief that music would become his full time job.
“I didn’t believe this would happen,” Combs added. ”I believed my job would be music in some capacity. My job would be being in a band or singing background vocals on people’s records, or being a demo singer, or being a songwriter, working at a publishing company. I just wanted to work in music. I just wanted to have a job that never felt like a job. That was the goal.”
He continued, “It wasn’t to be famous or to be a big Garth Brooks or anything. And then those goals, kind of… as you continue to hone your craft, it’s like the statue that you’re ultimately sculpting begins to reveal itself. But you have to start by chiseling pieces away and figuring out what it looks like. So, I went into it with an open mind of, I know I can do this in some capacity, and then ultimately figuring out what that is has led me to here.”
Co-written by Combs alongside James McNair and Ray Fulcher, “Going, Going, Gone” is his current single at Country radio and has been a standout track from his third studio album, Growin’ Up, which was released in June of 2022.
“Like a runaway southbound train / Like an Arizona desert rain / Like lightning in the sky / Like fireworks in July / Like a left field home run ball / Like a whiskey shot at last call / It’s like she was made for moving on / That girl is going, going, gone,” Combs sings on the track’s chorus.
Heading into the show, Combs was nominated for three GRAMMY Awards: Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Outrunnin’ Your Memory”), Best Country Song (“Doin’ This”) and Best Country Album, for his chart-topping 2022 project, Growin’ Up.
Luke and Nicole are parents to 7-month-old Tex Lawrence, who they welcomed into the world on Father’s Day in 2022.
Combs Will Soon Hit The Road
Attending the GRAMMYs is the first of many exciting events for Combs slated for 2023. The chart-topping singer/songwriter is set to release a brand-new 18 track album, Gettin’ Old, on March 24. The following day, Combs will launch his much-anticipated world tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The world tour will visit 16 stadiums across North America, including Nashville’s Nissan Stadium, Kansas City’s GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium and more. Hitting three continents and 16 countries, the massive outing will also stop in Australia, New Zealand, U.K., Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Belgium.
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Who Performed At 2023 GRAMMY Awards?
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards featured performances from Combs, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more.
“Music’s Biggest Night” also included an all-star 50th Anniversary celebration of hip hop, which included performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort. LL COOL J will be on hand to introduce the segment and give a dedication to hip hop.
Several tributes also took place during the In Memoriam segment at the all-genre ceremony. Kacey Musgraves took the stage to honor the late Loretta Lynn with a cover of Lynn’s signature hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” while Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt paid homage to late Fleetwood Mac member, Christine McVie, with a performance of McVie’s “Songbird.”
Maverick City Music and Quavo also remembered the late Migos rapper, Takeoff, with a special tribute performance of “Without You,” a song that Quavo wrote after his passing.
Don't miss a second of GRAMMY Sunday. ✨
Tune in to the Premiere Ceremony, GRAMMY Live Red Carpet, and of course the 65th #GRAMMYs! pic.twitter.com/3UE7qivpdX
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 5, 2023
First Lady Jill Biden, Cardi B, James Corden, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Dwayne Johnson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain and more were on hand to present during the ceremony.
Beyoncé led the pack with nine nominations, including the prestigious Album Of The Year (Renaissance). Following behind Beyoncé are Kendrick Lamar with eight nods, Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven nominations as well as Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Future, The Dream and Randy Merrill have six. For a full list of 2023 GRAMMY nominees click HERE.
Prior to the GRAMMY Awards, several winners were revealed during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in the City Of Angels. For a full list of winner, visit live.GRAMMY.com.
Co-hosted by GRAMMY-nominated comedian Trevor Noah, the 2023 GRAMMYs broadcasted live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5 at 8/7c on CBS. The coveted awards ceremony also streamed live and on demand via Paramount+.
