Luke Combs

“I think the crowds in Europe are songwriter crowds. Like, they are a fan of the words, and they're there to listen. An American crowd, they're there to get rowdy, man. And I love both.”

“I think there's kind of a comfortability with me onstage - and I think my cool factor is not having one. I'm not extra cool or extra different.”

“I'm a horrendous golfer, though I do enjoy it.”

“When I picked up guitar, it wasn't like, 'OK, I'm going to be Kenny Chesney.' It was like, 'I want to play a chord,' and then it was like, 'I want to play another one, then play a song, then sing while playing the song.'”

“I'm a student of Eric Church, and I say that a lot... I was drawn to it because of the honesty and because it's got rough edges on it. He doesn't shy away from anything, and that's the way I wanted to be.”

“I've played for a lot of tough crowds.”

“I think that was kind of always my goal: get people to come back and see a show twice and then see it a third time. And now I've got people who have been to 30, 40 shows.”

“If I can reach the guy in Alabama that hunts, and he hears that song, and he sees me - like, he's comfortable with me, my image as a person, as an artist - he's willing to sit down and give that song a chance.”

“Sometimes people are looking for, 'What's the next Tesla car? What's this really cool, super-specific thing that people are going to want?' But I try to be just like a Ford truck. They sell a lot more Ford trucks than they do Tesla cars.”

“Comfort is key for me. I'm a bigger guy, so whatever fits is nice, too.”

“I drove to Nashville a few times, met with some people and hung out, went to the Opry, and that kind of stuff. I made the decision - you've got to be present to win, so I packed it up and moved out here, and it's been great. It's been the best decision I ever made.”

“There's an authenticity in just being who you are and not having an act about it or wear clothes you normally wouldn't wear. I'm just comfortable in my own skin.”

“I just love writing songs and singing them. People seem to enjoy them, and that's all you can really ask for. I didn't get into it to try to be a celebrity or whatever.”

“The coolest Christmas present I've ever received is probably socks. My grandma always gets me socks - every year - and that's something that I've probably never bought for myself. If Christmas wasn't around and my grandma didn't get me socks, I wouldn't own any, probably.”

“Turkey hunting is my thing; it's only once a year, but if it's turkey season, don't call me, because I won't answer.”

“My tour manager, I met him at Boot Barn. He was selling me a pair of boots... and he said, 'I moved to Nashville to be a tour manager, and I need work right now,' and I said, 'Man, I don't even have a tour manager. So you can tour-manage me.'”

“I didn't even know what a tour manager was, but I was the tour manager, booking agent, all that stuff for almost two years without knowing it. I wasn't overwhelmed, because I enjoyed doing it.”

“It's awesome to have friends among the country music community that you know are looking out for you and that you are excited to get to see on the road.”

“I do gravitate towards the sad songs because I find them to be more of a challenge for me from a writing perspective. There are things about those songs that do touch people in a way that a fun song can't.”

“I really enjoy the shopping and going out and getting stuff for other people. I could really give a damn about getting gifts for myself, but I really enjoy giving gifts.”