I’m probably going to dip during this interview,” warns Luke Combs as he sinks into the couch at his label head’s East Nashville home, clutching a can of Copenhagen chewing tobacco.
The 26-year-old North Carolina native is burly, bearded and, on this particular morning, sporting a camouflage ball cap and last night’s hoodie VITALS and blue jeans.
But Combs’ laid-back look belies a focused approach and a very modern hybrid sound. The singer songwriter’s blend of roughhewn twang, guitar-driven Southern rock and contemporary R&B rhythms sent his single “Hurricane” to Billboard’s Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts, where it has peaked thus far at No. 40 and No. 28, respectively. In a genre stocked with suave young men who look a lot like pop stars, Combs is quickly carving out a niche for himself as a millennial everyman.
“If I can reach the guy in Alabama that hunts,” says Combs, “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.”
This story is from the January 14, 2017 edition of Billboard.
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This story is from the January 14, 2017 edition of Billboard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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