LUKE COMBS on Living with OCD, His Marriage & the Moment That Changed His Life Forever

Luke Combs 0:00 The guy that says he's always gonna be there and that will do anything to be there is the only guy that's not there. I'm in Australia when Beau is born. My whole identity is that no matter what, I'm gonna prioritize my wife and my children over my job. I dread the conversation with my son.

Jay Shetty 0:18 What do you think you'd say? Hey, everyone. Welcome back to On Purpose, the place you come to become happier, healthier, and more healed. Today's guest is someone that I've been so excited to have on the show. I'm speaking about Luke Combs, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum country artist, and one of the most successful musicians of his generation. His music is known for its honesty, heart, and relatability, and has reached millions around the world. Beyond the success, Luke is known for his humility, his deep commitment to his family, and especially his fans. Today, he joins me to talk about fatherhood, mental health, and how he stays grounded through it all. Please welcome to On Purpose, Luke Combs. Luke.

Luke Combs 1:01 Oh. Yeah. Thank you for having me, man. That was a, that was a heck of an intro. I got a lot to live up to, I feel like, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:07 You did all of it.

Luke Combs 1:07 Yeah. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:07 You lived all of it. You're, you're doing all of it.

Luke Combs 1:10 Well, I-

Jay Shetty 1:10 I mean, it's, it's amazing when... You know, I just met your team, and they're wonderful, and the way they speak about you-

Luke Combs 1:16 Thank you. Thank you

Jay Shetty 1:16 ... is wonderful, but it's genuine, and I'm like, when I hear about your reputation, your reputation precedes you.

Luke Combs 1:22 Sure.

Jay Shetty 1:22 Before this interview, I'm hearing-

Luke Combs 1:23 Sure

Jay Shetty 1:23 ... Luke's the nicest guy. Is, um, you know, it's-

Luke Combs 1:26 I like hearing that. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:26 Has

Jay Shetty 1:27 that been work? Has it been hard to stay grounded, or is it just who you are?

Luke Combs 1:32 Yeah, I think, I think it's both, you know? Um, I think, and, you know, I, I've always thought that, you know, um, when you reach a certain level of, of success or... Well, I hate fame. I hate the word celebrity. I hate those words. They're weird, and they, they make me uncomfortable a little bit. But it's reality. Like, I also accept it, and it's just weird to like say it. I don't want it to ever sound like a braggadocious thing. Um, but I think when you get to a certain point, like the fame or the success or the influence, like it just kind of accentuates and exacerbates the inherent person that you are, right? Like if you're, I think if you were a great guy and you become rich and successful and famous or whatever, like it gives you the opportunity to be more of who you already are. It gives you a chance to be more giving or more passionate or more, um, I don't know, more narcissistic if that was your... You know, if that's already, like if you have a proclivity to be that way anyways, it just, it, it just kind of inflates that. It makes like the super version of who you already are, you know? Um, but it does take a lot of work too. I mean, me and my team are, are really close. Um, you know, every- everybody's like, "Oh, you know, we're a family out here," or what... You know, it's like I hear that all the time, and I truly believe it and, and I hope that everyone else that says that believes that too, but that's really the way that we try to operate. You know, it's kind of like, you know, it's, it's a, you know, one for all kind of mentality, um, on the road with us. And, um, I think you, you know... I mean, it's not hard, in my opinion, to be kind to people. Um, and maybe that's just because that's the way that I am, you know? Um, and that's down to the doorman at the hotel or my manager. You know what I mean? Or, you know, it's like i- in my opinion, it's not, it's not a difficult thing to do to just choose to be kind and be grateful for the s- even if I'm having a tough day. You know what I mean? I'm still go out of my way to be kind to people, um, because I think, you know, it's, it's an important thing to do. You know, it's, it's every interaction that I have with someone from a random fan I meet at the grocery store to my kids, like every impression makes an impression, whether it's a small one or a huge one, you know? Um, and so I always just try to be really mindful of that in my interactions with, with anyone.

Jay Shetty 3:56 Did you ever believe this would be your life?

Luke Combs 3:58 Never. Never.

Jay Shetty 3:59 What, what did you think-

Luke Combs 4:00 Yeah

Jay Shetty 4:00 ... life was gonna look like?

Luke Combs 4:02 You know, I was a, a, a... You know, if you would've asked me 10 years ago or 12 years ago, I would've been really afraid of the answer, you know, 'cause I, I had no idea. I feel like I was kind of aimlessly floating. I felt like I was kind of checking boxes that were like I felt like I was supposed to be checking, which was like, like I graduated high school, and it was like, "Okay, well, what now?" And it was like, "Well, you go to college. That's just what happens. You know, it's what you're supposed to do," you know? And so I went and did that, and I had a great time in school. I really... I, I didn't like school. I liked being at the school, but [laughs] I didn't like be- in being in school-

Jay Shetty 4:40 [laughs]

Luke Combs 4:40 ... if that makes sense, you know? So I was doing a lot of that, and I, I would spend a lot of time, you know, like I was majoring in business at the very beginning, and then I switched to criminal justice, and I enjoyed criminal justice a lot more than I enjoyed business. I'd, I'd had, I just liked that, like studying that. It was interesting to me. Um, and then, but it was still like it just never felt quite right.

Jay Shetty 5:03 Mm.

Luke Combs 5:03 You know, it was like it just doesn't feel like... And I would get scared as every year would tick by in college. It was like, "Oh, I'm a year closer to having to make this like really important life decision that I'm like don't feel prepared to make in any way or don't feel good about making." Like, and I didn't really, I guess, maybe understand or have the ability to process that at the time. It was just like time keeps going whether you want it to or not. And so you're just kind of like sitting, like the light at the end of the tunnel gets closer, but it was almost the opposite effect. Like it felt like I was in this great place. Like I'm in school. I love my friends. I love the social aspect. I enjoy being around people my age that are, you know, like-minded and having the activities I love to do. It was almost the opposite. It was almost like the darkness at the end of the tunnel was like-

Jay Shetty 5:54 Mm

Luke Combs 5:54 ... this idea of like being a real adult, and then college ends, and then you're like, you basically just go into the workforce, and then you're miserable for 30 years, and then you retire.

Jay Shetty 6:05 [laughs]

Luke Combs 6:05 And it was like I- it was so scary, that-

Jay Shetty 6:07 Yeah

Luke Combs 6:07 ... like idea of that because I hadn't found like-It's something I was passionate about at that time, and so it was a scary proposition to go like, "When this ends, what now?" You know what I mean? Um, so that was kinda my experience there, and that, that was the, the way that I was living my life at that time. And then when I found, you know, when I picked the guitar up, you know, towards the end of my college career, it was, like, immediately all made sense. It, like, flipped. Like, the whole script just flipped. It was like, then it was like, "Oh, like, I'm almost out. Like, now I can go do the thing I wanna go do," and it all made sense. But if I hadn't found that passion, I, you know, I don't know what I would be doing right now, to be quite honest.

Jay Shetty 6:51 And is that what it felt like? It felt like discovering a passion? Like, it felt like-

Luke Combs 6:54 Oh, definitely. It, it, it al- it almost felt like discovering what I was meant to do. It was almost, like, beyond a passion. It was like, well, this is what I was, like, meant to do. Like, this is what I was, like, put on Earth to do is this thing. Um, just because I'd loved singing my whole life, man, it was like, it was a big part of m-my, my self-worth was derived from, like, my identity I derived from, like, this is the thing that I'm good at. Like, I'm not good at anything else. Um, as far as from a skill standpoint, I thought, "Oh, okay, well, I'm a good friend," like, "I'm a good son." Like, I-- That stuff wasn't kind of... I felt confident in those things, but I didn't feel fulfilled in, like, what will my role be in the world?

Jay Shetty 7:36 Hmm.

Luke Combs 7:37 Like, what will I contribute to the world? And it never had to be some big thing. Like, my idea of it wasn't, well, there's some... But I feel like if you're good at something and you have a passion for it, you have this inherent sense of, like, I can contribute or make the world a better place in some way by doing the thing that I'm good at.

Jay Shetty 7:55 Yeah.

Luke Combs 7:55 I can positively impact people's lives by doing something that I love to do and being great at it, and that can benefit other people in other ways.

Jay Shetty 8:04 Yeah.

Luke Combs 8:04 And music was my way of doing that.

Jay Shetty 8:06 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 8:07 What, what's, like, a childhood memory that you have that you feel defines who you are today?

Luke Combs 8:12 I think [chuckles] I have a tremendous ability to suffer-

Jay Shetty 8:17 Wow

Luke Combs 8:17 ... because of the OCD things that I've dealt with. I've, I've talked about that stuff a lot, um, almost ad nauseam some. Not in a negative way, but I'm, I'm very open about it. I'm not afraid to speak about it. But that was very defining for me. I had a great childhood. My parents were great, great home, hardworking. My parents are still married. They're still around. So I worry sometimes when I talk about, like, how tough it was being younger for me, and, like, I worry when my parents see these things that they think that that has some reflection of, like, them as parents. It doesn't at all.

Jay Shetty 8:49 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 8:49 You know? Like, they went above and beyond for me as parents, and becoming a parent myself has made me... I'm more thankful for them every day as I raise my kids because I realize how difficult it is.

Jay Shetty 9:01 That's beautiful.

Luke Combs 9:01 And I realize how hard it was, and I've gained this great appreciation even more so for them as I raise my own children. So I don't want them to ever get the idea that it was, it was anything to do with them. But the whole nature of that kind of OCD, there's a lot of, like, suffering in silence, right? And it's given me a, this really great outlook on, well, I know what bad is, is, dude. Like, I've been to the bottom i-in here, and it's like n-I'm, I'm not there, you know? I still have a proclivity to be able to go there if certain things line up and, you know, I were to have an OCD moment or something, but those moments are few and far between, and they're a lot shorter-lived than they used to be, and I'm not afraid of those moments anymore. I lived my life, um, when I was younger in fear of, like, when is this gonna come back, and why does it... I don't even know what it is at that time. It's like I wasn't, like, a diagnosed, you know?

Jay Shetty 9:57 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 9:58 It was something I felt like I even, even had a hard time explaining to my parents. Like, what-- They're like, "What do you, what do you mean?" You know, like, they're not... I mean, they weren't, you know, they're not clinical psychologists, so they don't really understand, you know? And so I can't imagine how afraid they were at the time of like, "Well, I wish we could help our child." You know, I can't imagine how helpless you would feel if my kids came to me with something that I didn't understand. I would be like, "Gosh, I don't even know how to explain. Like, who, where do I even take them?"

Jay Shetty 10:24 Hmm.

Luke Combs 10:24 You know? Um, and so that was a really defining part of, of, like, my childhood, you know? It's not the only memory, but it's the one that kind of sticks out as, like, this common theme. Like, every couple of years, I would go through these really brutal OCD stints without even knowing what was going on.

Jay Shetty 10:44 Wow.

Jay Shetty 10:45 Do you feel comfortable talking about some of those days and what-

Luke Combs 10:47 Oh, certainly.

Jay Shetty 10:48 What... Yeah.

Luke Combs 10:48 Certainly. I mean, fill- like, days, like, filled with, like, rumination, you know? Like, a lot of, like... You know, people ask me a-about it and what the experience is like, and I try to describe it to people, and it's almost, like, indescribable sometimes. Like, I think they think, and not, this is not a, a slight to anyone that may think this. If you haven't experienced it, you almost can't understand it to some extent. And they're like, "Well, how, how often?" It's like, I'm talking about, you know, 95% of the day from opening your eyes to closing them at night, you are thinking about this thing, and it's causing you a tremendous amount of anxiety and, like, mental anguish to try to, like, find the answer to this, like, unanswerable question. It's, it's scary [chuckles] 'cause it's like you're so... I think it's helped my songwriting, and I think it's helped my ability to be creative. I think the creativity can be a blessing and a curse in that way.

Jay Shetty 11:45 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 11:45 It can help me create scenarios in my mind that really don't have a leg to stand on.

Jay Shetty 11:49 Yeah.

Luke Combs 11:50 And I can build them into, you know, one world trade in my mind from nothing. Um, and that can be really great in a songwriting sense. It can be really dangerous in, like, a mental health sense.

Jay Shetty 12:01 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 12:01 Um, so those days would be go to bed, you close your eyes and you go, "Gosh, like, I just hope in the morning I'm not thinking about this thing." And the second you open your eyes, it's the first thing you think of, and then you spend the entire day either thinking about it or trying not to think about it and hoping that it would go away and feeling hopeless and saying, "Why me? Why am I like this? What did I do to deserve this?" Like, almost having some-Like, almost like there's almost like an anger to it

Jay Shetty 12:30 A shame and guilt as well.

Luke Combs 12:32 Yeah. And you're just like, what... Like this, like, because outwardly, like, the world around me was so great. I have this great, you know, these great parents that go out of their way to take care of me. I have great friends. We have a nice home. It's safe. I have food to eat. I'm in a great school. I have great friends. I have a great life. I have talent. I have drive, you know? But that would just, it would just sh- I mean, it's like basically, if everything in the room was so great, and there was one pile of dog shit on the floor, and all the lights went off, and they just shined on the pile of dog shit, it was like that was the only thing I could focus on.

Jay Shetty 13:11 Mm.

Luke Combs 13:11 You know? I hate to put it in such a crude way, but like-

Jay Shetty 13:14 It's a great, it's a great way to view that, yeah

Luke Combs 13:15 ... it's like the room is perfect, but the dog pooped on the floor, and all you have to do is clean it up. But you don't know how to clean it up, and you can't get rid of it, and it becomes the only thing you think about, and it's like all you focus on. And like, you don't have the ability to focus on all the good or even the mental capacity to be appreciative of the good, 'cause you spend so much mental energy on the negative thing, the one negative thing.

Jay Shetty 13:36 And what were those thoughts as a kid that kept-

Luke Combs 13:38 Um

Jay Shetty 13:39 ... taking over like that?

Luke Combs 13:40 So those themes, you know, they change every time. So like if you go through, let's say you go through a theme, you know, I, I'm sure you're aware of OCD stuff. It, it all is theme-based, right? And you basically only have one theme at a time. It's funny, like let's say I was worried about, uh, like if I was having intrusive thoughts about, like, committing violence against someone or something, and they're causing me all this stress, and I'm like, "Well, what does that mean about me? What does that say about me?"

Jay Shetty 14:06 Mm.

Luke Combs 14:07 And then if I switch, like if my theme were to switch to... The next day I'm like, "Well, what if I was a schizophrenic and I didn't know it?"

Jay Shetty 14:15 Mm.

Luke Combs 14:15 And you're like, and you're panicked, and you're completely panicked, and you're all consumed by that. I'm talking in an instant. Like, uh, let's say I've been worrying about all this violent stuff, all these horrible thoughts and things that you don't want going through your head. The second I have that new thought of like, what if I, what if I'm schizophrenic, right?

Jay Shetty 14:34 Yeah.

Luke Combs 14:34 And then you go, instantly you can think on all the violent stuff and go, "Well, that was dumb. I'm not even worried about that at all." It doesn't even seem like something you ever-

Jay Shetty 14:43 Yeah

Luke Combs 14:43 ... would have even worried about. You're like, "That was so stupid. Why did I waste three months of my life stressing about that thing?"

Jay Shetty 14:48 Mm.

Luke Combs 14:49 But when you're in it, it's not, like you don't have the capability of, to turn it off, you know? I remember my dad would say, and this is no slight to him. This is, you know, this is classic, like, dad stuff.

Jay Shetty 15:01 [laughs]

Luke Combs 15:01 He'd be like, "Well, Son, just don't think about it."

Jay Shetty 15:03 Yeah. [laughs]

Luke Combs 15:04 And I'd be like, "Well, man, that would be great."

Jay Shetty 15:08 [laughs]

Luke Combs 15:08 That's kinda the whole point of like, well, that's what I'm trying to get to. You know what I mean? [laughs]

Jay Shetty 15:13 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 15:13 I'm trying to figure out how to do that.

Jay Shetty 15:14 Yeah.

Luke Combs 15:15 That's kind of the struggle, you know?

Jay Shetty 15:16 Yeah.

Luke Combs 15:16 And that's no slight, 'cause again, we, I'm undiagnosed.

Jay Shetty 15:19 Yeah, people didn't know then.

Luke Combs 15:20 We don't know what's going on.

Jay Shetty 15:21 At the time, yeah.

Luke Combs 15:21 Like-

Jay Shetty 15:22 No one talked about that

Luke Combs 15:22 ... "Well, go out and take a walk," you know? Or s- and it's like, it's not that simple, you know. I'm sure that would've actually helped quite a bit.

Jay Shetty 15:27 Yeah. [laughs]

Luke Combs 15:27 But it's not quite that simple. And so yeah, I mean, you know, you spend the whole day like, I mean, there's days when I'm like, "I don't even wanna go to school, man." Like, 'cause I'm just gonna be thinking about this all day-

Jay Shetty 15:38 Mm

Luke Combs 15:38 ... and be stressed about it, and be thinking about it at football practice, and think about it in choir, and think about it in math class, and think about it at lunch with my friends, and just, you're just constantly bom- your brain's just constantly bombarding you with like these like life or death feelings of like, you need to address this issue. It's a big issue, and it has to be addressed right now. And you, you are in this heightened state of like, you're almost in like fight or flight mode all the time, and it's just exhausting. You get so mentally exhausted, like having this battle with yourself. Um, and I'm very thankful to be, you know, to have gone through that. It's definitely made me a better person and made me more appreciative of the life I have now, the grasp on it, the understanding of my own mind and, um, you know, thankfulness and just joy, uh, and reveling in the good times when they're around, which thankfully now is 99% of the time. You know, I just, I'm well-equipped. I have the tools, um, you know, and not that I'm immune to it-

Jay Shetty 16:41 No, of course

Luke Combs 16:41 ... or anything like that. But I'm hyper-aware of it, and I can... I'm more aware now of the things that, uh, the w- the thought patterns and the way that it happens and the way that it comes about, and I'm, I'm, and I'm an expert at combating that in my own head. Um, and that's been a really great blessing, you know? Um, but I... A- and having the platform now to speak about it and be okay with it, and it's never something I was particularly ashamed of. It was just something that I didn't know how to s-

Jay Shetty 17:11 Yeah

Luke Combs 17:11 ... to verbalize and know h- like speak about in a, in a way that p- other people can understand. And I, I feel lucky to have the ability now to be a voice for someone that's out there right now that may be in the situation I was in-

Jay Shetty 17:27 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 17:27 ... and they're 12 or 13 years old.

Jay Shetty 17:28 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 17:29 And they're going, "Look at this guy." Like, m- uh, maybe, maybe there's, if there's one kid that doesn't feel as hopeless as I felt watching this now, like that, it's all worth it-

Jay Shetty 17:39 Yeah

Luke Combs 17:39 ... to me.

Jay Shetty 17:39 Yeah.

Luke Combs 17:39 Like being able to like be that light for someone else and hopefully, you know, um, is, is a really great feeling, to be honest.

Jay Shetty 17:49 Which relationship was most negatively impacted in your life at that time because of it?

Luke Combs 17:54 My relationship with myself. I didn't really have a lot of time to figure out who I was because I d- I, I couldn't think about anything else. And maybe I would've picked up guitar in seventh grade when my parents bought it for me, because I would've had time to focus on that. You know? Um, I can't do anything about that now.

Jay Shetty 18:12 Mm.

Luke Combs 18:12 And things worked out the way they were supposed to work out. I mean, obviously, you know, uh, I mean, here I am, you know? Um, and it's... That, that was the one that was tough, is like you don't get any time to like do all these like l- this kinda like... My childhood was great. It was idyllic, really, uh, besides this. I don't wanna sound like it was like constant dread and doom, and like there were certainly spells of that, and it was like those were kinda like the definingthings along the way and, but there was a lot of good too.

Jay Shetty 18:43 Mm-hmm. Mm.

Luke Combs 18:43 You know, I don't want to make it sound like I had the worst life ever 'cause I didn't. But it was, it was very, very hard at times, and it was very isolating and made you feel very alone and, like, very vulnerable and very confused. You know, what is going on? Like, I c- don't imagine my friends are dealing with, with this.

Jay Shetty 19:01 Mm-hmm. Mm.

Luke Combs 19:01 You know, and if they are... I would talk to my friends about it. I m- I mean, Austin, who I'm sure you met, is my best friend from childhood really, and I talked to him about it. You know, he knew. I mean, it's like, but they, you know, they don't have any answers, but they're like, "Bro, you're, it's, it's all good," you know? Like, they were always very supportive. No one was like, "You're weird. I can't believe you're doing this." Like, I'm lucky that everyone in my life was supportive of my struggles, and I'm s- glad that I was open about them and felt the ability to be open about them. That in and itself is a blessing, you know? I can't imagine a kid out there right now whose family's like, "Listen, you better stop talking about this. I'm sick of hearing about it." You know what I mean? It's like that would just crushes my soul, you know?

Jay Shetty 19:42 Yeah.

Luke Combs 19:43 It's already so hard even if everyone is open to the whole thing. Um, so that would say that that was the relationship-

Jay Shetty 19:49 Yeah

Luke Combs 19:49 ... it honestly affected the most because if I didn't tell you, if you would've met me at 13 years old or 14 years old, like, you wouldn't have even known.

Jay Shetty 19:57 Mm. Yeah, it's inside.

Luke Combs 19:58 It's not something you can see.

Jay Shetty 19:59 Totally.

Luke Combs 19:59 It's all in here. Like, that's why they call it purely obsessional because the, only because that's a bit of a misnomer in my opinion. Dear medical people, it's a misnomer. But there are tons of compulsions. They're just all mental compulsions. They're not outward. So they call it purely obsessional because all the compul- it's not like I'm like, "Oh gosh, this glass, I better get it," you know?

Jay Shetty 20:22 Yeah.

Luke Combs 20:23 The, this thing, this moving this glass around and getting it to feel right is all happening in here instead of out here.

Jay Shetty 20:30 Yeah.

Luke Combs 20:30 You know? To, like, checking the stove 100 times to make sure it's off, I'm doing that up here-

Jay Shetty 20:35 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 20:36 ... instead of doing it.

Jay Shetty 20:37 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 20:37 There's no physical manifestation of the compulsions.

Jay Shetty 20:40 Mm.

Luke Combs 20:40 Um, so yeah, huge, huge part of my life.

Jay Shetty 20:44 Yeah. No, I appreciate you saying it. I mean-

Luke Combs 20:45 Yeah, of course

Jay Shetty 20:46 ... you sharing it is helping so many other people, as you said, listening, learning-

Luke Combs 20:50 Sure

Jay Shetty 20:50 ... trying to... You know, that kid who wants to tell their family, tell their friend-

Luke Combs 20:53 Right

Jay Shetty 20:53 ... you know, and recognize that it's not some dysfunction that they have-

Luke Combs 20:57 Yeah

Jay Shetty 20:57 ... but just something that they're experiencing. What

Jay Shetty 21:00 does OCD look like now in your life?

Luke Combs 21:02 What happens is not any different. Um, I think now when it does happen, I'm just so much more aware of it, you know? Um, and it's g- it's good 'cause when it happens, I can just, I straight up tell her, like, when I'm like, "Hey, this is going on. Like, just so you know, like, if I seem a little absent-minded or if I'm like, if you say something and I didn't quite pay enough attention to it, like, it's not just me being aloof. It's like I'm, I'm kinda going through this." And so she understands that, so I don't have to worry about that. Like, I don't have to worry about her, "Why are you being weird?" Like it's just an honest thing.

Jay Shetty 21:39 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 21:40 And she feels for me, which is nice to know that there's someone that understands what I'm going through, that's supportive of it, and doesn't judge me for it at all. Um, and you know, I mean, again, she's no therapist either, so, um, but I, I'm so well-equipped now.

Jay Shetty 21:56 What, what has been that equipped? What's actually helped-

Luke Combs 21:58 Yeah. I mean, I mean it's-

Jay Shetty 21:58 ... the people who are struggling?

Luke Combs 21:59 Honestly, the, [chuckles] the interesting thing about it is, like, not, like, not giving any, like, any credibility or attention to the thoughts is ultimately the thing that makes it go away, right? But the years and years and years of not knowing that, your go-to is, like, think about the thoughts and try to figure it out and try to solve it. So when you do that, like, I didn't find out what I had till I was probably, like, 19 or 20 really. Like, I didn't find Pure O OCD until then. I'd been dealing with it for seven or eight years at that time. And once I found it, naturally enough, I obsessed about it, trying to figure it out. Like, what does this mean? And, and a lot of that not, not from... I don't wanna try to, like, I'm not trying to say, like, "Oh, I was really great, and I figured it out." It was basically, like, one of the big no-nos of OCD is seeking reassurance that whatever the thought you have is not founded in any fact or reality, right? Like, that's the trap. It's like trying to solve the problem. So when you're, when you're young and you're in it, you're constantly seeking reassurance in your own mind to, like, discredit the thoughts that you're having. And so I would use that diagnosis. I would go and study this. I would go study what's Pure O and what's, you know, understand the way that people that have it think and the tools and, like, I was looking that stuff up to try to alleviate the anxiety from the thoughts.

Jay Shetty 23:34 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 23:35 Little did I know, and not that anyone should do this, I would not suggest it, but little did I know I was basically teaching myself to be an expert on the disease that I had or the mental illness that I had. And so now I'm so well-versed and studied in it, and again, not a therapist, don't claim to be. Now I j- I know the thought patterns, and I'm so familiar with, like, I can feel it coming on. I know when it's happening. I know why it happens, and I know... I, I just have the entire tool belt of, like, getting rid of it if I need to, and, uh, I think that is... I mean, it's a blessing and a curse. You know, it was a curse the way I got to it, but it's a blessing now. You know, having that knowledge, it keeps me from, from, you know, slipping into that state a lot, a lot, you know? And when I talk about OCD, I mean, that's the most interaction I get from people.Reaching out to me a lot.

Jay Shetty 24:33 Really?

Luke Combs 24:33 It's like, "Hey man, like you're the only guy I know that's ever talked about this."

Jay Shetty 24:37 Yeah.

Luke Combs 24:37 'Cause it's kind of like an obscure variant of OCD. It's not as common as like stereotypical-

Jay Shetty 24:45 Sure

Luke Combs 24:46 ... you know, like-

Jay Shetty 24:46 You're hearing about it more and more now though because of-

Luke Combs 24:48 Certainly.

Jay Shetty 24:48 Yeah.

Luke Combs 24:49 Certainly, it's like, it's definitely an understudied... See, I mean, there was a time even 10 or 12 years ago, I was looking it up, that some OCD doctors were like, "That's not a real thing."

Jay Shetty 24:58 Yeah.

Luke Combs 24:59 And I'm like, "Wow, what a dangerous thing to like say in a public... Like what an arrogant thing to say." Like if you've never had it-

Jay Shetty 25:07 Totally

Luke Combs 25:07 ... to s- even though you're an expert, regardless, and I'll probably get roasted for this online, like, it, how, like how dare you say it if you've never like... You, like saying someone's mental c-condition like doesn't exist is an incredibly damaging thing, especially given the nature of the one that you're talking about. Because that in and o- that statement in and of itself could send someone into a six-month spiral. Like, that statement could kick off an entire another episode of like life-crippling OCD for someone with OCD. Because then they would read it and go, "Oh my God, it's not real. I really am a murderer."

Jay Shetty 25:48 Yeah.

Luke Combs 25:48 Or, "I really am gonna crash my car into a [censored] school." You know what I mean? Like-

Jay Shetty 25:53 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. For sure. It can be that-

Luke Combs 25:53 It's like that, and it's, it just makes people like-

Jay Shetty 25:56 Yeah

Luke Combs 25:56 ... so panicked, you know?

Jay Shetty 25:57 Yeah.

Luke Combs 25:58 And-

Jay Shetty 25:58 I had a friend who just constantly kept thinking she was gonna do something bad to her kids, and so she had to be away from them for weeks.

Luke Combs 26:06 Oh, it's horrible.

Jay Shetty 26:06 Yeah, it's... I get it. Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 26:07 Avoidance behavior, another terrible thing. One of the worst things you can do because then you're giving the thoughts like the power of like-

Jay Shetty 26:15 Yeah. Yeah, that's what she had to do

Luke Combs 26:15 ... well, there really is an issue. So now you're isolating yourself from your kids, so there really is a problem now. It gives the thoughts more credibility. So you're taking action and telling yourself, "These thoughts are important, so I need to remove myself."

Jay Shetty 26:28 Yeah.

Luke Combs 26:28 You know? It's, it's crazy, man. It's a vicious-

Jay Shetty 26:30 Yeah.

Luke Combs 26:31 It's like a rip current in your mind.

Jay Shetty 26:32 Yeah, yeah. For sure.

Luke Combs 26:33 Like your instinct is to, you know, swim this way, and really you should just-

Jay Shetty 26:39 Do the opposite

Luke Combs 26:39 ... not struggle and just swim this way. [laughs] You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 26:41 Yeah.

Luke Combs 26:42 Like you just wanna swim that way is all you wanna do, you know?

Jay Shetty 26:44 Yeah.

Luke Combs 26:45 It's crazy. It's a crazy

Luke Combs 26:46 spiral.

Jay Shetty 26:46 You've spoken so beautifully about your parents. What's something that your parents did for you? What's a lesson they taught you that you're trying to pass on to your children?

Luke Combs 26:55 Yeah, I mean, I think really just work ethic, you know? I mean, my parents... I mean, they taught me a lot of things, you know? Um, my mom was just, you know, she's like wonderful, you know? And my dad's, was wonderful, and, um, my dad wasn't like, he wasn't like my buddy growing up. Like, he was like, he was my dad. You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 27:12 Yeah.

Luke Combs 27:12 Like, he was like-

Jay Shetty 27:13 Discipline and-

Luke Combs 27:13 He was a maintenance man at the bank, and it was like he worked 40 hours, and he came home, and he mowed the grass, and he drank beer with his buddies and like... Not that I was neglected in any way, but like we weren't like palling around a lot because there wasn't time. He was constantly working to provide me with food and provide Mom with, you know... Mom was working too, you know? So it was a very, very working class home, and that's what our life centered around was Mom and Dad have shit to do, and they're gonna do it, and that's, you know, that's just the way it is. And, you know, obviously that provided me with a lot of things, and, and I'm, I'm grateful for that. I never had to wonder what, you know, clothes I was gonna wear to school or what food I was gonna eat when I got home. Like, those worries were gone. Um, and so, you know, nothing but gratefulness for that. And my, you know... [sighs] It, it was like they... I learned so much from seeing that, you know? Luckily, I'm in a position now where it doesn't have to be that way. It had to be that way for them. There was no other option. Um, it was either, you know, it was work and provide or, or don't provide. You know, those were the two options they were presented with. My life now is obviously a lot different than that. It's, I have the ability to do both. I have the ability to do it on my own schedule when I want to and where I want to. Um, I ha- I spend, you know... I have conversations with people that, you know, everyone wants to know what's it like to be, you know, a musician and, you know, being when, or you're touring, and, "Well, do you miss your family?" And it's like, well, obviously I miss them when I'm gone, but I'm not gone, like, that much now. Like, I s- guarantee I spend more time with my kids than 90% of people probably because they're not in school, and if I'm not here with you, I'm there.

Jay Shetty 29:06 Mm.

Luke Combs 29:06 Like, they're... I'm nowhere else basically, except for deer season.

Jay Shetty 29:09 [laughs]

Luke Combs 29:10 But other than that, I'm not anywhere else, you know?

Jay Shetty 29:12 Yeah.

Luke Combs 29:13 Um, like I'm there, and, you know, in a couple years they'll be at deer season too. You know what I mean? So I get to, you know, like when I'm home, man, like I'm home, and I'm not, I'm not splitting my time at home between, okay, well, I've gotta do 50 work things today, and, you know, the kids are at school, and I don't ever see them, and then I leave, and they're, you know, begging me to, you know, play with them for five minutes. It's like when I come home, dude, like I'm cooking breakfast, I'm cooking lunch, I'm cooking dinner. Like I'm changing diapers. I'm giving baths. Like I'm the-- Like I'm in it. You know what I mean? Like I'm hands-on. I want to be. I want them to n- to know that, you know, at the most critical stages of my career, that they were still the top priority for me. And my parents showed me that in a different way. It was like, "Hey, we're going to go work these jobs that we don't like so that you can have the best life that you can have." And so I learned that from them. I just get to manifest it in a different way for my kids.

Jay Shetty 30:16 Yeah. I like the way you put that.

Luke Combs 30:18 Yep.

Jay Shetty 30:19 Yeah. That for you, it... For, for them, it was doing something they didn't like.

Luke Combs 30:23 Out of love

Jay Shetty 30:23 ... to show you that they're number one out of love

Luke Combs 30:25 Right

Jay Shetty 30:25 And yours is almost like, I'm actually gonna put aside something that I like-

Luke Combs 30:29 To show you that I-

Jay Shetty 30:29 ... to show you how important you are.

Luke Combs 30:31 Exactly.

Jay Shetty 30:31 Yeah.

Luke Combs 30:32 It's a, it's a, it's a-

Jay Shetty 30:32 Yeah

Luke Combs 30:32 ... different version of the same sacrifice-

Jay Shetty 30:34 Yeah

Luke Combs 30:34 ... for sure.

Jay Shetty 30:35 Absolutely.

Jay Shetty 30:36 From the outside, I'm always fascinated by how things look from the outside and the inside. From the outside, your career had this, like-

Luke Combs 30:42 Oh, yeah

Jay Shetty 30:42 ... meteoric rise.

Luke Combs 30:43 Sure.

Jay Shetty 30:43 It just... What was it like for you? What was the feeling that was actually happening? [laughs]

Luke Combs 30:47 Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it, it was certainly, but it also felt like, it feels like I've been doing it for a year, and it feels like I've been doing it for 100 years-

Jay Shetty 30:55 [laughs]

Luke Combs 30:55 ... at the same time, if that makes any sense. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 30:57 Yeah.

Luke Combs 30:57 You know?

Jay Shetty 30:57 Tell me about that.

Luke Combs 30:58 Those early years, man, were really hard, you know? I mean, the music industry has changed so much in the last 11 years. Um, I, I mean, really have been in it, in a, in, like, an official, like, I've got a record deal, like I'm promoting my music in, in the, in the grand way that it's done now. That's only been going on for, I mean, I guess n- like, this would be year 10-

Jay Shetty 31:23 Hmm

Luke Combs 31:23 ... for me probably. Year nine maybe.

Jay Shetty 31:26 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 31:27 Yeah, year nine, 'cause of 2017 was my first number one. Signed my record deal in the fall of '16-

Jay Shetty 31:34 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 31:34 ... and then didn't really ramp it up until, like, the beginning of '17. Um, but had been doing stuff on my own for a long time before that. Um-

Jay Shetty 31:42 Yeah

Luke Combs 31:42 ... and, you know, you, uh, you almost learn more doing that stuff, like doing it on your own and... You know, I w- I wonder if people miss that a little bit now because it's like you, you know, you almost get invited to the table when it's time to be there, you know, instead of like fighting for the spot at the table, like in town. Like, I don't know i-if as many people are, like, moving to Nashville now. Like, y-you almost know if you're gonna make it or not now because of social media.

Jay Shetty 32:13 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 32:13 And I was one of the first people that did that, not intentionally. I don't wanna make myself sound like a genius, 'cause I'm not. It's like that I just got l- I just lucked into that. Like I had Vine came out. I'm on this big platform. I'm prom- s- just singing on there and playing little six-second covers, and then Instagram comes out. I'm doing that. And I used that as a marketing tool for myself. Again, not in like any way of like, "This is the future." I don't wanna be like, "I predict it." You know, I'm not trying to Steve Jobs it-

Jay Shetty 32:42 [laughs]

Luke Combs 32:42 ... and say I invented iTunes. That's not the case.

Jay Shetty 32:45 Yeah.

Luke Combs 32:45 I just lucked into it. It happened to be the perfect time for that, for people to be receptive to that, and now that has become the model.

Jay Shetty 32:54 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 32:54 That is the way you do it. So I was just one of, if not the first guy to do that. Um, I wish I could say it was intentional.

Jay Shetty 33:03 Yeah.

Luke Combs 33:03 I just, I just lucked into that really. And so I, when I moved to town, I had all these sales numbers, ticket sales, that to me, I was like, "Well, this is normal." Like, this is just how could people not be doing it this way? This is the way it goes.

Jay Shetty 33:18 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 33:19 But I moved to Nashville. I don't really know anyone. I have one or two connections to, like, some buddies that were new to in town that wrote songs and didn't have anything else going on. And I would just go out to writers' nights and try to meet people and, you know, I found like-minded people, and we wrote songs together. And then, you know, one thing turns into another, and here we are.

Jay Shetty 33:40 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 33:40 But I don't know that that happens as much now.

Jay Shetty 33:43 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 33:43 Because if, let's say, you were a new artist, and you go, "I wanna be a country singer, that's my dream." Well, you just get on TikTok or Instagram-

Jay Shetty 33:51 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 33:52 ... and you write songs at your house.

Jay Shetty 33:53 And you see how people feel, yeah.

Luke Combs 33:55 And you see how people feel, and if all of a sudden it becomes this indeni- like undeniable thing, and then the record labels are calling your house. So when you get to Nashville, it's like the culture of that, like, the new people in town that are all banded together trying to succeed and do this thing, like, that's kinda not there-

Jay Shetty 34:15 Yeah

Luke Combs 34:15 ... right now.

Jay Shetty 34:16 Yeah.

Luke Combs 34:17 You know? Because why, why would you now-

Jay Shetty 34:20 Yeah

Luke Combs 34:20 ... when you could just stay, live at your parents' house and not pay rent and not take any risk. You don't have to go play shows because why would you?

Jay Shetty 34:27 Yeah.

Luke Combs 34:28 It's all an unnecessary risk at this point. And I'm not saying that's right or wrong. Everything progresses and changes, um, but I think it has kind of like unintentional consequences. And again, not that that's inherently wrong. It's just the, the nature of the beast right now. So I'm thankful for, that I was of the kind of the last generation, like I kinda got to experience both. I got to do the social media, like get feedback instantaneously, create my own space, my own community, have my own fans before anyone else got to decide or control that process. But I also got to move to Nashville and be a part of a, a culture that, you know, we created ourselves, and i.e. we being like me and my friends created kind of our own-

Jay Shetty 35:16 Yeah

Luke Combs 35:17 ... bubble of success that we all came up in together.

Jay Shetty 35:20 Yeah.

Luke Combs 35:20 That was really cool to be a part of. It's one, it's one of my favorite parts of like my whole story is like, I mean, my first seven number ones was everyone's first number one song.

Jay Shetty 35:30 Mm.

Luke Combs 35:31 When my first record was turned in to Sony, there was one person on the entire record that even had a publishing deal.

Jay Shetty 35:37 Wow.

Luke Combs 35:38 It was just all people I had like met at bars and shit and like wrote songs with that are now like lifelong friends of mine, you know, and people that I still collaborate with to this day. Not everyone I'm still super in touch with, but the core crew is like, I mean, people that I like go on trips with and like have around my kids and stuff. You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 35:57 Right. Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 35:57 So it's like, that's like, you just can't create that artificially.

Jay Shetty 36:02 Yeah.

Luke Combs 36:02 It has to be an organic thing. So I, I'm f- I, I feel sad for some of this generation that may lose that. And they, they probably have their own community and ecosystem that I'm unaware of that feels just as great as mine.

Jay Shetty 36:13 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 36:14 But I long for the like, the nostalgia of that. It's like I want other people to get to experience that the same way that I did, but they may just be having that same experience in a different lane.

Jay Shetty 36:25 Yeah.

Luke Combs 36:25 You know?

Jay Shetty 36:25 Yeah.

Luke Combs 36:26 At least I'm hopeful

Luke Combs 36:27 that they are.

Jay Shetty 36:27 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I, I can relate to a lot what you're saying because my work, kind of around the same time, 2016 was the year I, again, just like you, no strategy, no techniqueJust started sharing what I believed and what I cared about on social media.

Luke Combs 36:43 Right.

Jay Shetty 36:43 And it took off-

Luke Combs 36:44 So you were 28 at that time?

Jay Shetty 36:45 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 36:45 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 36:45 And it took off or-

Luke Combs 36:46 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 36:46 It took off organically.

Luke Combs 36:48 Right.

Jay Shetty 36:48 The-- I didn't know where it was going. I didn't have a plan for-

Luke Combs 36:51 Yeah

Jay Shetty 36:51 ... where it was going.

Luke Combs 36:51 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 36:52 And so I can totally relate to what you're saying about this idea of just putting something out there, and you weren't doing it because the pl- you thought the platform was gonna get you somewhere else.

Luke Combs 37:01 Exactly.

Jay Shetty 37:01 It was-

Luke Combs 37:02 Exactly.

Jay Shetty 37:02 It was just the platform was available.

Luke Combs 37:03 The thing that I love about it is it creates no, like, barrier to entry.

Jay Shetty 37:09 Totally.

Luke Combs 37:10 It's, like, purely what resonates with people. It's, like, strictly talent-based. It's, like, strictly work ethic-based. Like, it's all based on, like, how hard are you willing to work? How much do you resonate with people? What's your music? What do people think of your music?

Jay Shetty 37:26 Yeah.

Luke Combs 37:26 Um, so it's cool in that sense, and whether it's a podcast or a music or... I don't know, and I can't even imagine, like, or a chef, like-

Jay Shetty 37:34 Yeah, yeah, yeah

Luke Combs 37:34 ... I think of, like, you know, Joshua Weissman, who's like, he starts out putting videos on YouTube, and he's like, now he's like this one of the most influential food creators in the world.

Jay Shetty 37:44 Yeah.

Luke Combs 37:44 You know what I mean? Like, it's just so cool that you can-

Jay Shetty 37:46 Totally

Luke Combs 37:47 ... create something from nothing on your own accord now.

Jay Shetty 37:50 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 37:50 And you get to control the narrative and-

Jay Shetty 37:53 Totally

Luke Combs 37:53 ... of how your career's gonna go as opposed to, you know, this kind of nameless, like, these nameless people and entities going like, "Well, you're gonna do that-

Jay Shetty 38:02 Yeah

Luke Combs 38:02 ... and wear that." And, you know, they, basically they get to... It, it's, it's great for everybody because there's no risk for the labels in a lot of ways. They don't have to go, "We'll sign 10 guys, and hopefully one of them works out." And they go, "Nah, we'll just sign 10 guys, and they're all gonna work out."

Jay Shetty 38:17 Yeah, exactly.

Luke Combs 38:17 'Cause we know.

Jay Shetty 38:18 Exactly.

Luke Combs 38:18 We just know it's gonna work out.

Jay Shetty 38:19 Yeah.

Luke Combs 38:19 It's already proven. We have the proof right there. So it's kind of a win-win for everybody in that situation.

Jay Shetty 38:24 Yeah.

Luke Combs 38:25 At least I think. But, um, it's cool, man. It's a cool time.

Jay Shetty 38:28 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 38:29 There was a moment in your life, you were talking about your family being a priority now.

Luke Combs 38:32 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 38:32 But there was a moment in your life that kind of shifted you back in that direction, right? That made you take a bit of a break.

Luke Combs 38:38 I mean, I think it was, I mean, COVID was a big reason for that. Obviously, it was like my career was white hot when COVID happened, and it was kind of like, it was a bummer. It was a bummer for a lot of us. You know, um, a lot of musicians, you know, I-- There's a lot of people that didn't survive the whole COVID thing. You know, like you kinda come in, and it's like all of a sudden you're... I, you know, I can't imagine having been a new artist, like a brand-new artist when that happened 'cause then it's like you kind of only get the one shot, and then if it, if it dwindles at that time just because of the, what's happening in the world, like, well, that can be kind of it. That was tough. But my family thing, you know, I-- we have our first son, Tex, and then five months later we find out we're pregnant with our next, Beau. And so that was a whirlwind. I mean, like, you know, you're having a five-month-old, and you're figuring out how to be a parent, have a baby, and then all of a sudden you have another baby. You know, you have two babies at the same time, you know? I almost would've rather had twins, would've been an easier transition, to be quite [chuckles] honest. You know what I mean? Like, it was almost more difficult having like-

Jay Shetty 39:47 Yeah, yeah

Luke Combs 39:47 ... 'cause then they're at two different ages, but they're both so fragile. And like, I mean, when Beau was born, like Tex couldn't even walk yet. So it was like my wife's got one on the hip and one in the cradle, and it's like I'm out. I'm in, I'm in Australia when Beau is born, and that's like crushing, like devastating things. My whole identity is that no matter what, I'm gonna prioritize my wife and my children over my job, over what I do. Like, they're my number one priority. I want them to know that. And then here I am having this moment of like, well, guess who wasn't there? Like the guy, the guy that says he's always gonna be there and that will do anything to be there is the only guy that's not there. And so it, it was a, it was a huge blow to like... It was like, man, well, you set yourself up to do everything you can to be there, and then the plan doesn't go the way that you thought it was gonna go. And it's nobody's fault, obviously. Um, it's just a way of, you know, it was the universe's decision at that point. I mean, he comes two and a half weeks early, you know, f- four days from going home, and he decides, you know, to show up. And-

Jay Shetty 40:59 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 41:00 ... you know, and everyone's like, "Well, what are you gonna-- Will you plan the tour that close?" The tour is already planned. We fi- the tour is planned before we even find out we're pregnant with, with Beau. So there's no canceling the tour. It's sold out before we even know we're pregnant, you know? So you have this obligation to your fans to go and, and, and do that and put the shows on and, and power through. And I didn't, I didn't tell anyone that until after I got home. You know what I mean? Like, I kept it to myself because, you know, there was never this big, like, I didn't want it to be this big woe is me, like PR campaign of look how sad I am and look how hard it's been. It's, I mean, it's, it's kinda what, uh, y- you know that that could happen going in, I think. And so you have a right, uh, you have a duty to your fans to continue the show on, you know?

Jay Shetty 41:52 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 41:52 Um, I mean, even if I would've left, I would've, uh, not been home.

Jay Shetty 41:55 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 41:56 I mean, I woke up-

Jay Shetty 41:56 Yeah, you wouldn't have made it in time.

Luke Combs 41:57 Right. It's 8:00 AM-

Jay Shetty 41:58 Yeah

Luke Combs 41:58 ... Sydney time. My wife texted me 6:00 AM Sydney time or whatever. I don't even know what that time zone's called, but 6:00 AM. So I wake up two hours after the text of like, "I'm going to the hospital." Obviously call her first thing. She's in the hospital. I mean, thank God my sister-in-law was there. My mother-in-law was flying in that day. My parents lived in town. So the support system was there, and I'm, for that I am eternally grateful, you know? Um, it brings z- serious perspective to the it takes a village-

Jay Shetty 42:29 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 42:29 ... kinda thing. You know, I, I can't imagine if my wife would've been alone during that thing, it would've been even more crushing.

Jay Shetty 42:36 Yeah.

Luke Combs 42:36 But knowing that she had people that she trusted and cared about being around was a huge relief for me. It didn't make it any easier, but it was better. Um-And so that really shifted my focus of like, what happens from here?

Jay Shetty 42:51 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 42:51 Like, how do I make, you know, how do I make changes based on this thing? Like, I dread the conversation with my son at some point, like, 'cause obviously he doesn't know that. He's two and a half.

Jay Shetty 43:02 [laughs]

Luke Combs 43:02 Like, he's not maybe gonna understand that for five years.

Jay Shetty 43:05 Yeah.

Luke Combs 43:05 You know? But I dread that conversation-

Jay Shetty 43:07 Mm

Luke Combs 43:07 ... of being like, "You know, well, Dad, you, you know, you made this record about being such a good dad, and then you weren't there when I was born, but you were there for Tex, and you were there for the next kid, and why was I the only one that you weren't there for?" Um, so I worry about that a lot. Um-

Jay Shetty 43:23 Interesting.

Luke Combs 43:24 And I think that it will be okay, um, but it, I haven't quite yet processed when to have that conversation. Obviously not anytime soon. But when I do have that conversation, how do I, you know, say that to a seven or eight-year-old and it be meaningful? I think it's bigger than one conversation. It's not like, "Hey, I wasn't there. Get over it. We're, that's it. We're not talking about it." You know? It's, it's more nuanced than that. I'm sure it will be a lifetime of, you know, conversations and, um, I'm hopeful that he'll be understanding. I'm, I, I'm sure that he will, um, if I do my job right and my wife does her job right-

Jay Shetty 44:03 Yeah

Luke Combs 44:03 ... I think he will be.

Jay Shetty 44:04 Yeah.

Luke Combs 44:04 Um, if he turns out to be a good, a good person in the way that I hope that he does.

Jay Shetty 44:08 What do you think you'd say?

Luke Combs 44:09 I'd probably just break the news, you know. I think the first conversation is gonna be, "I want to tell you before you find out first." I think that's the most important thing, is, is getting ahead of... You know, I don't want him to, to one day, you know, have access to the internet and come across this thing, and it's, you know, Luke Combs misses the birth of his child to be at the show. And then he's like, "Well, what? I didn't know that. Which child is it?" And then it's like, "Oh, it was me." "Well, why did he never tell me?" You know? I think that avoiding that is, like, number one. Um, so I think that's the first conversation. You kind of like let that, like, wash, the shock a little bit of that, like, wash over him. Um, and then I think there's a follow-up conversation, which is, "Hey, you know, like, you know I would do anything for you. You know I would have given anything to be there," but, like, even if I make the best effort I can, like, there, there's no way I would-

Jay Shetty 45:10 Mm-hmm

Luke Combs 45:10 ... have been there. Like, he was born at, by 10:00 a.m.

Jay Shetty 45:13 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 45:13 And like two a- two hours after I wake up, he's born. So like, I wouldn't even have been able to, like, get a plane and be at the airport yet.

Jay Shetty 45:20 Yeah.

Luke Combs 45:20 And he would've been born already. So, um, it's not like I tried and didn't make it. It was like, there was no way that I was gonna make it. And so I think I'm, like, mentally, like, past the guilt of it now. Um, like, 'cause I beat myself up about it for a while. I couldn't even talk about it for a while without getting super emotional about it. And I think you just have to move forward, and you just have to, you just, you just have to, you know, cross that bridge when you come to it. And, um, I'm lucky to still have, you know, to be five years older or, or five years wiser, you know, when that conversation has to happen, um, and have had more time to process and think about it. But I mean, it's the nature of the beast, man. Like-

Jay Shetty 46:02 Yeah

Luke Combs 46:02 ... you know, I mean, if you work at the butcher shop, you're probably gonna get blood on you when you're, when you're at work, or you're probably gonna come home smelling like raw meat. You know what I mean? Like-

Jay Shetty 46:12 Yeah. [laughs]

Luke Combs 46:12 ... you knew that. You kinda knew that going in.

Jay Shetty 46:13 Yeah, yeah, for sure.

Luke Combs 46:15 It's not like... You knew it could happen. You hoped it wouldn't, and it did, and so now you just have to live with it and deal with it and address it-

Jay Shetty 46:21 Yeah

Luke Combs 46:21 ... and not let it become an issue.

Jay Shetty 46:22 Yeah. In Days Like

Jay Shetty 46:24 These, you sing, "When the sky is blue and the grass is green, how much better can it be? If I got you and you got me, we got everything we need. And even if it grew on trees, well, money can't buy days like these."

Luke Combs 46:36 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 46:37 And you talk about money in that song and in Rich Man as well.

Luke Combs 46:42 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 46:42 And how money can't buy happiness. How do you define a rich life?

Luke Combs 46:48 This is always such a tough subject for me because I think there, you know, there's no hiding, uh, there's no hiding that I, I do really well. Um, and that's something that I have some guilt around. Not guilt from, like, having money or having success. I feel like it's a question of, like, why do I deserve it more than maybe someone else? I don't deserve it more than anyone else. But you feel this guilt of like, I almost feel, it's not an imposter syndrome. It's not the same as that. But, like, you feel like, man, well, I, I just, I feel like I have more than I deserve, or I don't deserve to have been this successful, or you feel guilty for being this successful. And you kinda get this feeling like, well, I, I, maybe people, like, can't relate to me anymore. And, like, I hate that 'cause, like, I haven't changed other than the circumstances of my life now. Um, at least I think that. I would like to think that everyone around me would agree with that. Um, so I hope I'm not sounding, like, egotistical by saying that. But, like, I, I would, I would be willing to bet that a lot of the people that, that know me well would say it's the same guy with a different, different bank account. Um, and so those songs are even difficult. I find it a little bit, like, cliché for me to even say that, and I danced around putting Rich Man on this record because I was worried about sounding hypocritical, right? 'Cause the whole idea of the song is a guy in a bar who's basically supposed to, the character, his character is supposed to be a farmer, right? Like, the narrator of that song is not supposed to be me. It's supposed to just be a guy who's in a bar, and he sees two other guys having a conversation. And it's basically a guy in overalls who is supposed to, I mean, my, my eyes when we wrote it was a farmer or whatever. You know, older guy, and then a younger guy who's kind of in a suit. You know, he's doing the whole business guy thing, and he's stressed out about the stock market, and he's stressed out about work and all these things, and, you know, the farmer just kinda gives him this allegory in the song of like, you know-And hey, rich man, you know, uh, I know you didn't ask, but I'll say this, man. All the money in the world don't mean shit, man, 'cause it can't go with you when you die, buy you time, or hold your wife and kids' hands. And for me, I'm very aware of how much better my life is by having the things that I have, and I'm cognizant of that, and I'm not trying to hide that. Um, I'm very grateful for that and appreciative of it, and I'm aware of, you know, that it, it makes me, um... it can make me sound hypocritical in that sense, and I, I, I tussled with that a lot when putting this song on this record 'cause I didn't want people to be like, "Look at this big blowhard telling me how to th-you know, think about my life," or whatever. Like, I'm not trying to tell anybody how to feel, um, in any way on, on that song or on this record. And I think for me, though, there are these moments in life where I am, you know, you say the sky is blue, grass is green. I remember that day. We- Tex was a baby, and we're living in our house, like an hour from Nashville at that time. W-we've since moved, and it was just beautiful outside, and it was like my beautiful wife is there, my kid is there, and my career is going really well, and I'm just really thankful. It's almost just like there are these days to me that like-

Jay Shetty 50:25 Mm.

Luke Combs 50:25 ... you can't put your finger on, like, why they're so great.

Jay Shetty 50:29 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 50:29 You're still surrounded by the things that you have and the people that you love in the same way that you were yesterday, in the same way that you will be the next day. But it's like everything just lines up, and it's like you just-- you're almost on this, like, high of life. Like, it's the birds are singing, and the temperature, you know, it's, you know, it's like the t- weather's like that every day here, by the way.

Jay Shetty 50:52 [laughs] Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 50:52 Um, you know, I forget it's January when I'm leaving.

Jay Shetty 50:55 Yeah, it's spectacular.

Luke Combs 50:56 Yeah, it's unbelievable.

Jay Shetty 50:57 Yeah.

Luke Combs 50:57 And it's like, you know, it's like these bluebird days, and, you know, your fam- Everything's just hitting on the same wavelength for what I don't really even know how to describe it, but that was my mindset writing "Days Like These." It wasn't about I live in a nice house, or I have this thing. It was like it wouldn't have mattered where we were or what we were doing. It was just everything in the universe lined up that day for it to be, like, these, this perfect day. And it's not the first one I've had, and it's not the last one I'll have. But damn it if they aren't few and far between, and, and damn it if I didn't wish they came around more often, you know? And you just... I love those days, and they're so rare, and they're just... That song to me totally captured that moment in time, um, so perfectly, you know? And I just love those days, and I think that there's nothing that I owned or nothing that I'd bought or nothing that I could buy or nothing that I could do that could recreate that feeling. So regardless of the situation that I'm in now, there's no doubt that, that money helps with those things. There's no doubt. I don't wanna sound like I was like, "Well, it don't matter if you got..." That's the bridge of the song "Rich Man"-

Jay Shetty 52:09 Yeah, yeah

Luke Combs 52:10 ... is, you know, I, I say that in the bridge of that song. It's like, well, you know, it ain't no secret having money's nice, you know, but making a living don't make a life.

Jay Shetty 52:19 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 52:19 You know? And I believe that, and I know that's easy for me to say, so I don't want anyone to-- out there to think that I'm, you know, discounting the fact that I have, have it way better than a lot of people. I'm, I'm painfully aware of that, and I struggle with that, to be quite honest.

Jay Shetty 52:36 Yeah. I, I appreciate you saying that part-

Luke Combs 52:38 Yeah

Jay Shetty 52:38 ... of just, you know, how you can walk around, especially when beautiful things happen to you, and you totally-- I couldn't agree with you more that it's not that you don't wanna have beautiful things happen to you. You just want it to happen to a lot more people.

Luke Combs 52:51 For sure. Certainly.

Jay Shetty 52:52 And, and, and you want beautiful things to happen to everyone around you. You want beautiful things to happen to strangers that you've never met.

Luke Combs 52:58 Absolutely. Absolutely.

Jay Shetty 52:58 Because that's, that's the joy of it. It's only beautiful if-

Luke Combs 53:02 Right

Jay Shetty 53:03 ... more and more people get that opportunity.

Luke Combs 53:04 100%.

Jay Shetty 53:05 Yeah.

Luke Combs 53:05 100%.

Jay Shetty 53:06 Yeah.

Luke Combs 53:06 You know? It is, man.

Jay Shetty 53:07 Yeah.

Luke Combs 53:07 It's a, it's a crazy world out there, man. It's hard.

Jay Shetty 53:10 Yeah, it's hard.

Luke Combs 53:10 It's hard, man. It's really, really hard, you know?

Jay Shetty 53:13 Absolutely.

Luke Combs 53:13 And, uh, you, you know, when you're in, you know, the position guys like us are in, man, like, we're so lucky, you know? And you just have to, like, I do everything in my power to, to give that feeling back to other people, whether it's people that work with me or giving money to charity or whatever it may be, or volunteering, me going to sing at something. Like, any way I can give back, I always try to do that-

Jay Shetty 53:36 Yeah

Luke Combs 53:36 ... any chance that I have because that's just something my mother instilled in me at a young age.

Jay Shetty 53:41 Yeah.

Luke Combs 53:41 You know, we-- I grew up working at the food bank in Asheville. She would take me over there, and we would work at the food bank, and, you know, she's explaining what this is and what this place is, and, you know, that at the time made me like, "Wow, man, like, you know, this makes me really thankful for, you know, everything we got." And, you know, I can't imagine going home and opening up the cabinet and there's nothing in there.

Jay Shetty 54:02 Yeah.

Luke Combs 54:02 You know, there's no-- there's not even a can of corn in there.

Jay Shetty 54:05 Yeah.

Luke Combs 54:05 You know, I couldn't imagine that feeling. And, um, so she, she forced me to do that when I was younger, and I'm, I'm thankful for that, um, because, you know, she's still doing things like that. You know, she still goes out and works at the, you know, at the animal shelter, at the food bank in, in Nashville. And, um, you know, I, I got to go from that to, you know, after Helene, you know, that ravaged the part of the country that I grew up in. And when we put on the benefit concert in Charlotte, my portion of the proceeds, part of my portions of the proceeds, rebuilt the entire food bank that I worked at growing up. It was completely destroyed, like completely gone. And I got to watch my success and influence have the ability to do something that great and rebuild their entire facility, and that is like something that's, you can't even put words on, man.

Jay Shetty 55:04 Yeah.

Luke Combs 55:04 Like, the amount of pride I have in that isimmense.

Jay Shetty 55:07 Yeah.

Luke Combs 55:07 You know, like m-my most proud moment of my career from here on out-

Jay Shetty 55:12 Yeah

Luke Combs 55:12 ... and forever will be, you know, the show that we did that night and getting to see these charities send me videos and emails, and, "Here's what we did, and here's how this worked, and here's how this happened." And it's just cool to get to be a part of that, you know? And it's not-- I, I don't come at it from... It's not like an egotistical pursuit. It's just like you get to, like, watch the money that you raised, and you get to watch, you know, people be directly impacted by these things that we got to do, and I, I owe all that to my team. You know, I owe all that to everyone else. Like, I always say, like, I'm the guy that works the least amount. Like, I'm-- I have the easiest job in the whole thing, like, I think. Um, obviously I do a lot of things. I'm in a lot of places. I go to a lot of different things, and I'm constantly working. But when you love it, it doesn't feel that way.

Jay Shetty 56:08 Yeah.

Luke Combs 56:09 And I, I'm just grateful for everyone else on my team that allows me, you know, they're, you know, they get to be a billboard for me when they're out, you know, meeting. Even if I'm in there, you know, getting touched up before this thing, and they're talking to you, and you're like, "Man, well, these people are nice." So I really do believe it's top-down, you know?

Jay Shetty 56:26 Yeah.

Luke Combs 56:26 Like, I try to be great and give my team the ability to be great because we work in a good environment. We respect each other, and that transfers, man, and people can feel that.

Jay Shetty 56:37 Yeah.

Luke Combs 56:37 I think people can feel that energy when, when you're around. And, um, that's my biggest point of pride is when we're at a show, whether it's the stadium or we're going and doing a club gig for... You know, we did a-- we played a club gig last year for the first time in five years, and it was wild.

Jay Shetty 56:53 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 56:53 You know, it's like, like 850 people in the Georgia Theater in Athens, and, like, a venue we used to play and, like, it felt like the biggest venue in the world. And you go back, and when I'm walking through the halls backstage or whatever, like, even the people working the doors are like-- they'll say to me, "Your, your team is the best team we've ever worked with. Like, everyone was so kind and so gracious, and they communicated so well, and they're all professional, and they were all in great spirits." And, like, to me, that is like, that's the legacy I wanna leave behind is, like, sure, I had a lot of success. Sure, I had a bunch of hit records and sold a lot of tickets and sold a lot of T-shirts or whatever. But all that be damned, like, uh, you know, my headstone, you know, here lies a good man, good dad, good husband, good friend, good son, good boss. Like, that's the things that I want to be remembered for, and so I live every day trying to make those happen to the best of my ability.

Jay Shetty 57:55 Yeah. That's beautiful, man.

Jay Shetty 57:57 And I was thinking of a good example that you didn't mention. I saw a video of you starting a concert or at one point in a concert basically saying, "Guys, I'm not feeling well today. I'm still gonna do the show, but we're gonna give you a refund on all your tickets." [both laughing]

Luke Combs 58:13 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:13 And I'm like, "Dude, you did the show."

Luke Combs 58:15 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:15 Like it wa-

Luke Combs 58:15 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:15 Like, you showed up.

Luke Combs 58:16 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:16 You did the show, but you didn't-

Luke Combs 58:18 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 58:18 You, you were like, "I'm not gonna be my best," or something like that.

Luke Combs 58:21 Yeah, it was-

Jay Shetty 58:21 I was like, "Wow, that's amazing." I thought. That's-

Luke Combs 58:23 Yeah. I remember is, uh, it was, uh, it was in Maine is where it was.

Jay Shetty 58:27 That's it. That's it, yeah.

Luke Combs 58:28 We did two nights in Bangor, Maine, and the first night-

Jay Shetty 58:31 That's the place

Luke Combs 58:32 ... the show was great. Run-of-the-mill show, which-- and by run-of-the-mill, I mean, we had a great time. It was great. It was fun. We got buddies in town. But the particular-- That venue is wonderful, by the way. Um, and we were backstage, and they have great, like, they have a fire pit going, and they're bringing you out food, and, like, all the employees are so nice, and it's just a great atmosphere to hang out in. And so we had some friends in town, um, and, you know, up having some cocktails, but we were all outside. I'm talking two or three times as loud as I normally was-

Jay Shetty 59:05 Yeah

Luke Combs 59:05 ... 'cause we're playing music. We're having some drinks. We're staying up late. And the next day I wake up, and I'm like, "Man, my voice is, like, just a little, like, it's just a little rough," you know. Like, not my worst morning I've had, like, by a long shot. And I know I, I've done that enough times to know how it goes and know how it's progressing. And so as the day went on, I'm like, I'm like, "Well, man, this isn't, like, progressing the way it normally does." Like, it doesn't feel like it's getting much better. So I don't know, I guess maybe around two or three o'clock, I call my manager, and I'm like, "Hey, this ain't going so hot. I'm starting to get a little bit worried 'cause we have the show tonight." And I said, "Could you..." I-- and I've done this maybe twice ever. Once was in Australia. This was the second time. I said, I, I was like, "I need to get a steroid shot to do the show tonight." And I hate doing that. If you're s- any kind of singer, you should not get those 'cause they're f- horrible for your voice in the long run. Don't-- It's not something you should be doing a lot. Um, it should be an absolute emergency parachute situation, which it was for me 'cause I'm like, "Well, everyone's here." I get the steroid shot, and I'm like, "Okay, I'm gonna be good. I'm gonna get through this." A couple hours goes by. I go to do my warm-ups. I do my warm-ups, let's say we're on at 9:00. I'll do my warm-ups at 8:00. It's 20 minutes, 25 minutes, and then I'll join the band, and we all hang out and have some drinks, get together, whatever. And I get five minutes into my warm-up, and obviously, I mean, everyone's already played, dude. Like, the first of three is played. Direct support's already done. Like, people are just waiting for me to come out at this point. I get five minutes into my warm-up, and I call my manager. I'm like, "Dude, I'm not gonna be able to sing tonight." And he was like, "What do you mean?" I was like, "I don't know, man. Steroid shot, like, it d- it didn't work." Like, it worked the first time I got it. I was like, "It didn't work. It didn't do enough. Like, I physically am not going to be able to do it enough." And so we were having conversations, "Well, what's the options?" You know, he's like, well, he's like, "Well, we'll just cancel it. We're just, that's what we do."And I was like, "Nah, dude, that's what everyone else does. Like, we're not doing that." Like, I'm not-- These people are here, dude. Like, this is... Those concerts, man, like, concerts are expensive, and I'm aware of that. Like, I have so much respect for how hard people work and things they sacrifice to come and see me play because I used to be one of those people. You know, I would work all summer to save up to go see one concert, and it was a big event, man. It wasn't just, "Oh, this is the thing I'm doing tomorrow." It was like, "I'm building my whole summer around this one night," you know? And I know there's hundreds of people, thousands of people, you know, a thousand yards away from me that have done the same thing, and I can't live with the idea that they are going to be let down. And they're sure as hell not gonna be let down by somebody else that isn't me. So I told Cappy, I said, "Listen, dude," I said, "I'm going out there and I'm telling them." Like, and he's like, "What do you, what do you mean?" And I'm like, "I'm going out there and I'm telling them on the microphone that I, I can't do the show." And I said, "Me and the band, we'll play for an hour." I said, "We'll play all the hits. I'll sing the best I can, but, like, we're just gonna refund everybody's money." And he's like, "I'm in, dude. Like, whatever, whatever you wanna do, let's do it," you know? And he's, "Who cares about the money? Like, doesn't matter. We'll get, we'll all refund it." So go out, and usually we have, like, you know, there's the big intro song-

Jay Shetty 1:02:35 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:02:35 ... and, like, the video and all that stuff. I'm like, "We gotta kill this, dude." Like, we're not doing the hype up video.

Jay Shetty 1:02:39 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:02:40 And then I'm walking out and telling them I'm not playing.

Jay Shetty 1:02:42 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:02:42 So I walk out, and I remember being, like, so somber, and, like, my heart rate is just through the roof. I'm, like, so nervous 'cause I've never done anything like this before. And I remember saying it like, "Hey, guys, I'm not gonna be able to do the show tonight." And it's, like, just raining down boos, man. Like, it's just people are b- brutalizing me.

Jay Shetty 1:03:02 Oh, wow. Oh, man.

Luke Combs 1:03:03 And, like, as I feel like th- they have the right to do. Like, I would be pissed too, right? Like, Mr. Big Time comes out here and tells me he's not gonna do the thing or whatever. And I go, "But wait." I was like, "Before you guys get upset, like, I'm still, we're still gonna play the show. It's just not going to be as good as I feel like it needs to be for me to take money from you and use it for the betterment of my life or my team. Like, you deserve, you know, you spent all this money to be here, and you've got hotel rooms and babysitters, and, like, I can't make that right. So I still want to give you the show. I'm just not gonna take the money from the tickets. Like, and, and, uh, this just, so this just free show, but it's just not gonna be as good of a show as I feel like you deserve for all the sacrifices that you've made to be here." And we played for probably an hour, hour 15, and we played all the hits, and I sang the best I could, and the crowd sang, and it was a really cool night. It was really stressful. And man, I gotta give it up to my fans. Like, a lot of fans reached out to me, and they were like, "Hey, man, I donated my refund because, like-

Jay Shetty 1:04:09 Wow

Luke Combs 1:04:10 ... we loved the show, and we thought it was still great, and we appreciate you being a stand-up guy, and we just wanted to-- we just felt like it was wrong to take the refund." Now, not everybody did that, and I can understand that. I wouldn't be mad if nobody donated their refund, you know? Um, but then we came back, I think it was two years later, we came back. Like, scheduling was crazy, but we came back and did a night there. We were, like, doing stadiums, and then we came back and did the little amphitheater in Bangor, and, uh, it was cool, man.

Jay Shetty 1:04:38 That's awesome, man.

Luke Combs 1:04:39 Great story.

Jay Shetty 1:04:40 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:04:40 You know, great, turned into a great story.

Jay Shetty 1:04:42 Oh, that's awesome.

Luke Combs 1:04:43 But I was stressed. I was very stressed about that.

Jay Shetty 1:04:44 Oh, I can imagine.

Luke Combs 1:04:45 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:04:45 I can imagine, but that's awesome. I, I love-- I'm so glad you told me that story 'cause I just saw the clip, like, on social media-

Luke Combs 1:04:51 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:04:51 ... that I'd seen.

Luke Combs 1:04:52 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:04:52 And I, I thought, "Wow, that's incredible." But now to hear the backstory-

Luke Combs 1:04:55 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:04:56 ... behind it. I mean,

Jay Shetty 1:04:57 you know, earlier you were talking about your wife.

Luke Combs 1:04:58 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 1:04:58 You've been together for 10 years now?

Luke Combs 1:05:00 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 1:05:00 Thereabouts.

Luke Combs 1:05:01 Yep.

Jay Shetty 1:05:01 Um, it's mine and my wife's 10-year wedding anniversary this year.

Luke Combs 1:05:04 Oh, nice. Congrats.

Jay Shetty 1:05:04 We've been together 13 years.

Luke Combs 1:05:05 That's awesome. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:05:06 And so it's fun when you've lived that life with someone. How did, how did you guys meet?

Luke Combs 1:05:11 We met, uh, she was, she actually was living in Nashville. I was living in Nashville. We had met in passing a few times. Um, not, not many, not more than five minutes here and there. Like, but we kind of had some of the same friend group. Like, you know, think of like the Venn diagram.

Jay Shetty 1:05:28 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 1:05:28 There's like a couple people in the middle, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:05:30 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:05:30 We all know a bunch of different folks and stuff. So met like that, and, uh, she worked at B, uh, BMI, which is a huge-- I'm sure you know what that is. For those of you that don't, a performance rights organization that, um, you know, just collects and distributes royalties to songwriters. Um, and that's how they get paid for the most part. Um, there's a few organizations that do it. Uh, BMI is the biggest one, and she was working there at the time. She did kinda like specialized, like, HR work there. BMI also puts on a songwriting festival in Key West. Uh, the Nashville branch puts on one in Key West, and it's called the BMI, um, Key West Songwriters Festival. It's every year, so much fun. So their whole office, like, shuts down. Like, the, I mean, it's like, I can't tell me how many people work there, probably in the hundreds, and they all just kinda go to the Keys and help out with events or just hang out or whatever, you know. It's not like a stressful work week and, you know-

Jay Shetty 1:06:29 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:06:29 ... maybe it is for one or two people, but the rest of them are kinda chilling and having a good time. And so they invite around 200 songwriters down there, all, like, kind of in the country space. Um, and it's cool because BMI, you know, they foot the bill for your flight. They put you up in a hotel. Like, it's an all-expense kinda paid, like, trip to Key West, and you play a couple songwriters rounds, and fans come, and it's, it's really fun. It's really killer. Like, if you love country music, if you love songwriting, you have to go. Um, it's really, really great. So it was my first year going to that. I was probably the last guy picked to go.

Jay Shetty 1:07:03 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 1:07:03 I have no publishing deal, no record deal. Um, and my buddy Channing Wilson, who, uh, is fantasticHe was going down there, and I remember me and him were having lunch, and he was like, he's like, "Man, why don't you come down to Key West, dude?" And I was like, "Well," it's like, "I didn't get invited," you know? So he called up his rep at BMI and was like, "Hey, I'm eating lunch with this Luke Combs guy." And they-- I had had a meeting over there with them. I was there, and they were like, "Yeah, man, like he can just room with you or whatever." So I was like, "Hell yeah." So I was pumped up. Get down there, run into her at an event, and kind of hung out like for the evening with friends and stuff, like spent a couple hours together, um, hanging with friends and stuff. And then once I came home, we made plans to get together like a couple weeks, like a couple weeks after I got home. Uh, we ended up staying in touch via text or whatever and made some plans to, um, made some plans to get together, and we've been dating ever since, man. Like it was just crazy.

Jay Shetty 1:08:05 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 1:08:05 You know what I mean? Like she didn't have any reason to think I was cool at all, man. Like I was wearing a T-shirt and gym shorts when I ran into her, and it's like she was like working two jobs, like making a killing, and I got like nothing going on at all. Um, she just thought I was cool for whatever reason, so I, I thought that was pretty awesome. So, um, it worked out, man. It was great 'cause she's been there with me, you know, since the beginning, um, and, you know, seen me through a lot and, you know, we made it through the whole rise together and all the craziness together and, um, she's the best, dude. I mean, you know, I mean, she really is. Like I just can't imagine, like I, I wouldn't be here without her, you know? I'd have-- There's 10 hit songs that I wouldn't have written, you know, because I wrote them about her, you know? Um, so I'm very, very thankful for her, man, and she's a great mom, and she's a great wife and a great friend and, um, she's just a great person. So I'm, I'm very blessed to have that like connection with her, man. Like that's been a huge, huge positive light in my life. Like having her is, you know, she's one of the biggest reasons for my success, certainly.

Jay Shetty 1:09:11 How, how did you know she was the one?

Luke Combs 1:09:13 It's funny as you say this, like everyone's like, "Well, it's like, you know, like immediately, like it's love at first sight kind of thing." And, you know, I th- I think that sometimes maybe does a disservice to, to the seriousness of like a relationship of like the level that me and my wife have. We have grown together, you know. We have become adults together. We've become parents together. We've lived together. Like that's not something that happens overnight. Like sure, there are those feelings, like those inherent feelings of like lust or attraction. Like I think sometimes that people can confuse that for like this love at first sight thing, and they're like, "This is the person that I have to be with because I'm so attracted to them." And like sure, the physical connection is really necessary, but the emotional connection I think we forget sometimes in today's day and age that that is like, it's like a plant, dude. It's not something that, that grows up overnight, dude. Like it's something that takes nurturing. It takes, you know, you gotta water it. You gotta trim it. You gotta, like you have to be doing maintenance to this thing. And when you do that together, it, it, you grow better together, you know? And there is no like, "This is when I knew." Like I knew that I was very attracted to her, and I knew that she was a great person, and I knew that I wanted to spend more and more and more time with her every time I spent time with her. And so I would say that, like it just ne- there was never any moment where I was like, "Maybe this isn't the person I should be with." You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 1:10:54 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:10:54 She never, she never gave me that.

Jay Shetty 1:10:56 Right.

Luke Combs 1:10:57 There was never this thought of like, "Well, m-maybe this isn't," you know? It was like there was never any questioning it. So maybe I do, did always know, but maybe I just wasn't smart enough to, to see that at the time. But I think the connection that we've grown over the years is, is the beautiful part of it, you know? And it's like it only gets better with time. It's like wine or something, you know what I mean? Like it's probably pretty good right out of the barrel, but then when it's, you know, 10 years old, it's a whole different story, and then 20 years old, and 30 and 40, and so on and so forth. It's, it's a really cool thing, man, and it's, it's a blessing to get to, to get to experience life with somebody in that way and have somebody to share your triumphs with and your, the peaks and the valleys and all of these difficult things. Like my OCD stuff, she's very supportive of all that, and it's like she's always supporting me. She's never bringing me down, you know what I mean? Like she doesn't take no shit from me.

Jay Shetty 1:11:56 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:11:56 [chuckles] And that's important as well.

Jay Shetty 1:11:58 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:11:59 But it's like, but that's cool to me, man. Like it's, you know, I don't want somebody that's willing to just do whatever I say all the time. That's not, I don't wanna get it twisted that that's the way it is 'cause it ain't that. Like she's the boss, bro.

Jay Shetty 1:12:11 [chuckles]

Luke Combs 1:12:11 Like she is the boss, and like that's cool to me, man. Like I like that. Like I like her being like, getting her advice on like songs or getting her advice on merch. Like she has such an eye for that, so much more so than I do. And like we've done all these cool like merch collections where it's like the Luke and Nicole thing. It's like her deal, and she does the photo shoots, and like she's doing all the merch and like letting her like... I can, I just trust her implicitly with that, like with, not just with me as a man and as a husband, but like even with my brand and like my business and like she's not someone that like I'm ever worried about like embarrassing me or like, you know what I mean? And, and not that she ever c- even could, but like it's just like having this high level of like trust and respect for her. I like to think that she has that for me too, but it's nice on my end to, to have that and feel that. It's a very comforting thing to know. It's like you know when you go home there's this person that's like, regardless of everything else, is like on your team no matter what.

Jay Shetty 1:13:18 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:13:18 You know?

Jay Shetty 1:13:18 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:13:18 And that's, that's cool.

Jay Shetty 1:13:20 What did she see in you before you saw it in yourself?

Luke Combs 1:13:23 Brother, I got no idea.

Jay Shetty 1:13:24 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:13:25 [laughs] I got no idea.

Jay Shetty 1:13:27 That's so good.

Luke Combs 1:13:28 I- if I knew I'd be selling it. How about that?

Jay Shetty 1:13:30 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:13:31 If I knew what it was, man, I would be bottling it up and putting it on the internet. Um, you could Amazon it right now if I knew what it was 'cause there's some magic in this.

Jay Shetty 1:13:39 That's the new thing.

Luke Combs 1:13:40 Yeah, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:13:41 Nicole's potion or Luke's potion.

Luke Combs 1:13:42 I mean, yeah, Luke's-

Jay Shetty 1:13:43 Luke's, yeah

Luke Combs 1:13:43 ... whatever it was, dude, and I tell you what, it wasn't, uh, it wasn't my model-like figure by any chance, by any stretch of the imagination. Um, I don't know. You know, I, I haven't really considered that. I've thought about it a bunch of times. Like, I'm just like, "Well, gosh, I don't know." Like, I remember, I remember my dad saying to me one time, like, I think I had this crush on, like, a girl in high school or something, and I was kinda like asking my dad for, like, advice on it. And I was like, "Man," like, I just like, I'm like, "This is kinda cool or whatever," and I'm like, "Why is this going on?" He's like... [laughs] I'll never forget this. He was like, "Hey, some- sometimes, son, you just don't ask questions."

Jay Shetty 1:14:20 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:14:22 And it was like, I was like, "Okay." And so when it was like, when it comes to that stuff, I'm like, I maybe I don't wanna know. You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 1:14:30 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:14:30 I'm just like, whatever, you know? And so I just think sometimes when things are good, you don't really have to know why.

Jay Shetty 1:14:37 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:14:38 Um, you know, I think you can, you know, then you can, maybe you can ruin something like that. I don't, I'm not sure. But, um, I, I don't know. I, I mean, I think that, you know, I like to think maybe that she could tell that I'm a, a good person, yeah, I think. And, um, you know, I think that, you know, now she knows that, you know, I've got her back. She's got mine. You know, she, you know, her and the kids are number one, and, like, I'm doing stuff for them. And, but obviously that wasn't happening when we met. Like, it wasn't like we had kids together, you know? But I think, you know, I think she could just tell, like, well, maybe this guy is, like, at least different than other guys that I've m- I'm not sure, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:15:16 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:15:16 Um, maybe she dated a bunch of losers. I, I don't know.

Jay Shetty 1:15:19 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:15:19 You know what I mean? It's like, I mean, I'm not sure, you know? Um, but no, she-

Jay Shetty 1:15:23 That's so good

Luke Combs 1:15:24 ... she, she's rad, dude. But I don't know.

Jay Shetty 1:15:25 Man.

Luke Combs 1:15:25 I couldn't-

Jay Shetty 1:15:26 Does, does she ever roast you?

Luke Combs 1:15:27 Um, bro, all the time, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:15:29 Yeah, my wife roasts me all the time.

Luke Combs 1:15:30 All the time, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:15:31 All the time.

Luke Combs 1:15:32 She rips me apart, and it's like, it's awesome.

Jay Shetty 1:15:34 What would she say if she was here and she was roasting you? What would she say?

Luke Combs 1:15:36 Hmm, I'm trying to think what she would-

Jay Shetty 1:15:38 What would she tell the people?

Luke Combs 1:15:38 She's like, she picks on... She's like, she's, she's like, "You're s- nerdy."

Jay Shetty 1:15:43 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:15:43 She's like, "You're, you're, like, definitely a nerd." She definitely thinks I'm nerdy.

Jay Shetty 1:15:47 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:15:47 I like to play video games, and she's like, "Oh, God," like, you know. She, like, lets me do it. She's like, "Do whatever you want," but she's like, "I'm not gonna-"

Jay Shetty 1:15:53 You're a nerd.

Luke Combs 1:15:54 "... I'm not gonna not call you a nerd while you're playing video games in the living room."

Jay Shetty 1:15:57 That's funny.

Luke Combs 1:15:57 You know what I mean? [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:15:58 Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:15:59 It's like, it's just that kind of stuff, man. She just doesn't let me get away with anything, you know-

Jay Shetty 1:16:02 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:16:02 ... in, in a good way.

Jay Shetty 1:16:03 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:16:03 In a playful way, you know. For real, though, don't let me get away with nothing either.

Jay Shetty 1:16:08 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:16:08 But, like, she can also be super playful and-

Jay Shetty 1:16:10 Yeah, yeah

Luke Combs 1:16:11 ... um, she knows herself, man. She's so confident in herself, and she's so confident in, like, in us and our family. And, like, I think that's really cool, and it's really attractive, man, to, like, have someone that is so confident in themselves. And I've learned a ton from her, man. I've learned a ton about, you know, being just, you know, proud of who I am and, you know, having, you know, these kinda strong convictions and not being afraid to speak your mind and not being af- afraid to say the things that you, you know, the things that you believe in and share your opinions. I mean, you know, I was, I was not as apt to do that until I met her, and she helped me, you know. Also, the thing, uh, one of the... This is a, this is a sleeper pick for a favorite thing about her is, like, I, I wasn't a, a picky eater, as you can probably tell. Um, I was not a picky eater growing up. Um, but I was a little bit. Like, if I didn't like something, I was, like, completely out on it. Like, I'm like, "Don't like it." Mushrooms, hate it. Mustard, hate it. Like, all, there was a lot of things that I didn't like. And she really was like, "You know, you ought to, like, try stuff, man."

Jay Shetty 1:17:19 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:17:19 You know what I mean? Like, you're just kinda like... She's like, "Mushrooms are good, and mustard is good." And I'm like, "No, it's terrible. I've hated it since I was a kid." And, you know, it's just little. I don't know that's such a f- funny thing to, like, pick out.

Jay Shetty 1:17:33 No, I get it.

Luke Combs 1:17:34 But, like, mushrooms are, like, probably one of my top five favorite foods ever now. And, like, I would've-

Jay Shetty 1:17:40 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:17:40 ... probably never tried them if it wasn't for her, and I love mustard now.

Jay Shetty 1:17:45 Yeah, I love mustard now.

Luke Combs 1:17:45 And it's like, I, like, all these things, like... And it's just, that's a small example of a bigger picture of, like, she's just helped me become more confident in myself and-

Jay Shetty 1:17:55 And challenging you as well

Luke Combs 1:17:56 ... and challenging me and pushing me to do things that are hard and pushing me to do th- and encouraging me to do things that are, are difficult that normally I would've, you know, faltered at before. And, um, she's just like, you know, she's, she's like, she's my homie, dude, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:18:11 I love that, man.

Luke Combs 1:18:11 She's the best.

Jay Shetty 1:18:12 I love that.

Luke Combs 1:18:13 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:18:13 I look forward to meeting her one day.

Luke Combs 1:18:14 Yeah, she's great.

Jay Shetty 1:18:15 She sounds awesome.

Luke Combs 1:18:15 She is, yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:18:15 She sounds

Jay Shetty 1:18:16 awesome.

Luke Combs 1:18:16 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:18:17 You, you sing in your song, "The way I am, I'm sorry, baby, I really tried to change. It's like there's something broken in my brain. The more I try to fix it, the less I understand, but you still love me just the way I am." And I'm like-

Luke Combs 1:18:28 [laughs] Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:18:29 ... that's like, uh-

Luke Combs 1:18:30 Yeah, that song rips, man. Um-

Jay Shetty 1:18:31 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:18:32 ... I, I didn't write that song, and that's why I love it so much is, like, that statement so perfectly fits, you know, a lot of the themes in my life, the, the OCD stuff, you know. Um, and that was a, a friend of mine wrote that with another, another great songwriter in, in Nashville. And, um, when I heard it, it was just, it was so sonically different than anything that's coming out of town right now.

Jay Shetty 1:18:55 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:18:55 I mean, there's nothing like that song coming out right now. It's a very stereotypical country sound, but probably from 40 years ago.

Jay Shetty 1:19:01 Mm.

Luke Combs 1:19:02 And that's kinda what drew me to it is, like, it just felt like this kinda moment that was unexpected, not just from me, but from, from anyone really. Um, it's very slow. It's way too long. It's got a just straight up steel guitar solo, like old steel guitar, not like cool steel guitar, like, that's in, like, you know, uh, some, like, poppy song. Like, it is, like, straight up, like, tears, like something George Jones would be singing, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:19:32 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:19:32 And not that I'm that, but it's like, lyrically I resonated with it so much already, and then sonically it was just so different. It was like, I mean, it felt like an absolute, like, layup of a song to do. I just felt like-I feel like it's gonna be a big moment for people, and I think that that's why ultimately I chose that song as the title for this record is it, it just like, you know, it's just, it really does just that, that's-- I'm so okay with the way that I am now, honestly, at risk of sounding ironic, you know. Um, it's like I, I at thirty-five, I obviously don't have life all the way figured out, but I'm as comfortable, if not more comfortable in my skin than I've ever been. I feel like my mental health is way higher than it's ever been. My mindset, my outlook, um, is all so great, and I just, you know, I have so many people to thank for that. Um, you know, my wife, obviously my kids have helped a ton. Um, and just great friends, great teammates, great band members, great, you know, collaborators and great, you know, everybody just does so much for me, you know. And, and that's kind of, you know, that's made me into the way that I am, you know. And that's, uh, just that title in and of itself really I felt like encapsulated, um, you know, the message I was trying to say with this album is, you know, this is, this is where I am now, whether that's musically or as a person, and I'm just excited. I'm excited for people to hear this record. I haven't done like a commercial project in like almost four years now, and, um, it's time, and I, I just, you know, I hope it's as received as I, I want it to be. Um, and if it's not, it's okay, you know.

Jay Shetty 1:21:21 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:21:21 Um, but you just have to put, you know, what you feel like is your best foot forward, and, um, you just have to be willing to live with, with the results of that no matter what.

Jay Shetty 1:21:29 Absolutely. And that-

Luke Combs 1:21:30 And I'm more okay with that now than I've ever been.

Jay Shetty 1:21:32 Yeah. And that going away for four years was important.

Luke Combs 1:21:35 It was. Yeah, and it was like, you know, it's not like I retired, but it was like we really backed the touring stuff down. Like last year I didn't have my own tour for the first time in- ever since I started. Uh, and that was weird. Um, it was really fun because all we did was these big festivals, you know. And so the festivals are fun. They're a different challenge than especially the stuff we did this year. You know, we did Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Newport Folk Festival, Austin City Limits, like crowds that we would normally never step in front of. And so I was-- I really looked forward to that challenge, you know, getting with my band leader and making setlists that were different for every one of these shows and going, "Well, how do we, how do we meet this crowd in the middle?" You know what I mean? Like, as much as I-- there was to half the set I wanted to come out and kick the door down and play honky-tonk shit, like country stuff, like I wanted to do that, and we did that. But I also wanted to say, "I'm also willing to meet you where you're at a little bit and like help you understand, not just me, but that our genre in general is, is not just this stereotype of... It's, it's not some caricature of like this thing."

Jay Shetty 1:22:53 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:22:53 "It's like, it's like, it's something that you can love too, and maybe you don't know that, and maybe tonight is not the night that you fully understand that. But hopefully tonight makes you even be at the inception of maybe I could love country music."

Jay Shetty 1:23:08 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 1:23:09 "And maybe in twenty years we're finally where I think we need to be." Not, not exclusively because of me, but that moment helps a couple people have that-

Jay Shetty 1:23:18 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:23:19 ... epiphany or experience and, and, you know, the betterment of the genre is something that's, is really important to me. You know, and, and letting people know is like, "Hey man, like we're here. Like we're like, we're more popular than we've ever been now, and it ain't stopping anytime soon."

Jay Shetty 1:23:36 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:23:36 And I wanna do my part to be a part of that future and help out the genre. Like and regardless of what that means for me personally or my success, you know. I mean, a lot of those shows I, I lo- lost money doing those shows. I took a lot less money than I usually would to get the slot because I wanted to be able to go and do that.

Jay Shetty 1:23:59 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:23:59 Um, I hope some people felt that on those nights.

Jay Shetty 1:24:02 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:24:02 Um, but they were a lot of fun. We sh- we sure enjoyed 'em, and the crowds were just amazingly like welcoming and warm, um, which was really cool, man.

Jay Shetty 1:24:12 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:24:12 'Cause I, I was nervous, you know. Like not nervous like, "Oh, I don't wanna go out there," but just like, gosh, man, like, man, like you could really fall-

Jay Shetty 1:24:20 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:24:20 ... on your face out here and it would be tough night if like it doesn't go well. You know, like if you're not well-received headline in Austin City Limits, like that'd be tough.

Jay Shetty 1:24:29 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:24:29 Or like you come out in Bonnaroo and you're headlining and it's like people aren't into it, it'd be pretty crushing night. It could be like a pretty crushing night if it doesn't go well. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:24:39 Yeah. [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:24:39 You know, so I, I-- but I-- at least everyone made me feel like they went well and, uh, maybe they didn't.

Jay Shetty 1:24:44 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:24:44 But I felt like my perception was that they went really well, and I, I enjoyed it.

Jay Shetty 1:24:48 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:24:48 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:24:48 Dude, I can relate 'cause I get asked to teach meditation in all these places.

Luke Combs 1:24:52 Mm-hmm.

Jay Shetty 1:24:52 Like random places that you wouldn't expect it. So I did, I did a meditation on main stage at Bonnaroo a few years back.

Luke Combs 1:24:57 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:24:58 And everyone was just like wanting the main act to come out, and it's like you're having to get everyone into a zone before they experience the thing they wanna experience, and it's like the pressure of that. And thankfully it went okay.

Luke Combs 1:25:11 Right.

Jay Shetty 1:25:11 It wasn't, you know, everyone, everyone, everyone was surprisingly quiet. It was impressive.

Luke Combs 1:25:15 Wow.

Jay Shetty 1:25:15 Uh, but it was, you know, it-- I g- I-- my world's very different to yours, but it's that same pressure of just like how do you get people at this music festival-

Luke Combs 1:25:25 Right

Jay Shetty 1:25:25 ... to be quiet?

Luke Combs 1:25:26 To have this moment. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:25:27 And it's like literally the opposite, but-

Luke Combs 1:25:29 Yeah. It's like the antithesis of why they're there.

Jay Shetty 1:25:30 Totally.

Luke Combs 1:25:31 Right. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:25:31 But when people do it, what's fascinating when it's worked is the music that comes after itEveryone's senses are, like, ready for it because-

Luke Combs 1:25:39 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:25:39 ... they've gone so-

Luke Combs 1:25:40 'Cause they've been on this-

Jay Shetty 1:25:41 Yeah, they've got-

Luke Combs 1:25:41 It almost gives them a moment to, like, reset.

Jay Shetty 1:25:43 Totally.

Luke Combs 1:25:43 It's like sniffing the coffee beans at Yankee Candle-

Jay Shetty 1:25:47 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:25:47 ... before you smell the other candle, you know what I mean? [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:25:49 Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:25:49 You're like, "I've smelled all these great candles, and now I don't even know what this candle smells like." So you have the... You're the coffee beans.

Jay Shetty 1:25:55 Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm the coffee beans.

Luke Combs 1:25:56 That, that no one knows they need, and then they smell them and they're like, "I'm glad I smelled those coffee beans."

Jay Shetty 1:25:59 That's how I'm gonna explain it next time I'm on stage. That's, that's what I'm gonna say.

Luke Combs 1:26:02 Dude, there's, here comes your coffee endorsement right here.

Jay Shetty 1:26:04 There, yeah, yeah. I'm the coffee...

Luke Combs 1:26:05 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:26:05 I love that.

Luke Combs 1:26:06 It's coming, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:26:06 That's awesome.

Luke Combs 1:26:07 It's coming.

Jay Shetty 1:26:08 That's awesome.

Luke Combs 1:26:08 Yeah. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:26:09 This is, this is a good

Jay Shetty 1:26:10 moment 'cause we put together, because everyone said how much fun you were, we were like, "We'll put together a fun game for you."

Luke Combs 1:26:15 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:26:15 We do this for special guests.

Luke Combs 1:26:17 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:26:17 So this one was done for you.

Luke Combs 1:26:19 Done.

Jay Shetty 1:26:19 This game is called The Everyday Guy Test.

Luke Combs 1:26:23 [laughs] Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:26:23 So we're gonna see whether you fail or pass the test.

Luke Combs 1:26:26 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:26:27 Obviously, it's all for fun.

Luke Combs 1:26:27 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:26:28 Uh, I, I'm just putting it out there right now that I would fail this test, so there's-

Luke Combs 1:26:32 I may-

Jay Shetty 1:26:33 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:26:33 ... to be honest

Jay Shetty 1:26:33 So, so here we go. The Everyday Guy Test. At a restaurant, do you order tap or filter water?

Luke Combs 1:26:39 Let me tell you what. I didn't grow up going to restaurants where they even asked what kind of...

Jay Shetty 1:26:43 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:26:43 There was no water choice.

Jay Shetty 1:26:45 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:26:46 Like, that's a, to me, that's a whole new world for me.

Jay Shetty 1:26:49 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:26:49 Um, but they, they're like, they'll come up and they're like, "Was it... Do... Is tap okay?" Or f- like, or bottled or still or sp... I'm like, how many choices are there?

Jay Shetty 1:26:59 Yeah, I mean, there's... Yeah

Luke Combs 1:26:59 How many waters do you have, you know? It's like, would you like it boxed or bottled or decanted and like-

Jay Shetty 1:27:06 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:27:06 Like, just water would be great.

Jay Shetty 1:27:08 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:27:08 I usually s- my answer to that question is whatever's easiest for you.

Jay Shetty 1:27:12 Yeah, yeah. Nice.

Luke Combs 1:27:12 Whatever's the easiest.

Jay Shetty 1:27:13 Nice.

Luke Combs 1:27:13 'Cause to me it's just all water-

Jay Shetty 1:27:15 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:27:15 ... kind of. Like, I'm not a guy that's of the belief that, like, 9.5 pH water is gonna make a difference, to be quite honest. And it probably does, and that may be my downfall at some point. But I'm like, hey, whatever makes your night less of a hassle for me.

Jay Shetty 1:27:32 I love that.

Luke Combs 1:27:33 Just, just give me that. I'm fine with, I'm fine with-

Jay Shetty 1:27:35 I love that

Luke Combs 1:27:36 ... the first thing you can grab, get it, and I'll drink it.

Jay Shetty 1:27:38 I love it. Uh, regular milk or almond milk?

Luke Combs 1:27:41 Uh, regular milk. I do like a, I do like an almond milk. I have no beef with an almond milk.

Jay Shetty 1:27:46 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 1:27:47 Um, but I do, [laughs] I do, I would say probably, uh, if I had to choose, regular milk, man. You're not gonna beat the creaminess of it.

Jay Shetty 1:27:54 All right. This one I was cracking up at when the team-

Luke Combs 1:27:56 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:27:56 ... put it in there.

Luke Combs 1:27:57 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:27:57 Do you tip based on math or vibes?

Luke Combs 1:28:00 Uh, oh, vibes for sure, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:28:02 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:28:03 Vibes for su- I'm an over-tipper. I'm like an over-tipper.

Jay Shetty 1:28:05 I'm, I'm one of those guys, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:28:06 I'm like, I'm like, yeah, like, we go out to a nice meal, 100 bucks. Like, great. Like, you know, depending upon the place, of course. But it's like I, I always try to over-tip, man. I'm, I'm just grateful for anybody, you know, that works in the service industry. I, I, you know, I know how difficult it is, um, you know, dealing with the public, and not everybody's so great. Not that I'm so great, but I try to just be, you know, I tr- it's just another version of, like, passing along the blessings that you have to someone else and, and being grateful and-

Jay Shetty 1:28:37 You're winning right now, man. This is amazing. You're beat-

Luke Combs 1:28:39 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:28:39 You're beating this game. Like, this game is, this game is losing, guys. Uh, d- let's, let's do a few more.

Luke Combs 1:28:45 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:28:46 Uh, last time you went to the grocery store?

Luke Combs 1:28:49 Uh, last week.

Jay Shetty 1:28:50 Okay.

Luke Combs 1:28:50 I go every week.

Jay Shetty 1:28:51 Okay.

Luke Combs 1:28:51 At least twice a week, every week.

Jay Shetty 1:28:52 Choice of grocery store, is there a specific-

Luke Combs 1:28:54 Uh, okay. You're gonna like this one. I like p- Publix. It's the closest one to me. In the same shopping center, I got a Sprouts.

Jay Shetty 1:29:01 Nice.

Luke Combs 1:29:01 So if I'm going, like, if I'm going strictly food, I'm probably going to Sprouts. Uh, paper goods, Diet Coke-

Jay Shetty 1:29:10 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:29:10 ... I'm going to Publix.

Jay Shetty 1:29:12 Nice.

Luke Combs 1:29:12 You know what I mean? I, I love a Publix. I love a Pub Sub. Uh, but I love a Sprouts, man. It's like a-

Jay Shetty 1:29:17 I love Sprouts

Luke Combs 1:29:17 ... it's like a less stressful Whole Foods.

Jay Shetty 1:29:19 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:29:20 You know what I mean? Like, you go in and you're not, like, feeling like you're in the way, you know? And I went to this Erewhon place.

Jay Shetty 1:29:27 Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:29:28 Have you been?

Jay Shetty 1:29:28 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:29:28 You wanna spend $60 on something, go into that place, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:29:32 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:29:32 I mean, it's nice in there. It is like, if you had a different variant of OCD, you would love that place-

Jay Shetty 1:29:38 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:29:38 ... 'cause everything is like, there's not a speck of dust in that place.

Jay Shetty 1:29:41 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:29:41 You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 1:29:42 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:29:42 But if there was, you would have to pay for it probably.

Jay Shetty 1:29:44 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:29:45 'Cause it is not cheap, I'll tell you that much. Uh, but great.

Jay Shetty 1:29:48 Uh-

Luke Combs 1:29:48 Great

Jay Shetty 1:29:48 ... so good. So good. Do you pack your own clothes or does someone pack for you?

Luke Combs 1:29:53 Bro, I pack my own stuff, dude. Nobody packing for me, dude. I'm a grown-ass man, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:29:58 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:29:58 I'm packing my bag. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:30:01 [laughs] Oh, good. All right, last one. Last one. This one's, uh, the last time you Venmo requested someone?

Luke Combs 1:30:07 Oh, gosh. Let me look. It's probably been a while. Venmo request?

Jay Shetty 1:30:11 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:30:11 Yeah, it's probably been quite some time, I would say. Let me see. I can pop it up here.

Jay Shetty 1:30:15 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:30:16 I, I just, I'm, I... Now I'm genuinely curious.

Jay Shetty 1:30:18 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:30:19 I don't know that I've requested Venmo. I've paid people on Venmo-

Jay Shetty 1:30:23 Paid with Venmo, yeah

Luke Combs 1:30:24 ... a lot. But actually requesting, I don't even know that I would even have one, to be quite honest. I've only used-

Jay Shetty 1:30:30 I love that

Luke Combs 1:30:31 ... I g- I've got Venmo'd. My buddy sent me a Venmo for some deer stands.

Jay Shetty 1:30:36 Okay.

Luke Combs 1:30:37 As redneck as that is.

Jay Shetty 1:30:37 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:30:38 That's my last Venmo thing.

Jay Shetty 1:30:40 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:30:40 But I can't even find a time that I Venmo'd someone else for something.

Jay Shetty 1:30:45 Nice.

Luke Combs 1:30:46 'Cause I feel like a lot of the times, like, I'm not a guy, like, listen, dude, if you're going out to eat with me, like, I'm paying. Like, I'm paying.

Jay Shetty 1:30:53 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:30:53 Like, I'm not a guy that's like, "Well, it's, you know, just send me-

Jay Shetty 1:30:57 [laughs] Send me money

Luke Combs 1:30:57 ... Venmo me $20 for the check," or whatever. Like, um, so yeah. Not, not any Venmo requests from me.

Jay Shetty 1:31:04 You passed the test.

Luke Combs 1:31:05 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:31:05 The Everyday Guy Test.

Luke Combs 1:31:06 I survived.

Jay Shetty 1:31:07 You're, you're the everyday-

Luke Combs 1:31:08 I survived.

Jay Shetty 1:31:08 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:08 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:31:09 You, you, you-

Luke Combs 1:31:09 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:31:09 ... killed that. Your-

Luke Combs 1:31:10 Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:31:10 ... your answers were amazing.

Luke Combs 1:31:11 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:31:11 I was like, we need to, we need to test a few more people on that.

Luke Combs 1:31:13 So you should've been like, what kind of wrench would you need? A spanning wrench or a-

Jay Shetty 1:31:17 Oh, is that what you mean?

Luke Combs 1:31:18 You know what I mean? Like, I thought it was gonna be like, what kind of diameter wrench?

Jay Shetty 1:31:22 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:31:22 You know? I'm like, oh, boy. I want-

Jay Shetty 1:31:23 I wouldn't know the answer.

Luke Combs 1:31:24 Yeah. I was, trust me, I wouldn't either, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:31:26 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:26 I wish I was, I wish I was handier than I am.

Jay Shetty 1:31:28 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:29 My dad is very handy, but I'm-

Jay Shetty 1:31:30 Really?

Luke Combs 1:31:30 ... I'm, I did not get that gene, man.

Jay Shetty 1:31:32 My dad was not handy, so I'm not handy.

Luke Combs 1:31:34 Oh.

Jay Shetty 1:31:34 I was like, you, you missed out there. Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:36 I can, I can do it a little bit, but not to the level I would like to.

Jay Shetty 1:31:39 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:39 I would love to be able to, like, take an engine apart-

Jay Shetty 1:31:42 Me too. Me too

Luke Combs 1:31:42 ... and just be like, yeah, we'll just build a new build.

Jay Shetty 1:31:44 Wouldn't that be amazing?

Luke Combs 1:31:45 Dude, people that do that are geniuses, man.

Jay Shetty 1:31:47 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:47 I don't care what anybody says, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:31:48 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:48 That stuff is so hard, man.

Jay Shetty 1:31:49 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:31:50 My mind is notLike, uh, like, math is not great for me. Um, it just takes me a lot of time to do. Um, I, I know how to do it, the basic stuff, obviously, but, like, dude, anything past division-

Jay Shetty 1:32:04 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:32:05 ... and multiplication, I'm like, "Oh, you're speaking Chinese, dude."

Jay Shetty 1:32:08 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:32:08 "I have no idea." You know, I got... We got people for that.

Jay Shetty 1:32:11 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:32:11 You know what I mean? Uh-

Jay Shetty 1:32:12 Right

Luke Combs 1:32:12 ... and I'm glad. That's the way the world is.

Jay Shetty 1:32:14 Yes.

Luke Combs 1:32:14 You get somebody that's good at that, I do the thing I'm good at-

Jay Shetty 1:32:17 Yes

Luke Combs 1:32:18 ... you do the thing you're good at.

Jay Shetty 1:32:19 Totally.

Luke Combs 1:32:19 Community, bing bang, right there.

Jay Shetty 1:32:21 Absolutely, and everyone wins.

Luke Combs 1:32:22 Yeah, and everybody wins.

Jay Shetty 1:32:23 Everyone wins.

Luke Combs 1:32:23 Everybody's happy. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:32:24 All right, finish,

Jay Shetty 1:32:25 finish the sentence on these ones. F- as, first thing that comes to your mind: The thing I take way too seriously is...

Luke Combs 1:32:32 Uh, video games.

Jay Shetty 1:32:34 Which games?

Luke Combs 1:32:35 Uh, Battlefield 6 recently has been kind of my, uh, that's kinda been my thing recently. Uh, like NCAA Football, love... I'm a big football guy. Take that way too seriously. Um, yeah, definitely video games.

Jay Shetty 1:32:48 Are you playing online, or are you playing-

Luke Combs 1:32:50 I play onli- I'm, nah, I'm not playing NCAA online.

Jay Shetty 1:32:52 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:32:52 It's too sweaty.

Jay Shetty 1:32:53 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:32:53 Like, everybody's too good, you know?

Jay Shetty 1:32:55 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:32:55 There's peop- obviously I don't take it seriously enough-

Jay Shetty 1:32:57 Yeah [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:32:58 ... because I'm, uh, god awful online. Um, but I just really playing against my buddies.

Jay Shetty 1:33:03 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:33:03 But, like, man, you wanna talk about... Like, I'm bad out of shape. Like, I lose, I'm, uh, it's, like, affecting my day-

Jay Shetty 1:33:08 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:33:08 ... to some extent.

Jay Shetty 1:33:09 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:33:10 And I lose a lot, so I'm not very good. So maybe I probably shouldn't take it too seriously-

Jay Shetty 1:33:14 Yeah [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:33:14 ... but I do.

Jay Shetty 1:33:15 I love it. Uh, the pettiest thing I've done recently.

Luke Combs 1:33:18 Oh, pr- it's all gonna be practical joke, like, joke related.

Jay Shetty 1:33:22 Okay.

Luke Combs 1:33:22 Like, um, me and my buddies are just, we just shred each other all the time. Uh, I mean, it's hard to, to pick a particular one, but, like, the jokes, like, the jokes can be... Like, uh, sometimes, like, when we have, like, me and my friends, we're so comfortable around each other, and, like, we all kind of have a similar sense of humor, and we all, like, know how it operates. Sometimes I have to forget, like, when we're around people that don't know us at all, or that have just met us, and we're in, like, full friendship, like, joking mode, that I'm like, "Maybe these people don't... Maybe we should just-

Jay Shetty 1:33:59 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:33:59 ... a little bit dial it back, because people are gonna think we're weird, dude."

Jay Shetty 1:34:03 Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:34:04 Or they're gonna be like, "These guys are complete assholes to each other." So, and it's like, it's all love.

Jay Shetty 1:34:09 Yes, yes.

Luke Combs 1:34:10 But it's, it's, if ro- if you didn't know us, you might be like, "Man, these guys are ruthless." You know what I mean?

Jay Shetty 1:34:14 Me and my boys are the same.

Luke Combs 1:34:15 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:34:15 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:34:15 Like, sometimes I just gotta back it off. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:34:18 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:34:18 Like, forget that not everyone knows, has known us for 20 years.

Jay Shetty 1:34:21 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:34:21 You know?

Jay Shetty 1:34:21 My wife has to be like, "No personal jokes." Like, like-

Luke Combs 1:34:23 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:34:24 ... you know, you're not allowed to make... When your guy friends are around, no per- don't make 'em around other people.

Luke Combs 1:34:27 Yeah. If there's, if it's not-

Jay Shetty 1:34:28 Like-

Luke Combs 1:34:28 ... just close friends-

Jay Shetty 1:34:29 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:34:29 ... let's avoid all the, like-

Jay Shetty 1:34:30 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:34:30 ... all the jokes about each other, yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:34:32 I love it.

Luke Combs 1:34:32 That's my, that's my pettiness right there.

Jay Shetty 1:34:34 Uh, my guilty pleasure artist or song is...

Luke Combs 1:34:38 Ooh. Um, right now it's Olivia Dean-

Jay Shetty 1:34:42 Mm

Luke Combs 1:34:42 ... is my-

Jay Shetty 1:34:43 I love Olivia Dean.

Luke Combs 1:34:43 Oh, gosh, her voice is so good, man. It's not like something people probably think I'm listening to, but the melodies are so good, man. It's like, there's, like, some, uh, there's, like, some Amy Winehouse-

Jay Shetty 1:34:55 Mm.

Luke Combs 1:34:55 ... stuff going on there.

Jay Shetty 1:34:56 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:34:56 Which, oh, loved her, man.

Jay Shetty 1:34:58 So good.

Luke Combs 1:34:58 Unbelievable. There's some, like, early John Legend stuff going on.

Jay Shetty 1:35:03 Mm-hmm.

Luke Combs 1:35:03 Like, female John Legend vibes, like when he was really rocking the piano.

Jay Shetty 1:35:07 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:35:07 Like, the albums were real piano centric. Uh, he had that, uh, the album Another Again was, like, a soundtrack to, like, probably, like, my junior year of high school. And when I heard the Olivia Dean record for the first time, my wife put me onto that. I was like, "This is like..." Like, I felt like I was listening to Another Again, like, all over, like, for the first time, and I loved that vibe of that album. Like, I think her record, it also came out at such a great time. Like, and by time, I mean, like, winter, fall. Like, it's that kinda, like, it's like holiday adjacent, like, feeling.

Jay Shetty 1:35:47 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:35:47 Like, that piano, like, good... Like, it just feels good to listen to.

Jay Shetty 1:35:51 Absolutely.

Luke Combs 1:35:52 Um, so I'm, I'm really-

Jay Shetty 1:35:53 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:35:53 ... I'm really, really vibing on that hard las- lately.

Jay Shetty 1:35:56 I love that. Uh, two more of these. Which fellow country star would you call to help you bury a dead body?

Luke Combs 1:36:03 Oh, man.

Jay Shetty 1:36:04 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:36:04 Fellow country star. Uh, probably Craig Morgan.

Jay Shetty 1:36:08 Okay. Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:36:09 Uh, Craig is, like, ex-military.

Jay Shetty 1:36:11 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:36:12 Uh, he's, like, one of the most wild dudes I know. Uh, and he'd be so happy to, like, help you.

Jay Shetty 1:36:19 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:36:19 He's, like, the sweetest guy in the world. But, like, if you crossed him, I would be so afraid of, like, what potentially could happen. Um, and, like, he's a guy to call and be like, "Hey, man," like, "I need you to come over here." And he'd be like, "Well, heck, buddy, I'll be right over there," you know?

Jay Shetty 1:36:33 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:36:33 And he'd get over and just, you'd be like, "What do I, what do we do with that?" And he's like, "Oh, man, I've done that tons of times, Kane."

Jay Shetty 1:36:38 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:36:39 You know? And, like, he's just, like, he's done everything. Like, he's like-

Jay Shetty 1:36:42 Oh, so good

Luke Combs 1:36:42 ... he knows how to do everything. Like, he's, like, the perfect, like, man's man guy.

Jay Shetty 1:36:47 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:36:47 Like, he's the sweetest dude ever, and I feel like he just wouldn't ask any questions.

Jay Shetty 1:36:51 I love it.

Luke Combs 1:36:51 He'd be like, "Man, well, let's get it done, buddy," you know?

Jay Shetty 1:36:53 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:36:53 And he's ju- he's awesome. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:36:55 So good.

Luke Combs 1:36:55 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:36:56 So good. All right. First artist you'd want next to you on a long tour bus ride.

Luke Combs 1:37:01 Um, okay. Um, probably, like, Jordan Davis. He has been on tour with me a couple times, and I feel like we're just really, we have, like, a similar vibe. Like, our crews are similar. Like, his relationship with, like, his team and his buddies I feel like is very similar to mine. Um, and I, he's a, I mean, he's a family guy, like s- great dad. Um, another guy that I feel like is like that is not a country artist, but Ed Sheeran is like that, man.

Jay Shetty 1:37:30 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:37:30 Like, he's, me and him, like, kinda connected on that level of, like, we kinda have the same outlook on life a little bit, I feel like. Uh, and not that we're identical. Obviously, we're very different as artists. But, like, uh, like, you just pick up on that vibe of, like, well, this guy's, like, I get that this guy's like, like me. The Good Charlotte guys are like that. Benji and Joel Madden to me are, like, two of my favor- I had dinner with them last night. I have dinner with them every time I'm in LA, and they're like-I mean, two of the best guys, like, I've ever met, dude. Like, and I just re- like I f- I love finding those people you have that kind of, like, just connection with that kinda goes beyond, like, words sometimes. Like, this, like, guy, this guy gets me, I get this guy.

Jay Shetty 1:38:15 Yeah, without words.

Luke Combs 1:38:16 We get each other. Like, we're just, we're just, like, the... We're just vibing, dude.

Jay Shetty 1:38:19 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:38:19 Like, we're just, we're just bros, like, from the second we met. And Jordan was like that, Ed was like that, and Benji and Joel have been like that. Those would be, like, my picks for guys. Like, if I had to spend a long time with, then it would just be, like, easy, man. Like, there would be no, like, nothing weird, nothing-

Jay Shetty 1:38:35 Yeah

Luke Combs 1:38:35 ... difficult. Like, they're gonna just be easy to deal with. Like, those would be my guys.

Jay Shetty 1:38:40 That sounds like a great tour bus, man.

Luke Combs 1:38:41 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:38:41 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:38:41 It'd be fun. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:38:44 Oh, Luke, you've been so much fun, man. Like-

Luke Combs 1:38:46 Thanks, dude

Jay Shetty 1:38:46 ... I feel like I've learned about you.

Luke Combs 1:38:47 Likewise.

Jay Shetty 1:38:47 You've been so thoughtful, profound-

Luke Combs 1:38:49 Thank you, man

Jay Shetty 1:38:49 ... you're hilarious.

Luke Combs 1:38:50 Appreciate that.

Jay Shetty 1:38:51 Uh-

Luke Combs 1:38:51 Appreciate that. Yeah

Jay Shetty 1:38:51 ... you're good energy. Like, I've had such a good time getting to know you.

Luke Combs 1:38:54 Oh, thank you. I appreciate that.

Luke Combs 1:38:55 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:38:55 We, we, we end every interview with a Final Five. These have to be answered in one sentence maximum.

Luke Combs 1:39:00 Oh.

Jay Shetty 1:39:00 We ask these to every guest.

Luke Combs 1:39:01 Okay.

Jay Shetty 1:39:01 Uh, so Luke Combs, these are your Final Five. Question one: what is the best advice you've ever heard or received?

Luke Combs 1:39:09 Wow, what a profound question. Don't ask questions. Back to my dad. Don't ask questions.

Jay Shetty 1:39:16 Mm. Second question: what is the worst advice you've ever heard or received?

Luke Combs 1:39:21 Don't ask questions. [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:39:24 [laughs] That's a good one.

Luke Combs 1:39:24 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:39:24 That's a good one.

Luke Combs 1:39:25 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:39:25 Yeah. That's good.

Luke Combs 1:39:26 Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:39:27 That's good. Uh, question number three: describe what it felt like performing Fast Car with Tracy Chapman.

Luke Combs 1:39:34 Uh, Mount Everest. Like, M- like, undeniable. Like, just, like, it's, like, almost, like, out of body.

Jay Shetty 1:39:42 Yeah. I love that. In the future when your kids are asked about you, how would you hope the first sentence goes?

Luke Combs 1:39:48 He was the best dad.

Jay Shetty 1:39:50 Nice. And fifth and final question, we ask this to every guest who's ever been on the show, if you could create one law that everyone in the world had to follow, what would it be?

Luke Combs 1:39:59 Man, that's wild. I hadn't considered that. I'm sure you get some funny answers. I'm sure you get some serious answers. I would feel like it would, it would be, um, like, don't, don't pee on the seat.

Jay Shetty 1:40:12 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:40:13 Like, the airport, like, it already sucks enough, dude. Like, and then when I sit down and you're old piss on the toilet, like, it is just [laughs] that's the end for me. Like, just come on, dude. Like, don't pee on the seat, and I won't pee on the seat, and we all just... We're adults. It's not that [laughs] hard to not piss on the seat at the airport. It's already gross to be in there. You know? And don't, like, uh, it's like why are we audibly farting in, like, in, like, at the urinal? Like, in the, like-

Jay Shetty 1:40:47 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:40:48 You don't have to. You know? It's f- hey, listen, if my buddies fart in front of me, it's funny, dude. I think it's really funny. My kids fart, it's really funny. When a stranger farts next to me, like, just r- pulls the Jake brake at the urinal beside me, I'm like, "This guy's an animal." And I respect him.

Jay Shetty 1:41:07 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:41:08 But I'm also l- uh, almost afraid of what he will do.

Jay Shetty 1:41:13 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:41:13 A- a- and if, if he's willing to do this, he's willing to do anything. Yeah.

Jay Shetty 1:41:17 [laughs] That is, that has to be one of my favorite answers of all time.

Luke Combs 1:41:21 [laughs]

Jay Shetty 1:41:21 That is amazing. It is practical, it's important, I fully stand behind it, I fully agree. I-

Luke Combs 1:41:28 I didn't realize how bad it was-

Jay Shetty 1:41:30 Yeah, it's terrible

Luke Combs 1:41:31 ... until I went to other countries.

Jay Shetty 1:41:32 Totally.

Luke Combs 1:41:32 And I was like, "The bathrooms are so clean."

Jay Shetty 1:41:35 Totally.

Luke Combs 1:41:35 Why, why are all of our bathrooms disgusting?

Jay Shetty 1:41:38 Yeah.

Luke Combs 1:41:38 What does that say about us?

Jay Shetty 1:41:39 Yeah, yeah.

Luke Combs 1:41:40 Like, and now I d- I, I can't unsee it.

Jay Shetty 1:41:42 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:41:42 I can't unsee how clean public bathrooms are in the rest of the world.

Jay Shetty 1:41:45 [laughs]

Luke Combs 1:41:45 And it's, I'm not okay with it. We gotta, we gotta stop.

Jay Shetty 1:41:48 I love it. Luke Combs, The Way I Am. Luke, I'm so excited for everything that you have coming.

Luke Combs 1:41:53 Thanks, Jay. Appreciate it.

Jay Shetty 1:41:54 Loved getting to know you. You're awesome.

Luke Combs 1:41:55 Likewise, man.

Jay Shetty 1:41:56 And, uh, wishing you all the best, all the success-

Luke Combs 1:41:58 Yes, sir

Jay Shetty 1:41:59 ... all the joy and-

Luke Combs 1:41:59 Thanks for having me, man.

Jay Shetty 1:42:00 Love that you're bringing so much abundance into the world-

Luke Combs 1:42:02 Thanks, Jay

Jay Shetty 1:42:02 ... and for others as well.

Luke Combs 1:42:03 I appreciate that.

Jay Shetty 1:42:04 So thank you.

Luke Combs 1:42:04 Yes, sir.

Jay Shetty 1:42:04 Thank you, man. Thank you.

Luke Combs 1:42:05 All right.

Jay Shetty 1:42:05 If this is the year that you're trying to get creative, you're trying to build more, I need you to listen to this episode with Rick Rubin.

Speaker 1:42:13 Follow your own inner guide. It directs us. It might not make s- it might not make sense to us, might not make sense to anyone else, certainly won't make sense to anyone else.

Jay Shetty 1:42:22 [laughs]

Speaker 1:42:22 And that's okay. It's fine