Music: Luke Combs Honored With Time100 Cover Story
- Details
- Category: Haute This Issue
- Published on Thursday, 16 April 2026 06:25
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Global superstar Luke Combs is honored today with a TIME100 cover story, highlighting him as one of the world's most influential people. Read the full profile HERE and a tribute written by Ed Sheeran HERE.
The accolade is just the latest milestone for Combs, who earned his 20th #1 at country radio this week with his song, "Sleepless in a Hotel Room." Additionally, his acclaimed new album, The Way I Am, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and #2 on the all-genre Billboard 200, Top Album Sales and Top Streaming Albums charts last month with 100,700 equivalent units sold. Stream/purchase HERE (Sony Music Nashville).
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Continuing to receive overwhelming attention, Combs recently sat down with GQ for an in-depth profile (read the GQ Hype cover story HERE) and has been featured on The New York Times Popcast, Hot Ones, GQ's "10 Essentials," Therapuss, The Zane Lowe Show, On Purpose with Jay Shetty, NBC's Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, The BertCast, The Zach Sang Show, Track Star and Bussin' with the Boys.
Critical praise for The Way I Am:
"the dominant hitmaker in country"—The New York Times
"he's the regular guy who constantly does the extraordinary thing…Combs has achieved massive stardom not by diluting his country music into something neutral. He's brought pop music to country, not the other way around"—GQ
"It's hard to overstate how big a star Luke Combs has become"—Esquire
"one of the most reliable hitmakers around"—NPR Music
"Luke Combs has big shoes to fill – his own. The country singer has become a full-on pop phenomenon"—Associated Press
"It makes the convincing case that as an artist, songwriter and down-the-center representative of a genre as sprawling (and red-hot popular) as country music, Luke Combs contains multitudes"—Rolling Stone
"an expert sense of craft…The Way I Am is sharply crafted and unpretentious in a way that carries on the best Nashville traditions"—Pitchfork
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"singular brand of Nashville grace"—Billboard
"He's a legend in the making, already pushing past simple stardom"—American Songwriter
"This is a superstar at the peak of his powers"—Music Row
"he doesn't miss…this has potential to be his best album yet"—Whiskey Riff
"Combs proves once again that he doesn't need flash to make an impact, just a strong song, a sincere sentiment, and a voice that knows exactly how to deliver both"
—All Country News
"one of the defining voices of modern country music"—Entertainment Focus
"a deeply personal work that is incredibly resonant and worth listening to over and over again…some of his best work yet."—Country Central
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In celebration of the new music, Combs recently kicked off his massive "My Kinda Saturday Night Tour" with a sold-out show at Las Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, which broke the venue's attendance record (70,921). Additional tour stops include three nights at London's Wembley Stadium (the first country artist to sell out multiple shows), two nights at Edinburgh's Scottish Gas Murrayfield, two nights at Ireland's Slane Castle, two nights at Green Bay's Lambeau Field and stops at South Bend's Notre Dame Stadium, Knoxville's Neyland Stadium, Columbus' Ohio Stadium, Paris' Accor Arena and Sweden's Ullevi among others. See below for complete tour itinerary.
Produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews, The Way I Am cements Combs as a singular talent, showcasing his powerful, resonant voice and adept storytelling with songs that balance heartfelt vulnerability with anthemic energy. With the new 22-track album, which includes a collaboration with Alison Krauss, Combs dives deeper than ever into his life behind the scenes—the challenges of balancing family and career, self-doubt and self-belief and the clarity that comes from focusing on what truly matters.
The new album adds to an already groundbreaking career for Combs, who made history last year as the first country artist to headline both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, in addition to topping the bills at several other all-genre festivals including Austin City Limits, Newport Folk Festival and New Orleans JazzFest. Additionally, he became the first country artist with two songs earning a billion streams on Spotify, the first with four singles certified RIAA Diamond and recently extended his record for the most consecutive #1 singles at country radio. These accomplishments follow Combs' last album, Fathers & Sons, which reflects on his experiences as a dad and the unique bond between parents and their children, and led NPR Music to praise, "he's going beyond the country realm now and really has become a popstar, a global popstar."
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A Grand Ole Opry member and 11x CMA, 4x ACM, 6x Billboard Music Award-winner from Asheville, NC, Combs recently collaborated with artists such as Post Malone ("Guy For That" + "Missin' You Like This"), Bailey Zimmerman ("Backup Plan," the 2025 SEC Network anthem), Jon Bellion ("WHY") and Alex Warren ("Ordinary (Live at Lollapalooza)"), and partnered with Opry Entertainment Group to open Category 10—an entertainment complex in downtown Nashville, with additional locations opening in Las Vegas and Orlando. Combs also performed an unforgettable duet of "Fast Car" with Tracy Chapman at the 66th Grammy Awards and joined forces with Eric Church, Billy Strings and James Taylor to headline "Concert for Carolina," a special benefit show that raised over $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
THE WAY I AM TRACK LIST
1. Back in the Saddle (written by Luke Combs, Dan Isbell, Jonathan Singleton)
2. My Kinda Saturday Night (written by Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton)
3. Days Like These (written by Luke Combs, Brent Cobb, Aaron Raitiere)
4. 15 Minutes (written by Luke Combs, Trey Pendley, Rob Pennington, Grant Vogel)
5. Alcohol of Fame (written by Luke Combs, Dalton Dover, Dan Isbell, Reid Isbell)
6. Daytona 499 (written by Luke Combs, Erik Dylan, Wyatt McCubbin, Drew Parker)
7. The Way I Am (written by Chris Gelbuda, Rob Snyder)
8. Wish Upon a Whiskey (written by Luke Combs, Dan Isbell, Drew Parker)
9. Soon As I Get Home (written by Luke Combs, Jessi Alexander, Tony Lane, Jonathan Singleton)
10. Rethink Some Things (written by Luke Combs, Jacob Davis, Dan Isbell, Reid Isbell)
11. Giving Her Away (written by Gary Garris, Josh Mirenda, Josh Phillips)
12. Seeing Someone (written by Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher, Lalo Guzman, Michael Tyler,
Allison Veltz-Cruz)
13. Sleepless in a Hotel Room (written by Luke Combs, Randy Montana, Jonathan Singleton)
14. I Ain't No Cowboy (written by Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Jake Mears)
15. Ever Mine (feat. Alison Krauss) (written by Luke Combs, Hailey Whitters, Charlie Worsham)
16. Can't Tell Me I'm Wrong (written by Luke Combs, Ray Fulcher, Pete Good, Lydia Vaughan)
17. Miss You Here (written by Luke Combs, Thomas Archer, Dan Isbell, Ben Stennis)
18. Tell 'Em About Tonight (written by Luke Combs, Erik Dylan, Ray Fulcher, James McNair)
19. Be By You (written by Dan Alley, Sam Banks, Nick Walsh)
20. The Me Part of You (written by Luke Combs, Jason Gantt, Dan Isbell, Reid Isbell)
21. Rich Man (written by Luke Combs, Jacob Davis, Lori McKenna, Rob Snyder)
22. A Man Was Born (written by Luke Combs, Thomas Archer, Ray Fulcher, Jordan Rowe, Michael Tyler)
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LUKE COMBS CONFIRMED TOUR DATES
April 18—South Bend, IN—Notre Dame Stadium* (LOW TICKETS)
April 25—Columbus, OH—Ohio Stadium*
May 2—Knoxville, TN—Neyland Stadium*
May 9—Norman, OK—Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium*
May 15—Green Bay, WI—Lambeau Field*
May 16—Green Bay, WI—Lambeau Field* (SOLD OUT)
May 29—Montreal, Quebec—Parc Jean-Drapeau*
May 30—Montreal, Quebec—Parc Jean-Drapeau* (SOLD OUT)
June 5—Toronto, Ontario—Rogers Stadium*
June 6—Toronto, Ontario—Rogers Stadium* (SOLD OUT)
July 4—Gothenburg, Sweden—Ullevi‡ (LOW TICKETS)
July 7—Paris, France—Accor Arena§ (LOW TICKETS)
July 11—Amsterdam, Netherlands—Johan Cruijff ArenA‡ (SOLD OUT)
July 18—Ireland—Slane Castle‡ (SOLD OUT)
July 19—Ireland—Slane Castle‡ (SOLD OUT)
July 24—Edinburgh, U.K.—Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium+
July 25—Edinburgh, U.K.—Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium+ (SOLD OUT)
July 31—London, U.K.—Wembley Stadium# (SOLD OUT)
August 1—London, U.K.—Wembley Stadium# (SOLD OUT)
August 2—London, U.K.—Wembley Stadium#
*with special guests Dierks Bentley, Ty Myers, Jake Worthington and Thelma & James
‡with special guests The Script, Ty Myers and The Castellows
§with special guests Ty Myers and The Castellows
+with special guests The Teskey Brothers, Ty Myers and The Castellows
#with special guests Thomas Rhett, Ty Myers and The Castellows
