Luke Combs has reached a level of country music superstardom that most can only dream about.
‘One Of The Best And One Of The Worst Days’ Of My Life
While he’s grateful for his success, it does come at a cost, and shockingly, Luke broke down during a recent interview when he described “one of the best and one of the worst days” of his life.
Taste of Country reported on Luke’s interview with Zane Lowe on Apple Music.
Luke’s fans and followers might recognize the “best” and “worst” day Luke was talking about, and Taste of Country also revealed the good news about it on August 31, 2023.
Luke Was ‘Fighting Through Tears’
Taste of Country reported last August that Luke and his wife, Nicole, were “officially parents to two under two!” Their firstborn son is Tex Lawrence, born in June 2022.
Luke’s second son, Beau Lee, was born on August 15, 2023. When Luke talked to Zane on June 20, 2024, he confessed that he still “found it hard” to understand Beau Lee’s birth. Thankfully, the whole family is happy and healthy, so why does Luke have a problem with his second son’s birth?
Taste of Country wrote that Luke was “fighting through tears” as he revealed why Beau’s arrival was a weird mix of joy and sadness for him.
Fans Were Excited About Luke And Nicole’s Baby’s Due Date
Luke’s fans got excited for him in March 2023 when Luke, Nicole, and Tex did a “sunflower-themed family maternity shoot.” Perhaps the most adorable photo showed Tex wearing a shirt with the words “big brother” across the back. Luke and Nicole were definitely looking forward to the future, and she gave more personal details in an Instagram Q&A during her second pregnancy.
Nicole’s fans wanted answers on the due date for her second child. They were also curious how the due date would affect Luke’s concert schedule since he spent much of 2023 touring the world as a headliner.
Luke’s Wife, Nicole, Confirmed ‘I’m Not Due Until After He Gets Back’
Some of Luke’s fans were shocked by Nicole’s explanation during her Q&A, specifically when she confirmed that Luke wouldn’t be canceling any tour dates if she “went into labor early.”
Nicole also told her fans and followers that she was “trying really hard not to go into early labor,” and Countrytown reported what else she told her fans.
Nicole explained that Luke would be on tour halfway around the world when she was in her ninth month of pregnancy, and a flight back to Tennessee would take at least “20 hours” if he “got on a plane immediately.” She tried to reassure her critical fans when she revealed, “I’m not due until after he gets back.”
Nicole Combs’ Shocking Text To Her Husband, Luke
But many things in life are beyond our control, and when Luke was on tour in August 2023, he received a shocking text from Nicole that began with, “I’m so sorry.”
Luke was about as far away from home as possible when he got Nicole’s text. He was on tour in Australia and New Zealand, and Luke told Zane that he woke up to see the text that broke his heart and thrilled him at the same time.
Luke confessed to Zane, “God dude, it sucked, it sucked,” when he finished Nicole’s text that said, “I really tried to not have the baby while you were gone.”
Nicole and Luke shared the same belief that their second child wouldn’t arrive until the end of August, when Luke was “supposed to be home.” He told Zane, “I wasn’t,” and that was really “hard to do.”
Luke’s Heartfelt New Record, ‘Fathers And Sons’
Zane told viewers he would “hopefully” talk with Luke about his heartfelt new record, Luke’s fifth studio album, “Fathers and Sons.”
Zane said he wanted to know more about the “emotion and purpose” of Luke’s new record because the music seems to reflect “all fathers and all sons,” not just Luke’s relationship with his own children.
Luke agreed, and he opened up about his regrets and the challenges of fatherhood. He told Zane there were a “few different perspectives” on his new album, and he didn’t want it all to be just “happiness” and “good.”
So, Luke wrote about many “experiences” that a person has as a child, a parent, or a grandparent, and he wanted a little “taste of all of that” on the record. Luke even confessed that he sometimes thinks “selfishly” about his lyrics.
He explained that he thought everybody must feel like he does as a father, but then Luke remembered his friends who “come from divorced homes” or “didn’t have a dad around.” Luke’s childhood was different, but having two busy parents still wasn’t easy.
Luke Said, ‘Me And My Dad Weren’t Like Buddies’
Luke told Zane, “I was an only child,” but his family didn’t have much money, and his parents, Chester and Rhonda, “both worked hard.” Luke remains close to both his parents, but when he was a kid, he said, “Me and my dad weren’t like buddies,” and Luke explained why.
He described growing up on “four acres… outside of town” and Chester working “50 hours a week.” On the weekends, or when his dad had time off, Chester was busy “mowing or fixing the car” because they couldn’t afford to keep replacing things when something broke.
Luke said, “There wasn’t a ton of… throwing the baseball in the front yard,” although Luke now knows it’s “not because [Chester] didn’t want to,” and Luke explained more.
He told Zane that Chester always did “what he thought was the best version” of what the family needed. Sometimes, that would mean “a washing machine that works so that my clothes are clean” or “working overtime on a Saturday.”
Luke mentioned a song on his new album, “All I Ever Do Is Leave,” and how that song comes from his childhood experience when Luke sadly thought, “My dad’s not around,” and “he doesn’t want to spend time with me.” But Luke’s perspective has changed.
How Fatherhood Changed Luke Combs
He told Zane that when he became a dad, he realized, “I go out and do all this stuff” so his kids can have the best life possible. Luke also talked about other ways in which fatherhood has changed him.
When he became a dad, Luke said he discovered that some of his childhood feelings weren’t “necessarily the truth,” which changed his opinion of his dad.
Luke honestly admitted that he “might have held some sort of grudge” against his dad or parents “for not being around,” and Zane added, “That becomes part of your identity… carried around with you for 25 years.”
Why Luke Combs Missed The Birth Of His Son, Beau
But since he’s welcomed Tex and Beau, Luke revealed it was a big “perspective change on everything” and that nothing made it clearer to Luke than missing Beau’s birth. If you want to know everything, Luke confessed it all to Zane.
He remembered waking up “in a hotel room” in Sydney, Australia, on the morning of August 16, 2023, “at around 8 a.m.,” when Luke received that shocking text from Nicole back home in Tennessee.
Because of the vast time difference between Australia and the USA, it was still August 15th at home where Nicole was, and tears filled Luke’s eyes as he revealed what happened next.
His voice broke as he told Zane, “God dude, it sucked, it sucked,” and being so far away when Beau was born is something that Luke will probably always regret.
Shockingly, he admitted to Zane that he hasn’t “really told anybody that,” and missing Beau’s birth still hurts Luke so much that he confessed, “I didn’t cover that too much on this album.”
Luke’s Amazing Support System
But at least Luke has a great support system on the road. Even though his “best” and “worst” day is still hard to remember, Luke said that some of his “closest friends” work for him, and they helped him get over the pain of missing his youngest son’s birth.
Luke told Zane, “I’m never on an island on the road,” and his “best friend from high school” works as his “personal assistant.” Another of Luke’s best friends is a songwriter who serves as his “guitar tech” on tour, and both have kids. Luke revealed he was “able to be with them through that whole thing,” which helped, but Luke still seemed so choked up by this that Zane had to offer some hope.
Zane told Luke, “You have to be able to forgive yourself in that situation,” and Luke agreed, adding, “Obviously, we didn’t plan it that way.” He explained that Nicole’s mom “came up for the month” when he was gone, and Nicole’s sister also lives in Nashville, so Luke’s wife “had a really great support system with her for that experience.”
