Luke Combs Says Sony Music First Gave Him A “Nashville No” Before Signing Him To A Contract

Luke Combs giving some insight into what a “Nashville No” looks like.

If there’s anyone that knows the ins and outs of the country music industry, it’s Luke Combs. The “Beautiful Crazy” singer’s origin story is like many other artists: he decided he wanted to play country music, dedicated himself to getting better at his craft, played every venue that he could, and slowly but surely made it into the country music world.

It was nothing like modern day artists blowing up overnight on TikTok, which Combs has shared his thoughts on.

During a recent interview on Armchair Expert with Dax Shephard, the country music star revealed a little bit more about the beginnings of his career. His initial motivation with his music was that he wanted to have a job that he actually liked, and knew that he’d be happy if he could make a music career work:

“For me, I just wanted to make a living doing music… I was like, ‘This is fine. I can do this no problem.'”

So Luke Combs started writing his own music and performing anywhere and everywhere that would let him. One of the tracks that he penned early in his career still stands as one of his biggest hits: “Hurricane.” That song blew up, and many people know Combs story as simply “‘Hurricane’ gets big, and then and Sony Music signs Combs as an artist.”

Though that’s partially true, Luke Combs revealed today that Sony Music actually gave him the “Nashville No” the first time they met:

“They passed on me the first time. I always called it the ‘Nashville No.’ Which is like, ‘We’ll be in touch,’ which just means, ‘We’re not going to be in touch.’ That’s a southern thing. Just tell me no. I’d rather just hear that. ‘We’ll be in touch, and by that I mean it’s a no.'”

Being someone that’s lived in the south for my whole life, I can confirm that kicking the can down the road – and trying not to hurt someone’s feelings but unintentionally giving someone hope – is definitely a southern thing.

But fortunately for Luke Combs, his “Nashville No” eventually turned into a big time “Nashville Yes.” Sony Music did get wind of the success of “Hurricane,” which led them to help Combs release his debut album This One’s For You. For those that need a little reminder, that project stayed at the number one spot on the country charts for a staggering 44 weeks, and Luke Combs has basically been a household name ever since.

The 35-year-old country star still can’t believe how all of that worked out:

“It was nuts. Then again, there’s no pressure because (that initial success) was beyond what you even think is possible.”

And to think that Luke Combs sat across from some Big Wigs at a record label and they gave him a “Nashville No.” Good thing Sony Music eventually grabbed Combs, because otherwise, that’d be their big “one that got away” story that they’d never be able to live down.

You can hear more from Luke Combs in the interview below:

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