On 12 May 2023, Ed Sheeran released two versions of his song Life Goes On as singles. The one version is a track from his album Subtract (2023). The other single features vocal contributions from Luke Combs. Most people who listen to contemporary music know who Ed Sheeran is, especially since he won his widely publicised copyright case in New York.
Luke Combs is a successful country artist. Interestingly, Sheeran and Combs have been friends for years. For UK readers, it might be useful to introduce Combs, as country music is primarily an American genre. First, here is a video of Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs performing Life Goes On live at the Academy of Country Music Awards ceremony on 11 May.
Danny Lillie comments, “I never knew 2 people and 2 different genres would match so much,” while Carmen Bennett writes “I love Ed’s ability to collaborate with EVERYONE. You’re both a gem in this performance!” Speaking of his friendship with Combs before the ACM show, Sheeran said “We met, like 2018. I heard Luke’s music through a friend, and then I posted something online and we sort of got in touch and performed together. We’ve just been friends for like five years now. So it’s been great.”
There is even a recent TikTok video of Combs teaching Sheeran how to shotgun a beer. Luke Combs is from North Carolina. Shortly before he was due to graduate from college, Combs dropped out & headed to Nashville to pursue music. In 2014 he released his debut EP, The Way She Rides. Two further EP’s and a single, Hurricane, led to Combs signing with Sony Music Nashville. Here is Luke Combs covering Ed Sheeran’s Dive in London in March 2022. After the first chorus, he is joined by a special guest!
Luke Combs’ debut album This One’s for You was released on Sony subsidiary Columbia in 2017. The album reached #5 on the Billboard Top 200 and topped the country music chart. By February 2019, Combs had a run of 5 number one singles on the Billboard Country Chart.
On 11 June 2019, Combs was invited to join the prestigious Grand Ole Opry. Founded in 1925, the Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music radio show broadcast live from the Opry House in Nashville, Tennessee.
What You See Is What You Get, Luke Combs’ second album, was released in November 2019. The album produced four country chart #1s. In May 2020, Combs released the single Six Feet Apart in response to the Covid19 pandemic.
In June 2022, Combs’ third album Growin’ Up appeared. Three songs from the album charted as singles. On 24 March 2023, Combs’ latest album, Gettin’ Old, was released. Luke Combs married Nicole Hocking in August 2020. The couple is expecting their second child in September 2023.
Meanwhile, on 11 May, the day of his appearance at the ACM Awards with Luke Combs, Ed Sheeran expressed an interest in exploring country music. Hopefully, we can look forward to further collaborations between Sheeran and Combs. If you would like to see more from Luke Combs, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel or follow him on Facebook.