Luke Bryan is always making headlines. Whether it’s breaking records, singing an exciting duet with Jason Derulo, or hitting #1 with his new album, Kill The Lights. But sometimes it’s less fortunate circumstances, like earlier this summer when Luke made some comments about classic country that offended several big names. Luke is also no stranger to tragedies. He’s lost three immediate family members tragically, most recently his brother-in-law, causing him to take in his two nieces and nephew.
In a very candid interview with Rolling Stone, Bryan opened up about his family life, career, and life after tragedy. Luke talks about his successes and failures, admitting that his second album We Rode In Trucks was a failure, when he thought it’d be a turning point in his career. He really found success when he released “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” on his Tailgates & Tanlines album, though it was a risk to even cut the song. It’s the song that defined his career and people either loved him or hated him for it.
Bryan also opened up about his personal life, which has become pretty public. When he was at his son, Tate’s, baseball game, he confessed that people were videotaping his every move. “That is unfortunate. At any moment, I can roll, do five flips out on the field, trip and fall — so that is a little unfortunate, but it is the reality. But I think transparency is good for fans,” he said.
Bryan can’t escape the questions that pertain to the tragedies his family have endured. He’s very open about it though and admits that it seems when his family finally begins to heal, the carpet gets ripped out from beneath them:
“It’s going on 20 years. My brother passed away in ’96 and about time we got over — when we were coming up for air, and my mother was starting to really heal more — then my sister passes away. We feel that whole cycle.”
Though Bryan is now a household name and his career has obviously skyrocketed, family will always be his number one priority. He plans to spend a week and a half fishing with his father next year and his mother will be joining him on his tourbus. He even takes detours in his bus to see his son, Bo, play football.
That doesn’t mean his fans don’t mean the world to him. “But I know my love for the fan experience will never change,” he says. “My love for being onstage and interacting with them. That’s when I can’t answer my cell phone; that’s when nobody can get to me in a bothersome way. This is my world.”
Bryan’s success is well-deserved and he’s found a great balance between family life and career. You can read the full Rolling Stone interview here.
