(CSC) 1. What’s the latest with you! How has 2008 been treating you so far?
(Luke Bryan)
Oh man it’s been good! I’ve just been playing a bunch of shows, meeting a lot of fans, and we just finished up our last “Kenny” date. We’re pretty bummed that that had to come to an end. It was certainly a fun experience being out there and being a part of that! I hope that I get the chance to do something like that again.
(CSC) 2. Being a country music star, how have you adjusted to being a first-time father and how do you prioritize the two?
(Luke Bryan)
Well obviously, it’s tough because I have to be away from home so much, but the main thing is I try to make sure that my time at home is well spent. They come out on the road with me probably once every month, or once every two months so that gives me a chance to see em’ a little bit, and hang. The bottom line is I have to make sure that I see em’ as much as I can when I’m in town, and make the most of our time together!
(CSC) 3. You’re coming back to Chicago this month (October 11th) to perform at the Chicago Country Music festival. You’ve played here quite often this past year. What are you most looking forward to about the festival and returning to the city?
(Luke Bryan)
Honestly, I’m excited that Chicago has decided to bring country music certainly into the downtown area in the fashion that it has. I think a lot of country people sometimes don’t realize how many country music fans there could possibly be in such the big city of Chicago and your major metropolitan areas like that. It’s nice to see when the city’s offering up to allow us to come in and play our form of music. We’re very excited! Anytime we can “strut” our stuff to such a large market we certainly love to have the opportunity to do so.
(CSC) 4. When you have the chance to take a break, what do you enjoy doing in a big city like Chicago? Any favorite places to hang out or visit when you’re here?
(Luke Bryan)
I like to get some shopping in. I can’t remember the name of the street that it’s on, but I certainly know the area. The main thing is just to hang out in the city when you’re there. I always like to swing by Joe’s and see all the guys around there. Just being able to be in the city, and walk around and see all the great spots is a lot of fun!
(CSC) 5. Your debut album “I’ll Stay Me” has been a huge success among critics alike. When do you have plans to release your sophomore release, and how would it compare to your first record?
(Luke Bryan)
We plan on having another record out sometime in 2009. As far as how it would compare to the last album, I hope that there will be some of the same stuff that we had on the first album that people will be looking forward to, but honestly, I hope there’s some growth as far as songwriting goes. I always want to better myself with each album, and I think we’ve already got a lot of the songs written, and the songs that we’re looking for we’ve found around town. It’s looking like it’s going to shape up to be a good chance at a great sophomore album!
(CSC) 7. As a songwriter, I understand that you contributed to several songs on your first album?
(Luke Bryan)
Yeah, I wrote ten of the eleven songs on the album.
(CSC) 8. You’ve been through some tough hardships in your life. What do you attribute to pulling through those dark times?
(Luke Bryan)
Just keeping your chin up, understanding God has a plan for you, and keep plowing on, you know. That’s the thing about life, it has its ups and downs, and things sometimes catch you off guard more times than not. We have to just keep plugging along, and keep a positive outlook. It’s important to enjoy all the great things about life!
(CSC) 9. Besides being a singer, you’ve written hit songs for other artists in Country Music. What do you enjoy about the two, and how does one compare to the other?
(Luke Bryan)
Well, I love performing, and why I moved to Nashville, and why I’m a singer and a songwriter is to have a chance to get onstage and perform my songs. Songwriting gives me a way to tell stories and tell my life to other people. It gives other people the chance to feel that their stories are heard, and that maybe they grew up like me or have experienced the same things that I have. The main thing is songwriting is just a fun way to express yourself, and have everybody else understand that and jump on the bandwagon with you!
(CSC) 10. If you had the chance to duet with any “legendary” female artist in Country Music, who would it be and why?
(Luke Bryan)
I’ve always wished I could do something with Dolly Parton sometime. I think she honestly is a hero of mine; and obviously Reba wouldn’t be too bad either. There are a lot of duets I’d love to try to pull off out there. I think it would be a whole lot of fun!
(CSC) 11. Have you had the chance to meet with Dolly and Reba yet?
(Luke Bryan)
I haven’t gotten to meet Dolly or Reba yet, but I’m certainly looking forward to that opportunity.
(CSC) 11. You’ve gotten a reputation as being very approachable and genuinely down-to-earth and pretty involved with your fans. As your success skyrockets, how do you manage to stay true to yourself and remain unaffected by all the fame?
(Luke Bryan)
I don’t really try to let it go to my head; it is what it is. It’s about being out there and playing music. I still want to be approachable to my fans, and I enjoy meetin’ fans and hearin’ what they have to say and things like that. I’ve always tried to maintain my enjoyment of music, and my love for music, and my fans are a part of that! I couldn’t be here without the fans supporting me. That’s the main thing for me. People always tell me I’m goin’ the extra mile but I don’t ever really think of it like that, it’s just all a part of the experience. When I moved to Nashville, I hoped I would have a lot of fans someday, and the fact that I wouldn’t continue to be nice to them or compassionate with them would be a little weird for me for it to be any other way.
(CSC) 12. Where did you get the name for your fan club? (The Nut House)
(Luke Bryan)
Yeah! That’s because my father is a peanut farmer and I grew up on the peanut farm, so it just seemed fitting to name it that. Obviously, my fans are about half crazy too, (Laughs) so it seemed fitting to name em’ the nut house.
(CSC) 13. You mentioned just recently ending a tour with Kenny Chesney. What was that like touring with all those different artists on the bill?
(Luke Bryan)
It was a blast getting to hang with some of those guys. Just getting to have the chance to watch Keith Urban, Brooks & Dunn, Gary Allan, and those other big-name acts perform you learn a lot. I look back on that, and I really did learn a lot. It was a great experience to be out there with everybody. Being able to watch Kenny Chesney’s operation on a day in and day out basis was pretty spectacular!
(CSC) 14. What’s one valuable lesson that you learned as a new talent when first arriving in Nashville that has stuck with you all these years?
(Luke Bryan)
I think just that it’s the hardest work you could ever imagine having to do; it’s day in and day out, and you’re never really off the clock, and it’s the most enjoyable thing. My thing is to make sure you stay healthy, keep your voice good so you can get out there and perform and sing, and perform every show to the best of your ability and have a great time with it!
(CSC) 15. How do you preserve your vocals with the constant touring?
(Luke Bryan)
You have to make sure that you try to get enough sleep through the night. I like to go read a book or something, and just try to be quiet for a little while and go take a nap. (Laughs)
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