Interview with Country Music Star Luke Bryan

Luke Bryan is a country music singer/songwriter, he made his debut in 2007 with the song "All my Friends Say" off his album titled "I'll Stay Me". Luke was born and raised in Leesburg, Georgia. Before his CD debut, Luke Bryan moved to Nashville in 2001 and got a deal as a songwriter. Luke co-wrote "Good Directions" which spent three weeks at #1 on Billboards U.S hot country songs charts in 2007 for country singer Billy Currington. Luke is having great success in country music and I was lucky enough to land a interview with this country artist, who has already achieved so much and has many great things ahead of him.

Luke was just a few minutes late in calling and he explained to me why.

Luke - I'm in my home town and I was where everyone picks up their hunting supplies and I walked in and the local radio station by coincidence was doing a live remote at this little place, so it turned into me going on air and signing all kinds of stuff so it kind of turned into being on the spot.

So you had a busy morning start off right away.

Luke - Yes Ma'am, but you know that's all a part of it. But at least they want to talk to me it could be the other way.

What is your favorite song on your album?

Luke - My favorite song is certainly "We Rode in Trucks" It tells my story, it tells what I'm about, and it has always kind of been my favorite song on the album.

Did you write all the songs on the album?

Luke - I wrote everything but "Pray about Everything". I wrote ten of the eleven.

Where do you get your inspiration for the songs you write?

Luke - Just from my life back home and just living everyday, past experiences and stuff like that. I just try to go back into the memory bank and pull things out that stand out in my mind mainly.

You have already had great success, such as being one the Top 5 Artists chosen for Best of 2007 for Clear Channel radio, being the only country artist chosen by Billboard Magazine as one of the Faces to Watch in 2007 and Country Weekly chose you as Who's Hot in 2007. Your album also debuted at #2 and you have a #5 hit with All My Friends Say. This is a lot of success with a first album. Is it surprising to you and how does all this success so soon make you feel?

Luke - Well it is certainly surprising and flattering and very, very rewarding. I look back and to have so many accolades thus far is certainly something that I am very grateful for. It's definitely been a wonderful year. You know all I did was write songs and do an album that I enjoyed and it's nice when you go about it the way I did and you get a lot of notoriety for it. As far as it changing my approach to anything it doesn't really do that. It just puts a smile on face mainly.

In March you're going to be in Nashville for The New Faces of Country Music Show. Five emerging country artists that have achieved significant success were chosen, you along with Bucky Covington, Taylor Swift, Jason Michael Carroll and Jake Owen have received this honor. Can you explain more about this for those who don't know about it, and what it means to you?

Luke - Well its CRS, Country Radio Seminar and its for all the all the country music stations in the country and they come into town and they do seminars and radio events and stuff to kind of help country radio, it kind of puts everybody on the same page as to what country music wants to do. They vote and select new artists to be on the New Faces Show and luckily I was one of them that country music radio chose to be on the show. It is a real big honor and a real special thing to be a part of.

What were your feelings and thoughts when you first heard Billy Currington singing "Good Directions", the song you wrote?

Luke - It was something I was very proud of and happy about. Billy did a great job with the song and I was just excited to get the cut and certainly to have all the success with it. It was something I am very, very happy about.

Where were you, when you first heard yourself on the radio and what was your reaction?

Luke - I was somewhere in Alabama and I heard "All my Friends Say". It was just an unbelievable experience to be a part of and I was pumping my fists in the air and rolling my window down and yelling, it was a pretty cool moment for me definitely.

What about when you watched the first video on TV?

Luke - Same deal, only we all gathered around the TV, dancing and having a blast.

Who are your musical influences?

Luke - Definitely Ronnie Milsap, Conway Twitty, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Alabama and just all the greats through the years.

What is the funniest or strangest thing that has happened since all this started?

Luke - Well, probably the neatest thing is last week, I was in Vegas and I got to play in a celebrity tournament with Charlie Pride and Charlie Pride knocked me out of the tournament and I was done. That was one of the neatest things, to be hanging out with a country music legend, an icon and having him beat me in a tournament was pretty cool.

If you could sing a duet with anyone who would it be?

Luke - Definitely Reba would be up there on that list or Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood would be up there to. I just think all their voices are incredible. I wouldn't get picky. I love Leanne's voice also.

Do you miss the privacy you had before becoming famous?

Luke - Well the beauty of Nashville is people kind of understand, you don't get bothered to much. That's just country music really. People respect your space. I approach it as it is kind of the job description. If you enter into this business not expecting the fame, you probably picked the wrong line of work.

Do you have any advice for someone starting out?

Luke - Just to get into it for the right reasons. Do it for the love of music and the enjoyment. People that do it for the fame and this and that, I don't think that is the right approach, it really catches up with them at some point. You have to love it the whole period through the rise and the falls, as long as you stay true to your love for music it will be alright.