Luke Bryan has done a lot in country music, far more than most, so one of his proudest moments might be a bit of a surprise, at least to some. The Georgia native, who celebrated 30 No. 1 singles last year, says it was his time as part of his Las Vegas residency, Luke Bryan VEGAS, which ended in January, that has been one of the biggest highlights of his lengthy career, at least so far.
“When you’re in Las Vegas you’ve got Adele down the street and Usher and everybody else, but my thing was to go in there and be authentically me in my moment,” Bryan tells Forbes. “I realized fans are coming to see me, they’re coming to see a country act. Hopefully, they were like, ‘Well, I didn’t know he could play piano and freelance like that and do those different songs.”
“It ended up being one of my most proud moments from the production and look standpoint,” he adds.
Las Vegas is a far cry from where Bryan played early in his career, on the beaches in Florida for his annual Spring Break shows. For several years, beginning in 2009, Bryan released EPs to coincide with his annual shows, which he did right on the beach. It’s an idea he stole from one of his predecessors.
“The Spring Break shows came from me and my team wanting an outlet to reach a young and fun audience, “Bryan says. “Kenny Chesney had always been a leader in that space and someone I looked up to doing it. We started on the back deck of a club in Panama City Beach Florida and as it grew, we spilled out onto the beach. Those shows gave me an outlet to release EPs that had a different context lyrically that was separate from my studio albums. Fun, fun times.”
The 48-year-old just released his eighth studio album, Mind Of A Country Boy. The record, his first since Born Here, Live Here, Die Here was released in 2020, encapsulates where Bryan is now in his life and career.
“I’ve been able to take my time and really compile songs for this album,” Bryan says. “If it’s a song that I cut two or three years ago, and I still love it, and it still sounds fresh, then I feel like it’ll stand the test of time … I think this album, as I’ve tried to do with all my albums, just has a little bit of everything.
“I do some things different vocally on this one that I’ve not done before,” he continues. “It’s about each song having its place and having its meaning. It’s trying not to be overly redundant with songs. I think that’s why I’ve been blessed to have a long career and what I feel like this album’s going to do.”
With so much that he has already done, many artists would be content to rest and celebrate their hard work. Fortunately, Bryan isn’t one of those artists, at least not yet.
“I’m still loving it, and as long as I am I’ll keep doing it,” says the singer. “When I look back on my career and how we’ve accomplished even more than I dreamed of, when the day comes down the road, I’ll be able to walk away with only fond memories and proud of how we built the dream.”
Bryan has a Top 5 hit right now with “Love You, Miss You, Mean It.” He was just announced as a host of the 2024 CMA Awards, along with Lainey Wilson and Peyton Manning. Find all of Bryan’s music and upcoming shows at LukeBryan.com.
Photo Credit: Eder Acevedo