He’s being way too hard on himself, but still, it is really funny… today, Luke Combs appeared on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, where he spoke with co-hosts Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, and he gave a hilarious explanation about why he felt he was at a “disadvantage” because of his looks. Of course, when he first came onto the scene with his debut single “Hurricane,” in 2016, it didn’t take long for it to top the charts, and it went #1 one on the Billboard Country Airplay chart in May 2017. But for years before that, artists like Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt were dominating the country charts, and Luke explained that didn’t think he really had a chance because he didn’t look like them in terms of being tall and perfectly in shape. He said that he knew no one in the marketing department would pluck him from obscurity just by seeing a photo of him, and he’s right in that it’s always about the formula that works with mainstream music, because the music business is a business, and I think it was more about the fact that his music didn’t fit that (bad) mold, which ultimately worked out better for him in the long run, obviously. But still, Luke’s explanation is hilarious: “I always knew that the only way I’m going to get anybody to be interested in my music at all is to get in front of them. Like, no one is going to look at a picture of me and go, this guy’s a star. We’ve gotta get this guy up here.’ I just knew that, it’s just the harsh reality of my life at that time. And really, my life now still. I mean, the people that are crushing at that time are Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, those dudes are hot, bro. Like, they’re hot. I am not hot. I’m not tall, I’m not in shape. You know, they have great stories, and they’re good looking, and they’re charismatic… and so I’m like, man, I’ve got nothing these guys. Nobody in town was interested in signing a guy like me. Because it’s like, the thing that’s working ain’t this guy.” They then pulled up a photo of Riley Green, and Luke joked that “no one thinks of me in that vein,” but I feel like that’s just an unfair comparison for anyone: “I mean, look at this guy. This guy is beautiful, dude. Look at this guy. He’s beautiful. He’s incredibly talented guy, like, nobody thinks of me in that vein. But there’s a lot of those guys… there’s no pictures of me like that, there’s just not.” Luke has built an incredible career for himself but putting out great music, and he is gearing up to put out his new record The Way I Am on March 20th: Luke Combs claiming he was at a disadvantage early in his career because he “wasn’t hot” is hilarious Honesty is undefeated pic.twitter.com/G1gdsibYfs — Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) March 10, 2026 Luke has released several songs from the 22-song tracklist thus far including “Back in the Saddle,” “My Kinda Saturday Night,” “15 Minutes,” “Days Like These,” and most recently, a stunning love song inspired by his wife Nicole, “Be By You.” The album was produced by Combs, Jonathan Singleton and Chip Matthews, and it will feature just one other artist on the song “Ever Mine,” as we get to hear Combs and Alison Krauss team up for the first time and I’m sure that will be incredible. The full podcast is available below. “Be By You” The Way I Am Tracklist “Back in the Saddle” “My Kinda Saturday Night” “Days Like These” “15 Minutes” “Alcohol of Fame” “Daytona 499” “The Way I Am” “Wish Upon Whiskey” “Soon As I Get Home” “Rethink Some Things” “Giving Her Away” “Seeing Someone” “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” “I Ain’t No Cowboy” “Ever Mine” (feat. Alison Krauss) “Can’t Tell Me I’m Wrong” “Miss You Here” “Tell ‘Em About Tonight” “Be By You” “The Me Part of You” “Rich Man” “A Man Was Born” The post “It’s Just The Harsh Reality”: Luke Combs Says He Was At A Disadvantage Early In His Career Because He “Wasn’t Hot” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.