Luke Bryan Reflects On Achieving His Dreams A Little Later In Life Than He Planned

"I earned it the old-fashioned way: working my butt off."

Luke Bryan is one of the biggest country music stars in the world. He has multiple platinum-selling albums and chart-topping hits, he has ACM, CMA, and Billboard Music awards, and he’s beamed into living rooms across the country thanks to his role as a judge on American Idol. A lot of hard work went into making Bryan the artist he is today—and he hasn’t forgotten that. In a recent interview with People, the magazine’s cover star reflected on what it took to get him where he is and how grateful he is to be there. 

Bryan fell in love with making music as a kid, performing as a teen troubadour around his hometown of Leesburg, Georgia. While he had big plans to move to Nashville and try to make it as a singer, a family tragedy kept him closer to home. Instead, Bryan attended Georgia Southern University and he met his future wife, Caroline. 

With his wife’s emotional and financial support, Bryan kept pursuing music, eventually hitting it big at the age of 30 with his debut single, “All My Friends Say”. Bryan told People that finding fame slightly later in life turned out to be a blessing. “When I was younger, I wouldn’t have really known who I was as an artist. Back then I was just singing other people’s songs and trying to figure out what I want to be,” he told the magazine.

The time he spent hustling helped him grow as an artist, which is something he now appreciates. “I earned it the old-fashioned way: working my butt off. A lot of people have propped me up and helped me along the way, and I hope they can enjoy the ride too," he said.

“Now I know the main thing is to do your best to tell your story in the most authentic and relatable way. I can’t go back and question any of the stars or fate at how it all shaped out. I look back, and I’m proud of the whole climb to get here,” he said.

Now that Bryan is very comfortable with who he is as a human and as an artist, he can look back at it all with gratitude. It’s with that attitude that fans know he’s going to give it his all, whether he’s playing for 100 people or 20,000 or for the millions of people around the world listening to his music.

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