Sometimes, it can be hard to register just how big an artist truly is in today's music landscape. Streams often muddy the true validity of who is truly the biggest modern artist and who simply listens to the music passively. Moreover, the pre streaming days often means that the numbers don't always tell the full story. Still, Luke Combs definitely fits the bill when you consider the biggest country music stars today.
Recently, CMT announces that Luke Combs is the first country artist ever to have 3 singles certified Diamond by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America.) 'Hurricane' and 'When It Rains It Pours' knock off this massive achievement on the same day.
Luke Combs Now Lies in The Pantheon of Country's Biggest Hitmakers of All Time
Essentially, going Diamond means that people buy a song or an album 10 million times. Luke joins a hefty list of relatively modern singles recently knocking off the accomplishment. The list goes as follows:
- "Cruise" - Florida Georgia Line
- "Wagon Wheel" - Darius Rucker
- "Old Town Road" - Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
- "Tennessee Whiskey" - Chris Stapleton
- "Beautiful Crazy" - Luke Combs
- "Body Like A Back Road" - Sam Hunt
- "Need You Now" - Lady A
- "Heaven" - Kane Brown
- "In Case You Didn't Know" - Brett Young
- "Hurricane" - Luke Combs
- "When It Rains It Pours" - Luke Combs
Honestly, a lot of these songs don't measure up in the quality you might imagine. Sure, you can lament 'Old Town Road' as not truly country, that is a separate discussion entirely. Rather, I'm more disappointed that a record like 'Body Like a Back Road' captures the hearts of so many people. It's easily the worst Sam Hunt record and kept me from earnestly engaging with his music for years. Moreover, that era of country in the 2010s still proves to be absolutely brutal, where artists shamelessly aim for pop and rap crossover success. Sure, country music is still desperately trying for it but it's not nearly as bad as before. At least guys like Chris Stapleton and Luke Combs prove that there's still a market for real country and not Jason Aldean rapping.
Frankly, it's only a matter of time until Luke Combs' rendition of Tracy Chapman's 'Fast Car' achieves the same certification. Additionally, Morgan Wallen will almost certainly join these ranks with a record like 'Last Night' soon. For now, you might argue Luke Combs is the king of country music at the moment.
