Jon Bellion and Luke Combs released a new duet together last Friday called ‘Why?' The song is a wistful, haunting ballad that finds both singers asking ‘Why love anything at all?' which is quite a bleak, different feel, tone and look for Luke Combs. As Combs takes the best part of 2025 off to be with his family and to prepare for his next release it gives us a clue as to where we might see an evolution in his music for album number six.
Before we explore where Combs might be going it's worth introducing Country fans to Jon Bellion. Bellion is a singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper known for blending genres like pop, hip-hop, and R&B with emotionally rich lyrics and innovative production. He first gained attention with his mixtapes and songwriting work, including penning the Grammy-winning chorus for Eminem and Rihanna’s ‘The Monster' His debut album ‘The Human Condition' (2016), featuring the hit single ‘All Time Low,' showcased his signature mix of catchy hooks, introspective themes, and cinematic production. Bellion is also a member of the songwriting and production collective Beautiful Mind, and beyond his solo career, he has worked with top artists like Maroon 5, Halsey, and Justin Bieber, solidifying his reputation as a creative force in modern pop music.
So, what implications can we draw from Luke Combs' willingness to participate in this project with Bellion? Well, first of all let's highlight what we'd call ‘The Jelly Roll' effect. This song could easily be a Jelly Roll song with its haunting production and bleak, impactful tone. Jelly Roll is a force of nature in the music industry and Combs' team will be very aware of his cross-genre appeal. As Combs looks towards 2026 and his next album he has expanded all he can within the confines of Country music and changing his tone a little towards this gritty, anthemic Pop sound might be one way he can go to increase his fan base – he does, afterall, sound great on ‘Why?'
Secondly, Combs is coming in off the back of his ‘Fathers and Sons' release – this was a powerful, serious and emotional project that saw him evolving as a writer and singer. It's going to be hard to go back to throwaway, knock-about honky tonk country, as much as certain sections of his fan base would love him to do.
Artists like Bellion, Ed Sheeran, Teddy Swims, Rag ‘n' Bone Man and Benson Boone are all the rage now and this track, which Luke Combs sounds great on, is not a million miles away from that sound. So, similar to Post Malone, we might find Combs experimenting a little on his next album and dipping his toes into the world of gritty adult Pop and songwriter anthems. He has a long standing friendship with Ed Sheeran so it wouldn't be inconceivable that they would write song songs together as Sheeran moves closer to Country and Combs moves closer to Pop.
In the end, who knows? Combs might be preparing the biggest, baddest fiddle-drive honky tonk album Country has ever seen because, as Post Malone proved with his F1 Trillion release, earthy, more traditional-sounding Country music is all the rage right now in Nashville – but maybe Luke Combs has been there, done that and bought the T shirt already?
