Luke Combs has officially become the highest RIAA-certified country artist in history, with an astonishing 168 million units sold across albums, singles and streams. Reflecting on the milestone, Combs shared his gratitude and disbelief, saying, “When my team first told me about this, my initial reaction was, ‘Are you sure? There’s no way.’ It was only eight years ago that I got my first plaque for ‘Hurricane’ going gold. I knew then, without a doubt, I had the best fans in the world. The song had gone platinum before they could even give me the gold plaque. I’m super humbled by the fans’ belief in me and support of my music today and over the years. I know this does not happen without them. This achievement is more so theirs than it is mine. All I ever hoped and dreamed of from the beginning of this crazy ride was to make music that made people feel something, and I can’t wait to continue making country music for the rest of my life.”
The Asheville, North Carolina native continues to dominate the country scene with new music and headline performances. His latest release, ‘The Prequel,' dropped last week and features three brand-new songs: ‘My Kinda Saturday Night,' '15 Minutes' and ‘Days Like These.' Combs is also up for three awards at the 2025 CMA Awards — Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, and Single of the Year for ‘Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma.'
That hit single recently became Combs’ 19th career No. 1, adding to his record as the artist with the most consecutive No. 1 singles to start a career. He’s also spent a combined 53 weeks at the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. His current single, ‘Back in the Saddle,' continues to climb, currently sitting inside the top ten.
Combs’ 2024 album, ‘Fathers & Sons,' offered a more introspective look at life and family, earning praise from NPR Music for “going beyond the country realm” and solidifying his status as a global star. The success doesn’t stop there: Combs is now the first country artist to have two songs surpass a billion streams on Spotify and four singles certified RIAA Diamond.
A Grand Ole Opry member and the winner of 11 CMA Awards, 4 ACM Awards, and 6 Billboard Music Awards, Combs has recently expanded his creative reach through collaborations with Post Malone, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Bellion, and Alex Warren. He also joined forces with Opry Entertainment Group to open Category 10, a new entertainment complex in downtown Nashville.
On stage, Combs continues to break new ground. He recently became the first country artist to headline both Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and this weekend he’ll top the bill at Austin City Limits Music Festival. Earlier this year, he performed at Newport Folk Festival and New Orleans JazzFest, and shared a show-stopping Grammy duet with Tracy Chapman on “Fast Car.” He also headlined “Concert for Carolina,” raising more than $24.5 million for Hurricane Helene relief efforts alongside Eric Church, Billy Strings, and James Taylor.
Luke Combs’ record-breaking career shows no signs of slowing down — a testament to his talent, humility and unwavering bond with fans who have supported him from that very first gold plaque to country music history.
