Luke Bryan
Luke Bryan – Staying True To Himself
by Abraham Kuranga
Originally posted on April 10, 2008.
Just as country music is singing its high notes, reaching more people than ever before, another budding star has entered the arena, ready to fuel the fire.
That star? Luke Bryan.
The Georgia native – fresh off hit singles, “All My Friends Say” and “We Rode in Trucks” – is poised to be the bolt that shoots country music to the next atmosphere.
“I’m just ready to ride the wave,” says Bryan. “Country music is as strong, I think, as it’s ever been.”
It is on that strength that Bryan has built his career, citing Conway Twitty, Ronnie Milsap and country stalwarts Alabama and GeorgeStrait his musical luminaries. Although a great songwriter – having written songs for fellow country crooners, Billy Currington and Travis Tritt – Bryan wants to be known first as a singer.
“In the end, to be at the highest level of music, I feel you have to be a great singer,” confesses Bryan. “I may turn out to be a better songwriter than singer, though”
Music, sort of, fell into the lap of Luke Bryan in the form of a guitar. After getting the instrument as a present, Bryan gave it a trial run at some local bars and clubs around Leesburg, Georgia.
“Having fun at those shows, watching people connect did it for me,” says Bryan. “At that moment, I hoped I could do this as a career.”
That ambition took a detour but never went too far of course, as Bryan attended college at Georgia Southern University. It was at college that Bryan began writing more songs and recorded his first album, which he sold at local college bars.
“It helped with every aspect,” says Bryan of college. “The growing up aspect, the business aspect, all took shape in college.”
Graduating with a degree in business, Bryan set his eyes on Nashville, where he signed a songwriting contract. While honing his penmanship, Bryan continued to play shows, performing his own material.
The hard work and consistency paid off when a music industry executive heard Bryan performing at one of his out-of-the-way shows. He soon signed a full-fledged recording contract with recording industry giant, Capitol Records, and its country music division Capitol Nashville.
After paying the prerequisite dues, Bryan can now boast his own creation, in the form of his debut album, I’ll Stay Me. The unapologetic title is Bryan’s way of saying, “what you see is what you get.”
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