Luke Combs Hopes To ‘Gain A Couple Fans’ With ‘Going, Going, Gone’ GRAMMYs Performance
Combs is currently nominated for three GRAMMY Awards.
Luke Combs; Photo via YouTube
Luke Combs is preparing to take the stage at the 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards for a performance of his current single, “Going, Going, Gone.” The country superstar will perform the tune for the first time ever on a televised award show.
Ahead of “Music’s Biggest Night,” the six-time GRAMMY nominee opened up about his performance and the opportunity to perform at the coveted awards show.
“I’m going to be doing a song of mine called ‘Going, Going, Gone’ from my last album that me and two of my friends wrote when we were in Montana and have always loved this song and always believed in it ever since we wrote it,” Combs explained.
He went on to say that he was “nervous” about releasing the song as it’s “different from things that we’ve done in the past,” but admits the tune is the “perfect fit for this show.”
“I’m excited for a lot of people who maybe never heard of me or listen to me before get a chance to at least hear me and go, ‘oh, this guy’s not so bad,’ or something,” Combs added. “Gain a couple fans somehow. So that would be fun.”
Luke Combs also admitted that he is “nervous” about performing the tune at the coveted awards show.
“I just came off doing my rehearsals and seeing everybody that’s going to be sitting out there and watching you perform… Also, my performance starts out with just me and the guitar, which is like a little nervy, ya know? I’m not the best guitar player in the world. So, It makes me a little nervous, but I’m excited about it.”
He went on to share a few additional details about his upcoming performance.
“We added some strings to try to spice it up a little bit, but it’s exciting, but yeah, the beginning is really just me and the guitar and that’s not something that I’ve done… I mean I do it in my show every night, but I’ve never done it in this capacity. Obviously, I’ve never done it at the GRAMMYs, but have never done that at an awards show, where it’s just me and a guitar. So, nervous, but I’ve been practicing a little bit more than usual for this just to make sure I don’t mess up. It’s going to be fun though, it’s really exciting.
Combs, who is one of three country artists performing at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards, also told The Recording Academy that he is still in disbelief that music would become his full-time job.
“I didn’t believe this would happen,” Combs continued. ”I believed my job would be music in some capacity. My job would be being in a band or singing background vocals on people’s records, or being a demo singer, or being a songwriter, working at a publishing company. I just wanted to work in music. I just wanted to have a job that never felt like a job. That was the goal. It wasn’t to be famous or to be a big Garth Brooks or anything. And then those goals, kind of… as you continue to hone your craft, it’s like the statue that you’re ultimately sculpting begins to reveal itself. But you have to start by chiseling pieces away and figuring out what it looks like. So, I went into it with an open mind of, I know I can do this in some capacity, and then ultimately figuring out what that is has led me to here.”
Co-written by Combs alongside James McNair and Ray Fulcher, “Going, Going, Gone” is his current single at Country radio and has been a standout track from his third studio album, Growin’ Up, which was released in June of 2022.
“Like a runaway southbound train / Like an Arizona desert rain / Like lightning in the sky / Like fireworks in July / Like a left field home run ball / Like a whiskey shot at last call / It’s like she was made for moving on / That girl is going, going, gone,” Combs sings on the track’s chorus.
Combs is currently nominated for three GRAMMY Awards, including Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Outrunnin’ Your Memory”), Best Country Song (“Doin’ This”) and Best Country Album, for his chart-topping 2022 project, Growin’ Up.
On Saturday (Feb. 4), Combs celebrated his nominations at the star-studded pre-GRAMMYs Gala that was attended by artists of all genres, including Chance The Rapper, Machine Gun Kelly, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Jennifer Hudson, Maren Morris, Ryan Hurd, Carly Pearce, Melissa Etheridge, Demi Lovato, Paris Hilton and many more.
He and his wife, Nicole Hocking Combs, attended the annual Clive Davis party, which served as a tribute to industry icons Julie Greenwald and Craig Kallman, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.
The couple, who welcomed their first child in June of 2022, had a date night at the star-studded event that took place one day before “Music’s Biggest Night.”
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature performances from Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and more.
“Music’s Biggest Night” will also include an all-star 50th Anniversary celebration of hip hop, featuring performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz, and Too $hort. LL COOL J will be on hand to introduce the segment and give a dedication to hip hop.
Several tributes will take place during the In Memoriam segment at the all-genre ceremony. Kacey Musgraves is set to take the stage to honor the late Loretta Lynn with a cover of Lynn’s signature hit “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” while Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt are slated to pay homage to late Fleetwood Mac member, Christine McVie, with a performance of McVie’s “Songbird.”
Maverick City Music and Quavo will remember the late Migos rapper, Takeoff, with a special tribute performance of “Without You,” a song that Quavo wrote after his passing.
First Lady Jill Biden, Cardi B, James Corden, Billy Crystal, Viola Davis, Dwayne Johnson, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain and more are confirmed to present during the ceremony.
Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations, including the prestigious Album Of The Year (Renaissance). Following behind Beyoncé are Kendrick Lamar with eight nods, Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven nominations as well as Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Harry Styles, Future, The Dream and Randy Merrill have six. For a full list of 2023 GRAMMY nominees click HERE.
Prior to the GRAMMY Awards, several winners will be revealed during the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony at the Microsoft Theater in the City Of Angels. For a full list of winners, visit live.GRAMMY.com.
Co-hosted by GRAMMY-nominated comedian Trevor Noah, the 2023 GRAMMYs will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, February 5 at 8/7c on CBS. The coveted awards ceremony is also scheduled to stream live and on-demand via Paramount+.
Lauren Jo Black is a longtime country music journalist, editor, host, and media personality whose work has helped shape the conversation around country music for nearly two decades. As the current Editor-in-Chief of Country Now, she has become one of the genre’s most respected voices, interviewing hundreds of country music’s biggest stars, including Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Shania Twain, Randy Travis, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Luke Combs, and countless others. Over the course of her career, Black’s written work and interviews have reached billions of country music fans worldwide. A 2009 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Black began her career by founding Country Music Is Love, one of country music’s earliest independent digital publications, which she later sold to a major record label in 2015 before it was rebranded as Sounds Like Nashville. She then served as the publication’s Editor-in-Chief for more than two years. Her work has also appeared in Forbes, and she previously served as the Country Music Expert for Answers.com. Widely recognized for her expertise, Black has appeared as a featured guest on The Bobby Bones Show, BobbyCast, and Scripps News Morning Rush, providing insight on country music’s biggest moments. She has also hosted Country Now Live, a concert series featuring performances from artists including Lady A, Dierks Bentley, Riley Green, Jordan Davis, Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett, Brett Young, Jon Pardi, Kip Moore, Chris Young, and more. The series has welcomed thousands of fans in person while reaching millions more online. In addition, she hosted Connect With Country Now, a weekly interview series featuring conversations with rising country stars. Throughout her career, Black has earned a reputation for discovering and championing artists long before they become household names. She has covered Luke Bryan since the early days of his career, beginning when he was writing songs for other artists, including Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions,” before stepping into the spotlight with his debut single, “All My Friends Say” and eventually becoming one of biggest names in music. She also gave Megan Moroney her first opportunity to walk a major red carpet as Country Now’s official guest correspondent at the 2022 CMA Awards. An interview she conducted in 2018 for Forbes.com with Luke Combs that inspired his multi-week No. 1 hit, “Doin’ This.” She has also hosted stages at CMA Fest, moderated an industry panel at Country Radio Seminar, and helped lead important conversations about the evolving landscape of country music media. Beyond journalism, Black has also used her platform to support charitable causes and highlight organizations making an impact. Through Country Now Live, she has helped raise awareness and support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, while also advocating for animal rescue through Country Now’s Pupdate series, spotlighting organizations including MuttNation Foundation, Wags & Walks, and Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue. Black has been recognized as one of Country Aircheck’s Women of Influence and received the 2012 Rising Star Award from the University of Central Florida. She is a longtime member of both the Country Music Association (CMA) and the Academy of Country Music (ACM). After nearly 20 years covering country music, Lauren Jo Black has spent her career telling the stories behind the artists, songs, and moments that have shaped the genre. Her first-ever book, Country Music Forever: An A-to-Z Celebration of Icons, Songs and Stories, brings that same passion and firsthand knowledge to the page, celebrating not only the legendary artists and timeless songs that have become the soundtrack to generations of fans, but also the places, traditions, and cultural moments that have made country music one of the most beloved genres around the world.
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