Luke Combs Recalls The Emotions He Felt While Writing ‘Even Though I’m Leaving’

Luke Combs is currently riding high off the success of his chart-topping single “Even Though I’m Leaving.” The song, which details the pain a child feels after losing a parent, spent three weeks at the top of Billboard’s Country Airplay Chart, giving Combs his seventh consecutive No. 1 hit to date.

Even though Combs admits he’s not the emotional type, he says he couldn’t help but get choked up while writing the song alongside his buddies Wyatt Durrette and Ray Fulcher.

“Most of the time, when I see somebody gushing about a song that they wrote, I’m kind of like the roll my eyes guy,” Combs said in a statement. “When that’s going on, I’m like, ‘Ok, are you really doing that or are we just playing it up?’ But I will tell you, that’s probably the one instance where I was genuinely moved by something that I hadn’t even experienced.”

Combs went onto say that, luckily, both his parents are still around, and he’s unsure why he felt so moved by the tune since he has yet to experience the feelings and emotions that come along with losing a parent. But “something about that day was definitely really special.” So much so that he was fighting back tears while singing the work tape.

“I can’t imagine having to sing that song when that time comes, hopefully, it’s not for 20 years,” he added. “Man it was just a really intense experience getting through that last verse. It was awesome, it was a good day, and it was one of the few times where I’ve really been moved by my own song, which I don’t want to be that guy that’s like, ‘Oh man, my song’s so good,’ you know? Cause I’m totally not that guy. But yeah, that was an emotional day, for sure.”

“Even Though I’m Leaving” was released in September 2019 as the second single from Combs’ sophomore album, What You See Is What You Get. The tune follows Combs’ previous chart-topper “Beer Never Broke My Heart.” What You See Is What You Get, meanwhile, debuted at No. 1 on both Billboard’s all-genre 200 chart and Top Country Albums chart. The album has also topped the charts in Canada, Australia, and the U.K.

To add to an already monumental last 12-months for Combs, the North Carolina native, who is expected to tie the knot with his fiancée, Nicole Hocking later this year, is kicking off his What You See Is What You Get Tour this weekend. The 2020 trek runs through May 2.

Additionally, Combs is up for three awards going into the 2020 iHeart Radio Music Awards. He is nominated for categories including all-genre Male Artist of the Year, Country Artist of the Year and Country Song of the Year for “Beautiful Crazy.” The 2020 iHeartRadio Music Awards will air live from Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on March 29, at 8 pm ET on FOX.