Six-time GRAMMY nominee and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Luke Combs, has fans raving with the official release of his fourth studio album, Gettin' Old.

The companion to 2022’s acclaimed, Growin' Up, the new record features 18 fresh songs from Combs and for the first time in his career — he’s included a few he didn’t write. One of those songs is, "My Song Will Never Die,” a track penned by the legendary Eric Church alongside Travis Meadows and Jonathan Singleton.

“It feels pretty great [to have a song written by Eric Church],” Luke told Audacy’s Katie Neal before detailing how he got the song. “It wasn’t like Eric called me and was like, ‘Here’s this song, you should do it.’”

“I did text him because he keeps his cards really close to his chest with his songs and what he’s doing and stuff. I asked him, I was like, ‘Hey man, are you cool with me doing this?’ He was like ‘Man, you should do it.’”

While it’s the first time Luke has included a few songs he didn’t write, it’s also the first time he’s included a cover on one of his projects. After stopping many in their tracks throughout various live shows over the last few years with his rendition of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 release, “Fast Car,” Luke has answered fans’ demand for a recorded version on the new album.

“It’s fourth album now, so you can kind of start doing some things you haven’t done before, you know?” He said of his decision to include the cover.

“I’ve been playing that song as long as I’ve been playing guitar — which is not terribly long — but I’ve been listening to that song ever since I was 4 or 5 years old…. It’s a timeless song,” he said while also expressing he hopes to bring the attention of a new generation to Chapman’s version.

While there are a few firsts on this album, Combs still gives us a healthy dose of what we already love from him. While songs range from new party anthems to beer drinking bops, Luke also shows his emotional side with tunes about family, sobriety, and personal struggles, which can be heard on the final track, "The Part.“

“It’s not on there to look for sympathy, it was more of a cathartic thing for me,” Combs explained of track 18, which explores the tough aspects of his job. “When I do feel like I’m having a bad day, a lot of times I feel guilty about it. Because I’m like, ‘I have my dream job.’”

“The Part,” explores the complete opposite of Comb’s previously released ‘Five Leaf Clover,’ which details the blessings he’s encountered in life. While the songs take listeners to two different places, Combs says they both have an important spot on the project as they are honest representations of where he’s at.

“There is an interesting juxtaposition to both of those songs being on this album,” he admitted. “On most days, I do feel like the ‘Five Leaf Clover’ guy, but some days, I feel like, ‘How did I end up here?’”

Honesty, vulnerability, and talent is exactly why Luke is here and we’re excited to see him shine and continue to solidify his already-impressive mark on Country music with this album.

Listen to Combs’ full conversation surrounding the new project and more with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal