Luke Combs and wife, Nicole, are expecting baby #2 any day now and according to Combs the couple is “very excited, but not ready.”

“Ready is not the word,” he told Audacy’s Katie Neal during this week’s Superstar Power Hour. “It’s not twice the work, it’s like, five times the work,” he said of going from one child to two.

“We’re like, ‘Man, we got the one kid and are so dialed in to what that’s like,” he shared. “I know when this is going to happen, [and] when this is going to happen. When I’m home, we just know how it’s gonna go, me and my wife have such a great system down.”

While their solid routine may be disrupted with a new bundle of joy, Luke says he and Nicole will happily work their way towards finding a new routine without the help of a nanny or sitter.

Declining to hire help despite Luke’s crazy schedule is something the couple has been vocal about in the past and according to Luke, their philosophy hasn’t changed as they ready for #2.

“It’s going to be a challenge because we don’t have nannies or any of that stuff,” he told Katie. “We’ve thought about it, and it’s not a question of ‘Can we afford that?’ It’s a question of ‘Do we want that for our kids?’ And right now, at this time, I don’t think that’s something that we’re really interested in because I want our kids to have as normal of a life as possible considering the circumstances. I’d rather them be riding bikes than riding a tour bus.”

Luke continued on to share his new-found respect for artists like Garth Brooks, who took time away from his career to be as present as possible in his kid’s lives. “No doubt people thought he was nuts,” Combs said of Brooks’ decision to leave music while his kids grew up. “But it all makes sense once you have kids… I’m not saying that’s what I’m going to do.”

He continued, “My kids didn’t ask to be born. It was our choice to have them so it would feel pretty selfish to not give them all the attention.”

Aside from welcoming a new child, Combs is also readying to open a multi-level entertainment complex in downtown Nashville in partnership with Opry Entertainment Group. The bar is expected to open in Summer 2024.

“I’m stoked about that,” he said of the venue’s approaching opening. “It’s gonna be a big project, for sure. Obviously partnering in this with Ryman Hospitality and the Opry and stuff is a dream come true.”

He continued, “They care about it a lot.  I knew that if I ever was going to do something like that [open a bar] with somebody, I would want it to be with them — and that was without even thinking it would be a real possibility.”

Hear more about plans for the bar, the arrival of baby #2 and the possibility of a collaboration with Tracy Chapman by listening to Luke’s entire conversation with Katie Neal above.

Words by Monica Rivera Interview by Katie Neal