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WATCH: Luke Combs Tells Stone Cold Steve Austin How Eric Church Inspired Him to Pursue Music

Country superstar, Luke Combs, opens up about his music career with Steve Austin for the second season premiere episode of “Straight Up Steve Austin.”

During the show, the WWE Hall of Famer swaps stories with celebrities while taking part in one-of-a-kind adventures. According to the show’s description, “It’s a unique twist on the standard interview show, with no studio, no couch and no cue cards — just a straight-up good time and good old-fashioned American fun.”

For the second season of Austin’s USA Network show, Austin invites country star, Luke Combs, to go “muddin.”

Luke Combs talks about his career with Steve Austin.

Combs Says Eric Church Sparked His Music Career

During the interview, Combs reveals that fellow country superstar, Eric Church, inspired him to pursue a music career.

“I think the reason myself and my parents stopped listening to country music is – it wasn’t, at that exact moment in time, wasn’t as relatable,” says Combs. “A lot of guys got really heavy into the beach. it was getting more poppy sounding at the time.”

Combs says that a college friend suggested that he listen to an Eric Church album, which reignited Combs’s passion for music.

“When I got to Appalachian state, a guy who lived on my floor brought in an Eric Chruch cd and said, ‘Hey, this guy went to college here. You should check him out.’ Once I heard Eric I was like this is something I can relate to. And if he can do that and he’s from here, and I’m from here, I can do that. And that’s kinda where the fire caught spark,” says Combs.

Luke Combs Was Told He Needed ‘To Write Better Songs’

After moving to Nashville to pursue a career in music, Combs landed his first interview with BMI. BMI represents more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers, and publishers with over 17 million musical works. During his interview with Austin, Combs talks about pitching his music for the first time.

“I played ‘Hurricane,’ ‘When it Rains it Pours,’ ‘She Got the Best of Me’ which I wrote in college, and I played a demo tape of ‘One Number Away,’” says Combs.

However, executives weren’t impressed, according to Combs.

“After I finished she said, ‘Here’s the deal, I don’t think you’re ever going to be an artist and I think you need to write better songs,’” says Combs.

However, like a truly determined country star, Combs says that he was grateful for the feedback.

“I was okay with that, it made me hungrier to say, ‘Well, okay, I do need to go out and get better and I do need to write better songs. All four of those songs I played her are now number one songs,” Combs says. “But I still feel like my best stuff is yet to come out. So, I’m thankful for that.”

With that, the two speed away in their four-wheeler. “Like a couple hurricanes,” Austin yells as the two drive away laughing.

Luke Combs’s “Hurricane”