PHOTOSLuke Bryan Lashes Out At Fans Who Are Critical Of His Music: 'Pick. Another. Artist.'
June 6 2018, Published 6:13 p.m. ET
Luke Bryan may be a country superstar, but even he knows his songs aren’t the deepest or cleverest — and he doesn’t care! As long as his fans are happy, the country singer is asking his haters to simply stop listening to his tunes and “Pick. Another. Artist.”
In an interview with Billboard, Luke admitted he is well aware many of his biggest hits follow the same formula of pickup trucks, hunting, pretty tan girls, and fishing, which has been deemed “bro country.” Luke began sticking to that formula early in his career, after his 2008 song “We Rode in Trucks” failed to turn into a hit.
“You have to have a nucleus of your image. Singing about trucks and back roads and fishing, that was a nucleus, because that’s what I knew. ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ — that’s a thing me and my producer Jeff Stevens say a lot. I’m wired to write simple stuff that people can understand and relate to,” the American Idol judge explained.
“When I started singing about stuff like that, a lot of people saw that it worked, so they incorporated it. Then sometimes things get beat to death, and then it’s time to move on,” Luke told the mag.
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Nowadays, Luke says he’s more careful about falling into old habits. “I know that there are more layers to describing the country way of life than a pickup truck and fishing. When I’m in a songwriting session with one of my songwriter buddies who’s going down the back-road path, can I sing a song about hunting and fishing ever again?” Luke questioned.
Still, he won’t hate on his own hits, like 2011’s “Country Girl (Shake It for Me).” “When I put that song out, I knew what it was. It was lighthearted fun. If you can’t appreciate the fun of that song, then I’m not your artist,” Luke insisted. “Pick. Another. Artist.”
Personal tragedy has influenced Luke’s carefree, happy-go-lucky style. After losing his brother, sister, and brother-in-law all to sudden deaths, Luke learned to focus on the positive. “The loss we’ve dealt with has given me an appreciation of how precious and fragile life is. And yeah, I carry that mentality into my performances, and even into how I deal with people every day,” Luke shared. “When I meet people, I want them to leave going, ‘That guy doesn’t have a bad day.’”
What do you think of Luke’s attitude toward his music? Sound off in the comments below.
