We love him and we mean it.
Country superstar Luke Bryan is heading to Scottsdale to headline the 2025 Coors Light Birds Nest.
Given his upcoming Waste Management Phoenix Open debut, we scored a spotlight on the guy who has seen great success spanning 24+ billion global streams, 11.5+ million global album sales, and 55+ million track sales worldwide.
Luke’s Story
With Georgia roots, Luke grew up as the youngest son of a farmer obsessed with his parents’ record collection. He gravitated towards George Strait and Conway Twitty, and fell in love with the guitar his parents gifted him as a teen. He quickly found his voice and a passion for playing, writing songs and starting bands.
As Luke prepped a post-high school move to Nashville, his older brother was killed in a car accident. The tragic loss put Luke’s Nashville dreams on hold as he craved staying close to family. By day, he attended college and worked on his father’s peanut farm, and at night, his band played on campus and in local bars.
Luke’s father saw his son’s musical dream slipping away, and he knew it was time to step in. According to biography reports, he told Luke to pack his truck and hit the road to Tennessee or he was fired from the farm. So, Luke made the move.
Finding a fresh start in Nashville, the mid-20-year-old musician landed a songwriting contract earning writing and co-writing credits for artists like Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. He also performed locally himself, and as luck would have it, a rep from Capitol Records spotted Luke’s talent and signed him to the label.
Fast-forward to now, Luke is the most digital single RIAA certified country artist of all time. He’s had 30 #1 singles, 17 of which he co-wrote. Luke has won 50+ major music awards including five wins as Entertainer of the Year. He also recently received the ACM Lifting Lives Award presented to an individual who is devoted to improving lives through the power of music, has a generosity of spirit, and is committed to serving.
While Luke’s music has brought him worldwide acclaim, he’s also known for his philanthropy, countless guest appearances, and performances through his Farm Tour. With his humble upbringing on the peanut farm, Bryan brings his shows to farms across the country. Since the tour’s inception, he has awarded more than 80 scholarships, and the Farm Tour has raised enough money to, along with sponsors, donate more than 9 million meals.
And yes, Luke will return to ABC’s American Idol in 2025 alongside fellow judges Lionel Richie and Carrie Underwood.
Mind Of A Country Boy
Seventeen years into his country music career, Luke is still dialing up his charismatic, ball-cap-flipping concerts that propelled him from the Georgia bar circuit to a stadium-headlining household name. He's diving deeper into the wildly fun yet profoundly relatable songs about love, loss, life and family for which he's celebrated.
In September (2024), Luke released his long-awaited Mind Of A Country Boy, the culmination of a career spent studying songs and living the hunting, fishing, and loving everyday lifestyle he sings about. The 14-song album, produced by powerhouse father-son team Jeff and Jody Stevens, is his first new album in four years.
"I've been able to take my time and really compile songs," says the country superstar. "If it's a song that I cut two or three years ago, and I still love it, and it still sounds fresh, then I feel it'll stand the test of time.”
Luke co-wrote the title track with frequent collaborators Dallas Davidson, Ben Hayslip, and Rhett Akins. The album details daily life in rural America to an infectious melody.
"There are a lot of references that your common person might be like, ‘What's he talking about,’" Luke says. "I think when I can start talking about these really specific phrases and references in the song, it validates me being a country boy."
For example, he offers the opening lyrics: Is the trickle charger hooked up to the boat? Is the pattern right on my turkey choke?
"That's real, not pretentious, not made up, country stuff that I think people can relate to. It sounds like truly what goes on in the mind of a country boy."
The radio single "Love You, Miss You, Mean It" has elements that remind Bryan of his relationship with his wife and is packed with the powerhouse mojo he wants to surround the album's release. The song is tracking to be among the most successful of his career.
"I look back on my career of No. 1 songs, and I know that not every song is everyone's favorite. As an artist, I think you must try new things and veer off the common path. Then you go back to the roots and what got you there, and I certainly think 'Love You, Miss You, Mean It' is a classic song for me and my fans."
Country radio also embraced the album's bonafide, foot-stomping, singalong hits "Country On" (it became his 30th No 1 hit) and "But I Got a Beer in My Hand." With the unquestionable success of those songs, Bryan knew he had the springboard to launch Mind Of A Country Boy.
"I'm always trying to be a little bit better on piano, be a little bit better guitar player, and be a little bit better of a singer. I can go into the studio, and my producer will look at me and say, 'Man, never heard you sound better.' It’s always great when I feel like I can maintain the level I want to maintain."
Luke also embraces the sentimental side of dad life in "Pair of Boots," which he calls a "perfectly written song," and "Jesus' Bout My Kids," a ballad of timely lyrics he knows fans will recognize as true. Vulnerably, he delivers a breathtaking gut punch about the realities of balancing career and family in "For The Kids,” having penned the song with Old Dominion's Brad Tursi and Justin Ebach. He believes it's the finest song he's written.
"I think as you grow older and mature, subject matters change, and things that you can sing about change.”
Luke is a different man than the 30-year-old newlywed who dropped his debut album in 2007. Since then, he and his wife have had two sons who are now teenagers. The couple also helped raise his sister's kids.
“The love of trying to find the right song and a song that moves people is still at the forefront of what I want to do as an artist. It's trying not to be overly redundant with songs. I think that's why I've been blessed to have a long career and what I feel like this album's going to do."
Luke heads to the WM Phoenix Open
The lineup for the 2025 Coors Light Birds Nest has confirmed Luke Bryan will hit the stage with rising country superstar Nate Smith on Thursday, February 6th.
"When I'm on stage, happy and enjoying myself, I think people can feel and see that it's authentic, and I'm not just up there going through the motions,” says Luke.
General admission tickets start at $125. VIP tickets and elevated experiences are also available.
CoorsLightBirdsNest.com