Luke Combs Risked Final $200 on Debut Single, Discusses Backstreet Boys Influence on Hot Ones

Luke Combs is opening up about the $200 bet that launched his career, the Backstreet Boys' influence on his songwriting, and country music's growing cultural footprint. These topics are covered in a newly released episode of Hot Ones, available on YouTube.

The episode arrives as Combs releases his new album, The Way I Am, which dropped on March 20. The record is his sixth studio album, released through Sony Music Nashville and Seven Ridges Records.

During the episode, Combs recalled spending his final $200 to have his debut single "Hurricane" mastered, a moment he describes as a Hail Mary.

"Interestingly and luckily enough, it was the only song that was in any state close enough to putting out. So, it was basically a Hail Mary of like, 'Well, this is all we got. It's either this or nothing.' So I spent the last $200 I had," Combs shared.

"Hurricane" went on to become his first No. 1 and moved 10,000 units in its first week.

Combs also credited the Backstreet Boys as a musical influence, specifically their approach to vocal arrangement and hooks.

"They're incredibly singable verses and choruses. Those songs were engineered to be like musical drugs. Like you hear them, and it's just like I want to hear this again. I need to hear this again," stated Combs.

In the broader cultural moment of country music, Combs noted the genre's unprecedented stadium reach.

"But I feel like we've crossed over, like into the pop culture zeitgeist. And there's three country artists selling out multiple nights at stadiums right now. That's as many as have ever done it in the history of country music, and it's all happening at the same time. So that's really cool to me to feel like I'm a part of. I think that conversation is maybe a little unwarranted, but I think ultimately it benefits the genre," he added.

Combs also addressed his rejection from The Voice, where producers told him he wasn't "interesting enough" to boost the show's ratings. Rather than discourage him, the experience did the opposite.

"That situation gave me so much confidence. Because I'm like, ok, if I'm taking this at face value, which I did, it could have very easily been like, well, we can't tell this guy he's a terrible singer. Just tell him he's not interesting. Maybe that will make him less sad, you know? Which it did. It worked, by the way. So I'm like, so you're saying I'm a good singer, is what you're saying. You're saying I'm good," he shared.

The full Hot Ones episode is available to watch on YouTube.