Luke Combs Named to 2021 Time100 Next List
Luke Combs is among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021, according to Time. The country star has been named to the magazine's second-annual Time100 Next list.
Time unveiled its 2021 100 Next list on Wednesday (Feb. 17), spotlighting those "who are shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership," as a press release explains, though there is no age limit for the list. The individuals selected come from the world of music, public health, sports, philanthropy, acting and elsewhere; Combs is the only country artist on the list.
"In this age of self-promotion, Luke Combs is letting everybody else do the talking for him. That’s big in country music, which is all about sincerity and humility ... Luke has both of those in spades. He realizes that being a star is not up to him: the people will confirm it," writes fellow artist Garth Brooks, who penned Combs' Time100 Next profile. "Everything Luke tries ... he sounds very much at home. He’s a singer who you can tell is really comfortable."
In addition to Combs, the 2021 Time100 Next list includes author Brit Bennett, fashion designer Telfar Clemens, basketball player Luka Doncic, chef Sohla El-Waylly, actor Shira Haas, marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, journalist Steve Kornacki, Instacart CEO Apoorva Mehta, newly elected United States Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, comedian Amber Ruffin, United Kingdom Finance Minister Rishi Sunak, architect Sumayya Vally, filmmaker John Wilson and more. The full list is available at Time.com.
"They are doctors and scientists fighting COVID-19, advocates pushing for equality and justice, journalists standing up for truth, and artists sharing their visions of present and future," writes Time CEO and Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal. Adds Time100 Next Editorial Director Dan Macsai, “Everyone on this list is poised to make history. And, in fact, many already have."
Combs, who will turn 31 on March 2, has found great success in country music from the start of his major-label career. His debut single, "Hurricane" hit No. 1 on the country radio charts in May of 2017, and the nine singles he's released since have all done the same. Both of his studio albums went to No. 1 as well, and are multi-platinum-certified.
Combs was named CMA New Artist of the Year in 2018 and ACM New Male Artist of the Year in 2019. That same year, he earned Male Vocalist of the Year and Song of the Year at the CMA Awards; in 2020, he won Male Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the ACM Awards, then Male Vocalist of the Year and Album of the Year at the CMA Awards.
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