Luke Combs Named to TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2026, Only Country Artist on List

Luke Combs has been named to TIME magazine's 2026 TIME100 list of the world's most influential people, appearing on one of four worldwide covers for the issue alongside actor Zoe Saldaña, comedian Nikki Glaser, and actor Wagner Moura.

Fellow GRAMMY winner Ed Sheeran penned the tribute for TIME. "Over the years, I've watched him move from album to album and tour to tour, constantly evolving — not just as an artist, but also as a human, and always for the better. He's scaled the highest heights of music while remaining loving and kind to those around him. People might call that 'normal,' but there's nothing normal about what Luke has achieved."

The honor arrives as Combs steps back into full-force mode following the March 20 release of The Way I Am, his sixth studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. In an interview with TIME, the father of three described his life at home between tour dates. "I get sneezed on or thrown up on like every day," he tells TIME. "You catch me Monday through Friday, I'm at the house, Mr. Mom, changing dipes, giving baths, cooking dinners. Our life is complicated but oddly simple at the same time."

The singer-songwriter also touches on the reason he is so inspiringly and consistently open about his ongoing struggles with a rare form of OCD, called Pure O: "I do care a lot about that stuff, because I know there's kids out there right now that are going through what I went through, and that pains me to know."

The My Kinda Saturday Night World Tour launched March 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, where Combs set a new venue attendance record with 70,921 fans. The tour spans the U.S., Canada, and Europe, with upcoming North American stops including Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on April 18, and concluding with three nights at Wembley Stadium in London beginning on Aug. 1. Special guests vary by date and include Dierks Bentley, The Script, and Thomas Rhett, among others.

Combs and fellow North Carolina native Eric Church organized the Concert for Carolina benefit following Hurricane Helene in fall 2024, raising $24.5 million for relief organizations and earning the pair the Artist Humanitarian Award at the Country Radio Seminar.