Ed Sheeran on Luke Combs in New TIME100 Feature: “He’s Scaled the Highest Heights of Music”

Luke Combs has been named in the TIME 100 Most Influential People of 2026, with his longstanding friend, Ed Sheeran, penning a heartfelt tribute to the country chart-topper.

Sheeran begins by recalling the moment their paths first crossed, “I first met Luke Combs in 2018, when I was living in Nashville. I’d heard his song ‘When It Rains It Pours’ while on holiday with my school-mates, and it quickly became our soundtrack. As soon as I met Luke, I knew he was a good bloke, with talent just spilling out of him”.

He goes on to express his deep admiration for Combs, “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”.

Sheeran warmly gushes, “He’s an incredible writer, singer, and performer. I love his commitment to his family and how that reflects in his music. My favorite album of his is Fathers & Sons - it’s a perfect snapshot for any parent of how life is in the moment. I’m looking forward to whatever is next, because really, it can be anything”.

Combs and Sheeran have been buddies for many years now, with the latter surprising fans by emerging during Combs’ blockbuster C2C Festival 2022 in London, UK to perform ‘Dive’. Then, a little over a year later, they combined at the 2023 ACM Awards for a spellbinding rendition of Sheeran's meditation on grief, ‘Life Goes On’.

Sheeran continues to tease a whole-hearted foray into the country world, having teamed up with Megan Moroney for ‘I Only Miss You’ from Moroney's new album, Cloud 9. As a result, we're hoping Sheeran and Combs might soon follow up their ‘Life Goes On’ remix with an original collaboration, as their performances over the years have highlighted how vibrant and evocative their voices sound together.

Elsewhere during the TIME 100 feature, Lainey Wilson shares her own appreciation for Combs and the listeners he proudly gives a voice to, “Luke represents the down-home people, the people that work hard to take care of their families, the people who would give you the shirt off their back…He’s not about the fluff”.

During the interview portion of the feature, Combs showcases the down-to-earth demeanour he has become synonymous with by joking about his typical off-the-road routine, “I get sneezed on or thrown up on like every day….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 ‘Better Together’ 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”.

Combs’ spot in the prestigious TIME 100 list is undoubtedly well-deserved, with the North Carolina native remaining one of the most impactful country artists of the 2020s. With the ‘Beer Never Broke My Heart’ crooner having just released a brand new album and kicked off a colossal World Tour, Combs is showing no signs of slowing down as he consolidates his status as a modern country titan.

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