Luke Combs and the Nashville Sound: How Country Music Won Britain’s Heart

Published: 26 September 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Country music, long considered a uniquely American genre rooted in the traditions of Nashville, has in recent years crossed the Atlantic and found a new home in the United Kingdom. At the forefront of this cultural shift stands Luke Combs, the North Carolina-born superstar who has become one of the most recognisable voices in modern country music. With more than 25 million monthly Spotify listeners and an ever-expanding fan base stretching from Tennessee to London, Combs has played a central role in transforming what was once a niche interest in Britain into one of the fastest-growing genres in the country.

The figures tell their own story. In 2024 alone, country music streams in the UK surpassed three billion, making it the fastest-growing musical genre among British audiences. For Combs, this surge in popularity underscores what he believes is country music’s universal appeal. “I just think country music is a place that everybody can go and enjoy,” the Grammy-nominated artist reflected in an exclusive interview with the BBC. “When I started out, there weren’t a lot of acts coming over to the UK and doing club or arena tours and putting in the work. So that was what we always tried to do. It was like, if we invest our time and our energy into coming over here, the fans over here will appreciate that.”

The appreciation has been mutual. British fans, Combs says, are not only loyal but uniquely attentive. Unlike the more raucous energy of audiences in the United States, UK crowds tend to focus closely on the lyrics and the stories that lie at the heart of country music. “I would say the UK fans are a very listening crowd, which I think is neat,” Combs explained. “In the States, our shows are very loud, a bit of a melee. The energy over here is great, but everyone’s listening to the music. They’re focused on what you’re saying and what the lyrics are.”

This week marks perhaps the clearest evidence yet of how deeply the genre has embedded itself in the cultural fabric of Britain. The Grand Ole Opry—the legendary Nashville institution and the world’s longest-running live radio show—has travelled outside the United States for the very first time in its 100-year history. Its destination is London’s Royal Albert Hall, one of the world’s most iconic venues. The show, which has hosted the likes of Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, and Elvis Presley, is staging a historic anniversary performance in the British capital, with Combs headlining alongside fellow country luminaries Darius Rucker, Marty Stuart, and Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde. Adding a distinctly British flavour, folk-rock favourites Mumford & Sons will also share the bill. Tickets for the one-off performance sold out within minutes when announced in May, a testament to the genre’s new-found popularity.

For Combs, the opportunity to perform at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Opry represents a rare convergence of two musical traditions. “Playing at the Royal Albert Hall is a bucket list for me, and to play the Opry at the Royal Albert Hall will be insane,” he said. “It’s like two epic things combined into one.”

The appeal of country music in Britain, industry observers note, has been amplified by the rise of digital streaming. In the past, American country artists often struggled to reach audiences beyond their domestic fan base because airplay was limited to localised radio formats. Today, streaming platforms have made entire discographies instantly accessible across the globe. British listeners, Combs notes, are particularly thorough in their consumption. “In the States, we have singles that we promote to radio, which become the songs that get people drawn in. But when you come to the UK, everyone has consumed the whole album already. It’s really awesome to come here and have the fans ask for songs that maybe wouldn’t even make the set list in the States.”

Ashley McBryde, who joins Combs on stage at the Royal Albert Hall, sees the genre’s rapid expansion as part of a broader moment in which country music is being exposed to new audiences by unconventional voices. “There have been a lot of things that have broadened the fan base, like Post Malone and people like Jelly Roll,” she explained. “Just exposing us to different ears has been really helpful.” For her, London was the natural choice for such a groundbreaking international Opry performance: “There’s not another city on the planet that I would name before London to do the Grand Ole Opry.”

Combs himself has a deeply personal connection to the Opry, which he first performed on in 2016 at the age of 26. “You make your Opry debut and your mom, dad and grandma come in town and it’s this linchpin of your whole career,” he recalled. “You remember these certain moments, and your Opry debut is one of these moments that puts a feather in your cap and you just remember it forever.” That sense of history, now intersecting with the cultural resonance of London’s most famous concert hall, is what makes this anniversary event so significant.

Colin Reed, who oversees the Opry, has hinted that if the London event proves successful, it could pave the way for similar international ventures in the future. “I think the Royal Albert Hall is going to be a perfect venue to host this show, and I know that everybody at the Opry has been really excited about it for a long time, myself included,” Combs said. “They’ve never done anything like this before but I think they’ve chosen the right place.”

The rise of country music in Britain also reflects broader cultural shifts. Once perceived as an exclusively American sound tied to rural life and small-town traditions, country has increasingly been embraced for its storytelling, its emotional honesty, and its themes of love, loss, resilience, and community—values that resonate across borders. The participation of artists like Mumford & Sons, who themselves embody a transatlantic folk sensibility, signals how the genre is being reinterpreted and localised for British audiences without losing its roots.

What remains clear is that country music in Britain is no longer a passing fad but part of a growing cultural exchange. In the same way that The Beatles once reshaped American popular music, country artists like Combs are reshaping Britain’s musical landscape. The sold-out Royal Albert Hall performance, steeped in both tradition and innovation, offers a powerful symbol of that transformation.

For Luke Combs, the journey has been as much about perseverance as it has been about music. “When we started coming over here, it was just so cool to see there were this many country fans,” he said. Now, with Britain singing along, it seems the Nashville sound has truly found a second home.