“I Wasn’t ‘Interesting’ Enough For Ratings” – ‘The Voice’ Rejected Luke Combs Back Before He Became A Country Music Superstar

This just goes to show you that these competition shows aren't exactly interested in actual talent, they're far more concerned with ratings. In an interview with Whiskey Riff from back in the day (OG fans right here), back before he was packing stadiums, earning Grammy nominations, and winning Entertainer of the Year awards, Luke Combs opened up about his experiences auditioning for The Voice, the popular singing competition show that made Blake Shelton famous. I'm kidding, Blake was already famous, but he wasn't declared "Sexiest Man Alive" until he got on The Voice. Just saying... Anyways, back to Luke. Luke could sing as well as anybody in the business, and everybody knew it, but as it turns, out The Voice producers didn't think Luke was "interesting enough" to boost the show's ratings like they wanted. So needless to say, he didn't even make it on the show. Can you imagine that? A likeable, endearing, insanely talented dude who can sing like no other and write all his own songs, but some bozo in a suit was like "meh, I don't think your "regular Joe" aura (which ironically is why a lot of people love Luke Combs... he reminds us of a good buddy), is gonna help our ratings." He recalled the rejection after making it to the final 200: "I was on spring break a few years ago when 'The Voice' was having auditions in Atlanta, Georgia. In my audition round I was the only guy and you get about thirty seconds to sing. I made it to the next round that was at a studio, and then made it to the next cut. They had four audition cities and narrowed it from about 10,000 to 200 people. Then you don’t know if you made it to the show for a few months. I made it through those rounds with the producers, but I got a letter saying I wasn’t 'interesting' enough for the show’s ratings so I didn’t get to the show. But it gave me a lot of confidence because I was good enough voice wise to make it through all those producer auditions." What a joke... But you know what? Luke got the last laugh. And if we're being honest, he's probably doing better than just about every The Voice winner the show has ever had, COMBINED. He's arguably the biggest act in country music, he's releasing #1 single after #1 single, smashing record after record, selling out arena after arena, was named the CMA Entertainer of the Year, and now, contestants on The Voice are showing up auditions and singing HIS songs. And... AND... he's just getting started. He's not even 35 yet and has already accomplished more than most do in an entire career. So, for old times' sake, let's take a look back at Luke's incredible Vine compilation video just to see how far he's come in his explosive, relatively young, incredibly deserving... music career. And all of it, without the help of a dumb show like The Voice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFXKzssRV6E

Blake Shelton Calls 'The Voice' Rejecting Luke Combs "Embarrassing"

Looks like Blake could show the producers a thing or two... Obviously, Blake Shelton was a longtime judge on The Voice , and a cornerstone of the show. And props to him for usually going after the country talent, and helping them after the show ends. However, when he was asked in a radio interview about that Luke Combs rejection a couple years back, he didn't mince words... "He told me that story...there's no way around it, it's embarrassing... let's just face it. Well, Luke told me that he kept his rejection letter, his letter saying we're not gonna put you on the show. He said he put that in his dorm room in college and he hung it on the wall to push him on, something to fight for. I don't know if he still has that letter or not, but if he does … I think he should frame it and put it next to his first triple-platinum album that he has." A nice reminder to keep fighting, hustling, and grinding... and it paid off.

Performing The Finale

I said Luke got the last laugh, and boy, did he ever. Back in 2019, Luke was asked to perform on the season finale, and he obliged, treating fans to a performance of "Even Though I'm Leaving." However, a few years before that, Luke himself tried out for The Voice and show producers deemed him not "interesting" enough to get a spot on the show. As is turns out, just a few years later, Luke would be invited to perform on the The Voice, but not as a contestant. No, Luke took the stage as special guest performer, singing one of his many #1 singles at country music radio. Talk about a full circle moment. https://twitter.com/lukecombs/status/1205604723983863811

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