Rising country music star Luke Combs has been inducted into Nashville, Tennessee's famed Grand Old Opry institution.
The Beautiful Crazy hitmaker was honoured at a special event at the Opry's Nashville home on Tuesday.
Luke was inducted by members of the country music theatre show, including Vince Gill and Joe Diffie, a special moment as their new colleague's first live country gig was one of Vince's, 23 years ago.
"I actually missed my favorite song that night because I started crying because there was thunder in the background, so we ended up leaving early," Luke told The Associated Press of his first gig before his induction. "I am looking forward to saying hello to him (Vince)."
The star performed two of his hits before the induction.
Luke's debut album This One's For You topped Billboard's country album chart for 41 non-consecutive weeks and helped him to win New Artist of the Year at the 2017 Country Music Association Awards.
Asked about his induction and his status as a major country star, the North Carolina native said he struggles with fame but is glad to have a showcase for his music.
"The hardest part has definitely been, you know, getting used to the fame part of it," the 29-year-old explained. "I'm just not a really flashy-like guy. I'll have the opportunity to continue to share my songs with people for the rest of my life."
