Country singer-songwriter and AMERICAN IDOL judge Luke Bryan is juggling a new album and a busy fall, but at home, he and his wife are navigating a milestone plenty of parents know well: a teenage driver.
“She was out there checking his mirrors before he drives,” Bryan said during his Sept. 28 visit to GOOD MORNING AMERICA, recalling how his wife headed outside in her bathrobe to check their son’s car.
Their youngest son, Tate, recently turned 16, Bryan told the morning show’s hosts. With a high school senior and a sophomore at home, the singer has more on his mind than what comes next onstage.
One thing he has made room for? Friday night football: Bryan said he took those nights off to watch his son play, describing this fall as one of the most enjoyable of his life.
The football games give him a chance to step away from his own spotlight and cheer for his son. His account offered a practical glimpse of family life between the concerts: making time for the games, then figuring out how to handle a teenager’s growing independence.
“We’re busy at home,” he said, joking that touring gives him a chance to catch up on rest.
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Rest may be hard to come by, but new music certainly isn’t. Bryan released Signs, his ninth studio album, on Sept. 18, with 12 tracks produced by Jeff Stevens and Jody Stevens.
He had introduced the project during the AMERICAN IDOL finale in May. In that announcement, Bryan explained that he wanted listeners to have fun and described a process that combined his own songwriting with songs from Nashville writers.
The album’s arrival hasn’t dimmed his enthusiasm for performing. Bryan told GOOD MORNING AMERICA that turning 50 hasn’t stopped him from enjoying the moment when the lights come on and a crowd greets him.
His recent Luke Bryan & Friends concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena celebrated the album with surprise guest performers. Bryan recalled having so many friends join him that he had to stop and think to name them all, a different kind of juggling act from the one waiting at home.
He also has another group of young performers to encourage. Bryan, fellow judges and singers Carrie Underwood and Lionel Richie, and host Ryan Seacrest will return for AMERICAN IDOL’s 25th season.
On GOOD MORNING AMERICA, Bryan described how the judges started a private text chain when Underwood joined them. Their friendship, he said, helps make the job fun, but the contestants give it a purpose beyond the banter.
“They’re chasing their dreams. We’re rooting for them,” Bryan said of the aspiring singers, explaining why he looks forward to another season. “The show has a lot of heart.”
He encouraged hopeful performers to audition, reminding viewers that the next standout singer may be someone the judges haven’t met yet.
For now, Bryan has young people to root for both on television and at home. And amid the album promotion and another turn at the judges’ table, he has already made one scheduling decision clear: Friday nights belong to watching his son play football.
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