Sometimes the best way is the Dolly Parton way. Just ask Luke Combs.
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Last month, we reported that the "Ain't No Love in Oklahoma" singer wanted to avoid political labels.
"There's always something on my videos like, 'I can't believe you like Luke Combs, he's a liberal.' One, I've never said what I am," he explained. "That's the thing that blows me away the most about it. Basically, seven years ago, me saying that I was not a racist led to people saying, 'Well, he must be a liberal.'"
Combs said he is "heavily moderate in everything" and does not understand the link between entertainment and politics.
"And I'm not a guy that feels like I need to push some sort of agenda. I'm a musician. No one is calling Donald Trump and asking him how to write a song. No one is calling AOC and saying, 'How do I make my album better?' Why do we care what Chris Stapleton thinks about politics?"
He further explained his approach in a recent GQ Hype cover story. He described how he follows Parton's example when navigating political questions.
Luke Combs Says Dolly Parton Has Done A "Masterful Job" of Approaching Politics
Combs went on to say that when it comes to politics, he would like to operate in the space of "just being a good person" and "doing what you believe is right, and not getting involved in the minutiae of labeling it."
He added, "Why can't you just be a good person and just be loved? It does take some massaging to do it all in a way that doesn't come off as, like, deceitful or trite. It's a delicate balance, but [Parton] has done a masterful job of it."
Parton Says Politics Isn't in Her Wheelhouse
A few years back, Parton shared that rather than discuss politics, she lets her music do the talking for her. She added that inserting herself into government affairs just isn't in her wheelhouse.
"I'm not smart enough to be in politics, or maybe I'm too smart," she said. "Either way, I'm not qualified for that type of a job. But I'm pretty qualified to do what I do, which is to point people in the right direction, to write about it in songs or speak about things."
