Fathers Day 2022 forever changed the creative and personal perspectives of two-time defending CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs. Combs and his wife Nicole Hocking's first child, their son Tex Lawrence Combs, was born that day (June 19, to be exact).
The "Doin' This" singer shared the happy news on Instagram with a picture of the new family of three, captioning the photo, "Welp he decided that Fathers Day would be a good time to show up. I couldn't agree more. Me and @nicolejcombs are over the moon in love with this little guy. Mama and baby are healthy and we're back home now with family. Life is good. Everyone welcome Tex Lawrence Combs to the world!"
In the photo, Nicole is sitting in a chair in the baby boy's nursery, holding Tex in her arms as Combs is looking over them both. The new mom also shared the image on her social media, captioning the photo, "It's going to be hard to top this past Father's Day 🥲 Welcome to the world, Tex Lawrence Combs. You are the best chillest angel boy and I'm so happy I was chosen to be your mom. These are the days 🤍."
The Combs family announced they were expecting a boy through Instagram, as well. The country singer captioned several photos of himself and his wife, "Here we go y'all! Lil dude Combs is coming this Spring! Couldn't be more excited to start a family with this babe. It's gonna be a hell of a ride."
Back in Feb. 2022, Combs had shared that he was nervous to become a father. During an appearance at the Grand Ole Opry, he started, "I got a lot of stuff to do. I got a lot on my plate ... I'm uncovering things every day. I'm buying all kinds of clothes I didn't know existed."
The couple officially tied the knot in August 2020 at their home in Florida after announcing their engagement in November 2018. They first began dating in 2016.
Combs' perch atop country music has kept him busy, from touring the world to performing at the 2023 Grammy Awards. His bride hasn't been around quite as much for these moments, which is understandable with a newborn son at home in Nashville. However, Combs hopes for that to change in due time.
"I would love to have them out as much as they want to be out, as much as they can be out," Combs told Absolute Radio Country presenter Baylen Leonard. "You know I think that's important. I don't want to be a dad that's not around or the dad that you see on TV and go 'oh that is my dad and that is where he is today I guess.' Family is important to me. I'd like to be the guy throwing the football to them."
Combs hasn't shied away from incorporating his personal life into his songwriting, with Nicole inspiring "Beautiful Crazy" and other romantic ballads. The mature tone of 2022 album Growin' Up —and presumably that of its follow-up, 2023's Gettin' Old— capture someone who's very reflective about his new role as a parent and spouse. And of course, 2019's "Even Though I'm Leaving" hits different when sung by a dad.
Tex Lawrence's biggest impact, though, might've came when his birth inspired Combs to take care of his physical fitness," Combs told Apple Music's The Zane Lowe Show. "Having a kid has really messed my head up on this thing in the best way. I want to be around. I'm fine right now; my cholesterol and my blood pressure and stuff, it's fine because I'm a younger guy, but by the time I'm 45, it's not going to be because of the shape that I'm in."
