Luke Combs responded to criticism about his earlier use of the Confederate flag on Wednesday, saying, “There is no excuse for these images.”
Combs made his comments during a revealing panel discussion with Maren Morris during the Country Radio Seminar, moderated by the critic Ann Powers. The three touched on responsibility and their roles as artists to make country music a fairer place, with national discussion over country music getting louder in the days after Morgan Wallen’s episode using racial slander on camera.
For his part, Combs had been experiencing some negative reactions online because of old photos from several years ago, which resurfaced after his song “The Great Divide” was released. Speaking to Powers and Morris, he was unmistakable in issuing an apology.
“There is no excuse for these images,” he said. “I’m not trying to say, ‘That’s why they were there and it’s okay that they were there.’ Its not good. As a young man, this was an image that I associated with meaning something else. As I grew up in my time as an artist, I am now aware of how painful this image can be for someone else. No matter what I thought at the time, I would never like to be associated with something that brings so much pain to someone else. I apologize for being associated with this. Hate is not part of my fundamental values. It is not something I consider part of myself. I’m just trying to be here and not say ‘I’m sorry, please forgive me’. I’m trying to learn. I am trying to improve. “
Both Combs and Morris admitted that they did not always understand how the flag was viewed by blacks.
“We can only agree on these country music festivals, I see the Confederate flags in the parking lots. I don’t want to play at these festivals anymore, ”said Morris. “If you were a black man, would you feel safe going to a show with those who fly in the parking lot? No! I feel that the most powerful thing as artists in our positions is to make these demands from big organizations, festivals, promoters, one of the things we can do is say, ‘No, I am not doing this. Get rid of them. ‘”
The composers also noted that it was important for country musicians and the rest of the industry to recognize the genre’s interracial history, the main contributions of black talent and the need to start working to make room in the present.
“If you are an editor and a black writer arrives, are you giving them the same look you will give me if I enter?” Asked Combs. “If you work for a record company, are you giving everyone who walks through the door the same chance? That’s what it is. I am not saying that someone deserves more chance than anyone else. We are saying that everyone deserves the same chance. “
Morris, in particular, referred to the Wallen incident as the kind of thing that made it necessary for people in country music to report these crimes and hold people accountable, rather than closing ranks.
“If you really love something and this is a family, and you love it, you love country music, let me know when it’s bad so you can get rid of the sick part, so that we can move on, all of us, all people of color, LQBTQIA +, and everyone feels part of the family, ”said Morris. “Because all this ‘We are a family, we are protecting ours’ – it is protecting whites. It is not protecting blacks. This is whatever it is. “