On his inspiration to write this song, he said, “I wanted to give a gift back to Luke [Bryan] because he made my dream come true when I met him in Dallas in 2016 as a Make-A-Wish kid when I was 13 years old. When he gave me his guitar that day, it gave me a boost of confidence and I felt very compelled to write a song about it.”
Regarding the song’s music video, he said, “My friend Cameron [Packee], who I didn’t know at the time but is my friend now, sent me a DM on Instagram after running across another video that I had posted on my Instagram.”
“Cameron has done video work for artists like Justin Moore, Gabby Barrett, Blanco Brown, Laney Wilson and many others, and two or three months after first reaching out to me, he was in my hometown of Macon, Georgia, shooting the ‘Luke’s Guitar’ video for me. It’s crazy how social media works and how you get connected with everybody on there,” he said.
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “Just like the scenario with Cameron and the filming of the “Luke’s Guitar” video and meeting my videographer on Instagram, I feel like it’s easier, and also sometimes harder, to be an artist in the digital age.”
“Before the digital age, you weren’t as easily exposed to people sometimes wanting to, and even being able to, bring artists down and bringing other people down in general, especially in a public forum with a click of a few words. That never gets to me anymore, but I can say that it used to. But it’s also easier for music artists because social media has grown to be one of the biggest forms of marketing and exposure for music,” he elaborated.
He shared that his songwriting is inspired by his real-life experiences. “It is influenced by everything that I’ve been through in my life. I pour it into my songs. Losing people in my family, divorce…everybody goes through their own challenges, and it’s good to put those thoughts and feelings onto paper and write a song about it,” he explained.
For young and aspiring musicians, Payne said, “Don’t ever listen to people who try to bring you down. But always listen to constructive criticism because it’ll take you further as a person and as a musician and as an artist. Never give up if you really want to achieve your goals.”
Payne concluded about the song and its music video, “This song means the world to me, and it’s not just about Luke’s guitar. That’s obviously the title of the song, and it talks about my specific circumstances and experiences. The guitar is my clutch and I kinda feel different when I have it with me. A lot of people have that one item in their life that makes them feel good and makes them feel like nothing’s gonna stop them. That guitar will always mean the world to me.”
To learn more about Ethan Payne and his music, check out his official Facebook page and his website.
