Lukas Nelson has quietly been one of the hardest-working musicians on the road for years. He has released nine albums with his band, Promise of the Real, over the last fifteen years. Additionally, he and the band toured relentlessly, annually spending hundreds of days on the road and in front of countless fans. Now, Nelson is gearing up to release his debut solo album, starting a new chapter of his career.
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Recently, Nelson appeared on the God’s Country podcast to talk about his life, career, and forthcoming solo album. During the conversation, he also shared what makes him want to work as hard as he does.
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Lukas Nelson Has Something to Prove
Many music fans think of Lukas Nelson as Willie Nelson’s son. While the younger Nelson will be the first to tell anyone how much his father influenced him, he never wants to be accused of riding his dad’s coattails to fame. Instead, he wants to prove to everyone, including himself, that he worked for everything he has.
“I think, for the rest of my life, everybody’s going to compare me to my father. I’ll always be, to people who don’t really know me, a nepo-baby, and that’s fine. That’s the term that’s been thrown around,” Nelson said. “I got opportunities that others wouldn’t get, but I had to prove to myself that I was worth something,” he added.
“I had to tell myself, ‘Alright, you’re going to have to work twice as hard, because other people aren’t going to think that you had to work at all,’” Nelson explained. While he knows that opinions about him may never change, he will know that he worked hard to build his career. At the end of the day, that’s what matters. “For the rest of my life, I get to walk through life saying I tried my hardest. Then, when I die, when I’m taking my last breath, I can say that I did a good job and I gave it my best.”
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