Billboard has released an interview with Luke Bryan, and the country hit-maker opens up about the confederate flag, "frat-boy" music, and over coming loss.
On the Confederate Flag:
"Where I grew up, I never understood the Confederate flag to be a negative thing. But if the Ku Klux Klan is going to walk around and turn the Confederate flag into their deal ..." He pauses, and shakes his head. "It's become a symbol of racism to a majority of people. And we live in a country where we have to listen to people's opinions and work it out."
On raising his nephew and two nieces after the death of his brother and sister:
"You don't want to sound like you love having them so much that you're glad it's the situation," says Bryan. "But we're honored to be doing what we feel was the right thing."
On critics saying he sings "frat-boy" music:
"At some point, me singing about frat party themes is just not going to be realistic," he says. "But if I look like a weird old dude up onstage, I'll be the first one to come to that realization."