By most people's standards, Luke Grimes is incredibly talented and successful. He has not one, but two thriving careers in the entertainment space. A Yellowstone alum, Grimes stars in a new Yellowstone spinoff, Marshals. He is also a gifted musician. Yet he recently admitted on The Joe Rogan Experience that he feels like an imposter when he sings. How come? Grimes, 42, has a new album on the way, Red Bird, dropping on April 3.
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Grimes Acknowledged That He Gets Uneasy Singing Live
You would think that someone who acts on a nationally-televised show in front of millions of viewers would be self-assured giving concerts. But for Luke Grimes, that does not seem to be the case. As he explained to Joe Rogan, it gives him the jitters to be out there on stage.
Grimes shared, "I had always played music, but when I was playing in bands, I was the drummer. I always wrote songs and stuff, but I never thought or had the ambition of, 'I want to be the guy in front of the microphone.' That was never the plan. Then to be able to make an album, which I wanted to do, you have to go stand in front of a microphone."
He clarified his shaky confidence. "That's the hard part for me. I love being in the studio. I love writing the songs, making the music, recording the music. But there's something about knowing that all these people have shown up and bought tickets to see me... all of the sudden this thing starts happening in me like, 'They bought a ticket, imposter syndrome, you're not good enough.'"
His Late Dad's Advice Jumpstarted His Music Career
Grimes told Rogan that he was on the Yellowstone set when he got a call unexpectedly from a music manager. That person was so impressed with Grimes' singing he wanted to sign him to a recording contract. Grimes said he balked at first, but the two kept talking. The actor was still on the fence when something happened that dramatically changed his mind.
Grimes said, "Long story short, my father passed away somewhere in there, and one of the last things he sort of conveyed to me was, 'If there's anything that you want to do while you are here, do it.' Something about that moment, I said, 'I'm just gonna [expletive] do it. What's the worst thing that could happen? I'm another actor who made a goofy album.'"
He has vastly exceeded his modest expectations. With Luke Grimes' second album about to be released and many concert appearances to date under his belt, the star is hopefully shedding the imposter label that dogged him.
