'Like father, like son,' a saying as old as time. The dads in our lives teach us how to be men. Oftentimes, their boys become sponges of their actions and values. they follow in their footsteps subconsciously and ideally, they grow from their example. By the end of it all, hopefully, they become our own men. When you're Lukas Nelson and your dad is Shotgun Willie, that shadow can feel overwhelming. It might seem like his path is the only one to take if it means standing out.
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However, Willie's son has carved out a lane of his own. He's worked with tons of legends in his own right, from modern stars like Lainey Wilson to legends like Neil Young. With his debut album American Romance on the way, it would be easy for Lukas to fixate and compare himself to his dad's illustrious catalog. But he's actually found peace knowing that he's never going to be a carbon copy of his father.
Recently, Nelson spoke on the God's Country podcast in promotion of American Romance. There, he opens up about his heroes across history and how he would look up to them. However, he also realizes that he doesn't have to mirror them and their actions to gain inspiration. "I think the greatest lesson I ever learned recently, is that you don't have to become your heroes. You don't have to live like them in order to be a hero," Lukas says.
Lukas Nelson Gets Candid About Finding His Stride As An Artist
If you just listen to what the voice inside of you is saying you wanna do... because I look up to my dad, he inspired me to become a musician. I started playing music so I could be closer to him, and then I think subconsciously I grew my hair long, I had a beard, and it wasn't like I was trying to be him, but I was in a way," Lukas continues. "Even with like Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan and all these musicians that really touched me and inspired me growing up, I started living like them. [But] you don't have to live all of the mistakes at the same time that you take the inspiration."
The most beautiful realization of all is that Lukas knows his best work has actually come from a profound sense of self. There's no straining for credibility and respect. Consequently, he writes freely and better than ever. But what's more authentic to me is that, like, do I have to be f****** up to be a musician? No, in fact, most of the songs I ever wrote were in moments of clarity and epiphany. They were in moments where I got through what I was going through and I was clear enough to put it into thought. And now when I write, I write so much more and I write so much better now," Lukas explains.
