This video is as cute as pumpkin pie. It features a five-year-old girl from the audience at a Luke Bryan concert. Now I listen to country music more than most music listeners outside of the US (right now I’m enjoying the new Tyler Childers album), but I’ve never listened to Luke Bryan. So I’ve researched. Luke Bryan is a very big mainstream country musician with considerable crossover appeal. The song he sings with young Bella is Kill the Lights, the title track from his fifth studio album (2015).

The album entered the Billboard 200 chart at #1, which indicates the breadth of his fanbase. Moreover, he actively sponsors numerous philanthropic causes, from the Red Cross to rescue animals to Down Syndrome support. Still, in light of the culture wars in the US, with all sorts of celebrities being exposed for all sorts of reasons, I searched “Is Luke Bryan a good guy?” The short answer is that I didn’t turn up any dirt on him but came up with some interesting answers. First, Bella, the 5-year-old.

Back in 2016, Luke Bryan was on the second leg of his Kill the Lights tour in Bristow, Virginia, when he saw Bella with a sign asking to sing with Bryan. This is common nowadays, and, depending on the artist, sometimes it works. Bella got lucky and was allowed to sit next to Bryan. With a basic drum beat backing, Bryan let Bella take a line. To his amazement, it was clear that she was on top of her game. Bryan decided to go for it and do a full-band version with her.

Bella is adorable, and Luke Bryan is delighted. Bella never misses a beat, while Bryan makes her comfortable in a fatherly way. Huskers Lori comments on YouTube: “I love how he kept brushing her hair back, just like a Daddy would do.”. Terri Holthaus writes: “I was at this concert when Luke pulled Bella on stage; it was awesome. I ended up staying all weekend, seeing him on Friday and Saturday. He is great, and she was so cute.” Here is the video of Bryan’s latest single, But I Got a Beer in My Hand:

Now that’s a real party song! Instead of sitting in a corner crying into his glass, as in many country songs, the night on the town has blasted the propagandist’s blues away. The video is approaching 2 million views in two months. (Incidentally, the Bella video has 5.6 million views in 7 years.).

Here are a couple of the more interesting quotes I found on the country music site Whiskey Riff in response to my search “Is Luke Bryan a good guy?” 1. “Love him or hate him, Luke Bryan seems like one of the most genuinely nice dudes in country music.”. I’m not a complete Luke Bryan hater. Although the guy kind of went the whole ‘spring break twerking frat boy’ route around 2011, I fully believe that the man can put out some decent mainstream country music on occasion. Not to mention, for being such a big star, he seems like an all-around good guy and good family man.” So, love his music or not, Luke Bryan does seem to be the nice guy he comes across as when he gives five-year-old Bella her chance to shine.