Drew Baldridge has a hit on his hands with his latest single, “Tough People,” which has become one of the year’s most empowering anthems at country radio. But according to one of the song’s writers, it wouldn’t have happened at all without major, unsung contributions from both Joe Rogan and Luke Combs.

Acclaimed Nashville singer-songwriter Adam Sanders tells Taste of Country that he first got the idea for the song while listening to Joe Rogan’s hit podcast during an episode devoted to the “Cycle of Man” — the notion that hard times create tough people, tough people create good times, good times create weak people and weak people create hard times, thereby starting the cycle all over again.

“I remember him saying, ‘Hard times make tough people,’ and I decided to write that down in my phone,” Sanders recalls.

He held onto the idea, knowing that he had an upcoming writing session scheduled with Baldridge, who he knew had an affinity for big-message songs.

Jordan Walker was also in on that session, and as Sanders relates, the idea caught on immediately.

“It’s funny, as soon as I said the title — because I had written down, ‘Hard Times Make Tough People’ — Jordan said, ‘Why not just call it ‘Tough People’? It’s way better,’ and I said, ‘That’s why you’re a better songwriter than me, and that’s why I brought it to you,” Sanders recounts with a laugh.

The writing process went smoothly, with all three men chiming in ideas for lyrics, melody, chord progressions and more. The verses came easily, while the chorus didn’t quite come together until the trio landed on the “Oh-Ohhh” singalong that begins the refrain.

The “Tough People’ lyrics seem ripped from the headlines, touching on human resilience in the face of a devastating tornado, childhood cancer and a school shooting.

“I think that we, all three, were so scared to put the school shooter line in the song,” Sanders admits. “But we just said, ‘Man, it’s gotta be in there, and if someone hears it and wants to change that line, so be it, but let’s put it in there.”

They made a rough work tape of the song, and Sanders says he didn’t get any particular reaction when he turned it in to his publisher.

They subsequently decided to record a formal demo of the song, but “it just didn’t have the right heart to it,” he shares.

A second, acoustic-based demo came off better, and when Walker sent it to Baldridge and Sanders, he let them know that he was also sending it to Combs.

“Luke says within an hour, ‘Hey, don’t play that for anyone else. I want to record that,'” Sanders says.

Combs even invited all three writers to the studio the day he cut the song, and they were excited, since he’s placed an unprecedented string of No. 1 hits at country radio. His participation would virtually guarantee a hit.

Things got even more interesting when Lainey Wilson got involved. She and Baldridge were hanging out a week after Combs heard the song, and Baldridge played it for her.

“She listens to the first couple of lines of the song, stops and says, ‘Oh my god, this is incredible,'” Sanders recalls.

“She pulls her phone out and texts Luke and says, ‘Hey, you should absolutely record ‘Tough People.’

“At the same time she’s texting him about the song, Luke is with his wife on an island somewhere, drinking wine and listening to the song at the same time, also,” he shares. “And then Luke says, ‘Why don’t you do it with me?’  So we thought, ‘How does this get any better? First Luke, and now Lainey.'”

However, plans changed after Baldridge independently scored a No. 1 Mediabase hit with “She’s Somebody’s Daughter.” He signed a new deal with BBR Music Group’s Stoney Creek imprint, and he approached Sanders and Walker to ask how they’d feel if he took the song to radio himself.

“Here’s the reality of the situation,” Sanders recalls telling Baldridge. “Luke Combs is already Luke Combs, with or without the song. He’s already established.

“I moved to Nashville to make my dreams come true, and to also help make my friends’ dreams come true,” he continues. “So if this song helps you become Drew Baldridge, then I’m all for it.”

Walker also gave his enthusiastic consent, but there was still one big obstacle: Combs had already cut the song, and Baldridge had to ask him to release it back to him.

He didn’t have to worry.

“Luke said, ‘You absolutely should record it,'” Sanders relates. “He said, ‘You put the song out, and if it doesn’t do what you think it should do, I’ll still put it out.'”

Combs also refused to accept a quarter share of the writing credits, despite the fact that he had made some changes. He insisted that they cut him in for just 10 percent of the song’s royalties.

“Tough People” has given Baldridge another major hit at country radio, and it’s still climbing. The singer was one of the artists showcased in the annual CRS New Faces of Country Music show in March of 2025, and the song was one of the highlights of the evening, drawing an enthusiastic response from the seen-it-all audience of radio programmers and country music insiders.

Looking back, Sanders says he’s happy with the decision to bet on Baldridge.

“So far, so good,” he reflects. “We took the right path, and sorta just took our hands off the wheel and let fate decide what’s supposed to happen with the song.”