Luke Bryan Says Confederate Flag Has Become A 'Symbol Of Racism'

The Southern-born country star weighs in on the issue.
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Country singer Luke Bryan already has three No. 1 albums under his belt as he prepares to release his fifth record, "Kill the Lights," on Aug. 7.

With his newest album due out so soon, the 39-year-old sat down with Billboard magazine, where he opened up about everything from his success ("I always say, if I ever get to 25 No. 1s, I'd try to do all 25" at a concert, he said) to the Confederate flag to raising his sister's kids.

Bryan, who grew up up in rural Leesburg, Georgia, is "uniquely placed," according to Billboard, to weigh in with his thoughts on the Confederate flag, which has become a contentious issue once again after nine people were killed in a racially motivated shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, this past June.

"We're sitting here on the day the Supreme Court ruled on gay marriages. 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 said to Billboard. "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."

Bryan's comments follow those of other country singers including Big and Rich's John Rich, who also spoke in support of removing the flag from public spaces last month.

Meanwhile, Bryan previously opened up about raising his sister's three teenage children after his brother-in-law died this past November (the country star's sister died suddenly in 2007). He told Billboard, "You don't want to sound like you love having them so much that you're glad it's the situation, but we're honored to be doing what we feel was the right thing,"

For more from Luke Bryan, head over to Billboard.

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