9 Things to Know About Dustin Lynch

Dustin Lynch celebrates his 35th birthday on May 14, so we’re celebrating with a few facts you might not know about the country star.

Lynch entered the scene in 2012 when he released his first single, “Cowboys and Angels.” He has since released four studio albums including his most recent, Tullahoma, which was released this year. He has earned seven No. 1 singles and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Earlier this year, he embarked on a headlining tour in support of Tullahoma, which was named after his hometown.

Read on for nine facts about Lynch — spoiler alert, he likes the smell of skunks.

He graduated from Lipscomb University

Lynch graduated with a degree in biology and even considered medical school before deciding to turn his focus to music. While his degree wasn’t exactly music-related, Lynch told CMT that college life helped prepare him for his current job as a touring musician.

“Everyone starts preparing you for the hard work that first year of [getting music introduced on] radio. And, trust me, this is easy and fun compared to the workload I had in college,” he said. “And on top of that, you learn a lot about yourself in college. So I know how to live out of a bag, and I know how to run on two hours of sleep at night from doing what I did in college.”

He grew up in Tullahoma, Tennessee

Lynch is a Southern boy at heart, having grown up about 75 miles outside of Nashville in Tullahoma, Tennessee. While the drive isn’t too far, Lynch shared that coming to Nashville was definitely a “culture shock.”

“It’s an hour and a-half from Tullahoma, but they are two different worlds,” the singer revealed. “Growing up in Tullahoma, you’d get here about twice a year, and that was to go to mall to shop for a birthday and Christmas. And that was it. So along with having all new people in your life and a completely new lifestyle, this was a big city for a small-town kid. It’s a great city, and it’s one I will always be a part of hopefully.”

He got a C in music class in high school

While this seems like an odd fact for someone who makes their living playing music, the singer wasn’t quite an A student when it came to his high school class. He explained to Country Fancast that since he loved to sing, he was disappointed with the low mark, but he did gain something positive from the experience.

“I’m glad that happened because it gave me an out to stay at home and play guitar,” he said, sharing that the first song he learned was Randy Travis’ “Forever and Ever, Amen.”

He loves the smell of skunks

One of the more surprising facts on this list, Lynch doesn’t recoil when hit with the pungent smell of skunk. “Here’s the weird smell that I love that people have always thought was funny: I love the smell of skunks,” he shared with The Boot. “Driving down a back road, and you smell a skunk that’s sprayed or been hit — I love that. It reminds me of home.”

His celebrity crush is Reba McEntire.

Lynch has been candid about his crush on the country queen and even got to interview her for Taste of Country ahead of the 2017 CMA Awards. The pair spoke about presenting, McEntire’s touring and hosting experience.

He used to work in a sewage treatment facility

After college, Lynch landed a job in a sewage treatment testing facility. “With my biology degree, I got this job at an environmental lab: We tested sewage runoff, we tested chemical warfare waste runoff,” he explained. “It’s a job I’ll never do again and I would never wish upon anybody. It was motivation to get my music in gear, though; it was the kick in the butt I needed. In desperation, you make things happen.”

His grandparents inspired his song ‘Cowboys and Angels’

Lynch shared the fact with Glamour, revealing that his grandparents are high-school sweethearts. “It’s cool that I get to sing that song when I’m onstage and it reminds me of them,” he said. “I have called my granddad over a breakup one time when I was I having a tough time. She actually said, ‘It’s the music or me,’ so that was an easy decision, but I started missing her a lot, so I called him. It’s good to have a counselor in the family!”

His favorite food is a cheeseburger and french fries

The singer kept it classic with his pick, naming a cheeseburger and fries as his favorite meal while speaking with Lonestar 99.5. The choice is a perfect meal for a date, with Lynch sharing that his picks for a first date are dinner, country dancing or a concert.

He has a few guilty pleasure movies

When it comes to his downtime, Lynch shared this his guilty pleasures movies are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Step Brothers and Wedding Crashers.