Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett, a Grammy Award-nominated country vocalist, moves fluidly between polished modern country and boisterous, high-spirited rock & roll. His relaxed charisma and approachable delivery allowed him to occupy the niche carved out by Sam Hunt’s polished blend of contemporary country and R&B. Emerging toward the close of the 2010s bro-country wave, he hit his stride in 2015 when “Crash and Burn” and “Die a Happy Man” both reached the summit of Country Airplay. The first displayed his nimble agility, while the second highlighted the settled, romantic persona that would define his signature style. Sustained success followed through extended romantic ballads, highlighted by the 2017 chart-topper “Marry Me,” which anchored him at the summit of the charts well into the opening years of the 2020s. When Where We Started arrived in early 2022, arriving soon after Country Again (Side A) from the previous year, he had already collected 17 Billboard Country Airplay number ones, confirming his stature among the foremost country-pop artists of his generation—an achievement marked by the 2023 retrospective 20 Number Ones. His seventh studio album, About a Woman, surfaced in 2024.

Born in Georgia, the singer-songwriter Thomas Rhett, offspring of the decorated country vocalist Rhett Akins, only began to envision a parallel career during his final year of high school. Immersed from childhood in the sounds of Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones, he secured a publishing agreement with EMI after just two years of college and placed the track “I Ain’t Ready to Quit” on Jason Aldean’s 2010 album My Kind of Party. Sharing common ground with Aldean, Brantley Gilbert, and Justin Moore, Rhett bridges glossy contemporary country and energetic rock & roll, a balance he tested with his 2011 debut single “Something to Do with My Hands.” A self-titled EP surfaced in early 2013, followed later that year by the full-length It Goes Like This, which climbed to number six on the Billboard 200 and the Top 30 in Canada, propelled by the Country Airplay chart-toppers “It Goes Like This,” “Get Me Some of That,” and “Make Me Wanna.”

Fronted by the Country Airplay number one “Crash and Burn,” which also reached number two on Hot Country Songs, his second album Tangled Up arrived in September 2015. Additional leaders “Die a Happy Man” and “T-Shirt” drove the project to sustained chart presence through 2016, prompting a deluxe edition that yielded the Top Ten single “Star of the Show.” In 2017 Rhett issued his third studio set Life Changes, led by the Maren Morris collaboration “Craving You.” “Look What God Gave Her” served as the advance single for Center Point Road, released that June; both albums topped the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts, with the latter earning a Best Country Album nomination at the 62nd Grammy Awards. March 2020 brought “Be a Light,” featuring Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, and Keith Urban; conceived as an emblem of optimism amid the initial COVID-19 outbreak and with proceeds directed to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, it peaked at number two on Country Airplay.

Rhett embraced a more robust country approach on 2021’s Country Again: Side A, the opening half of a projected double album. He signaled the pivot with the late-2020 Country Airplay number one “What’s Your Country Song,” followed in early 2021 by another chart-topper, “Country Again.” The album itself reached number two on the country chart. Later that year he unveiled “Slow Down Summer,” the lead single from Where We Started, which debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200. Citing a surge of creativity while finishing Where We Started, he postponed Country Again (Side B); rather than delivering that project in 2023, he issued the compilation 20 Number Ones, which also contained the new Morgan Wallen duet “Mamaw’s House.” The deeply romantic “Beautiful as You” became his opening 2024 single and appeared on the seventh studio album About a Woman, shaped by his devotion to wife Lauren.