triple play award is always such a huge honor. "That time in our marriage was sad to wake up to the fact that we were on two different wavelengths," Thomas Rhett says. Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on March 30, 1990. . Its what made the work of singer-songwriters across genres feel stubbornly grounded. The song echoes a reality that the Mickey Guytons and Jimmie Allens of the world live with every moment of every day. Julianne and Carl, you both wrote of the power that personalized perspectives had for you this year. Rhett is named after his father, Thomas Rhett Akins, Sr., who goes by Rhett Akins. Even mainstream country, which for years has had its own equivalent of what Carl described as a triumphalist diva-pop sound (more of a macho, hybridized, hip-hop and nu metalinformed bluster), is undergoing a significant shift in its aesthetic values. 800.333.4358, Thomas Rhett shares how faith keeps him grounded. The group posted this announcement on social media: "We've watched and listened more than ever these last few weeks, and our hearts have been stirred with conviction, our eyes opened to the. Its cool to get to support him, and its obvious God has put him in this industry for a reason.. Rhett explained that he started the High Heeled Flip Flops in the sixth grade and served as the drummer for the group. Until I have an idea that is better than that song, I dont know what to say.. Well, this is a different side of us I thought my fans should know. What hes not ready for, yet, are a bunch of songs about his daughters. In her 2020 book, Live in Love, Lauren described how Thomas Rhett's all-consuming career recurringly put them at odds, especially in 2016 and 2017, during the year-long process of adopting Willa Gray from a Ugandan orphanage. "I knew someday you'd find your way back . Even though there was a random TikTok rumor that Luke Bryan was a liberal. "I missed the mark a little bit . They created an unforgettable night by lively music and interacting with the crowd. Photo illustration by Slate. Thomas Rhett celebrates his 30th birthday on Monday, March 30, and the singer will be spending the [], By Hannah Barnes Market data provided by Factset. All Rights Reserved. The resulting double album is titled Country Again: Side A and Side B with the first half due out Friday but Thomas Rhett also calls it his "things-I've-learned-from-the-pandemic record," and it brims with the sort of self-revealing songs that have turned him into a superstar. Angaleena Presley, who Carl mentioned already, pondered how constricting gender roles can make a prison of a partnership, while Jason Isbell dwelled on the inevitability of death separating lifelong lovers, and Charlie Worsham shared a cautionary tale of a mans faithlessness making his daughter resent him. Photos by Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Shannon Finney/Getty Images, and Rick Diamond/Getty Images for George Strait. Other political posts of note include Kelsea Ballerini's admission that she was a first time voter. "That is my weekly check-in," says Thomas Rhett. In fact, there are likely quite a few people still married who have different political views. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. And I'm like, 'Uh, 23.' Hailey Bieber See her post here. What I am seeing from my clients (mostly powerful, driven, left-leaning women) who are single and searching is that they don't want to date people who are not 'woke,' Moore told TODAY. Rhett began working as a songwriter while attending college and scored his first cut as a songwriter with the song "I Ain't Ready to Quit," on Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party album. Learn why your partner holds the perspective they do., Take the time to notice when you become emotionally reactive to certain topics, and clearly communicate what you need from your partner to feel safe, said Danielle Moye, M.A., a licensed marriage family therapist in Windsor, Connecticut. Thanks for the photo pops. At some point its gotten to where if youre a conservative in this business, youre not allowed to speak, Aldean continued. maybe I can do this for a living,'" Rhett told Taste of Country of his beginnings as a songwriter. The two biggest deal-breakers she hears from her clients, she said, are smokers and Trump supporters.. Taylor Swift, arguably musics biggest star but who still has her roots in country, tweeted a long thread denouncing Confederate statues. This creates an atmosphere of finding similarities and shared values. It's gonna be ok'," Morris added in a separate Saturday Tweet. When people think about country music and politics, the conversation almost immediately turns to the Dixie Chicks. And if its me, then thats fine, Aldean exclaimed. Because you've got a lot of work to do if you haven't figured it out by the time you're 80!" Travis Tritt has become as constant a conservative political voice on social media as his late buddy Charlie Daniels' team. Thomas Rhett and crew performed at PNC Music Pavilion on Friday night as a part of their 'Very Hot Summer' tour. Three students in the contemporary music program, Delaney, Zackary and Erika Daves, who make up the sibling trio, Daves Highway, also had the unique opportunity to sing Rhetts song, Tangled Up for he and Lauren. "In the beginning, it was like, 'Dad, I need your help severely. Toward the end of Center Point Road, however, Rhett brings things back into a territory that might feel more comfortable and familiar to the average country fan. he recalled. Trust me, I have a lot of friends in this business that think the way I think, and a lot of them are really scared to stand up and say anything for fear of backlash or whatever the case may be. "Then I started getting more cuts.". Some are propelled into action, some are listening and some are educating. Before Rhett branched out on his own, he was a member of a band called the High Heeled Flip Flops, which the singer described as "punk rock" during a Town Hall with Hoda Kotb on Sirius XM's The Highway. The waterfront guest cottage is a small, but exceptionally cozy space with a fireplace, a breakfast area with floor-to-ceiling windows and a perfectly-sized sleeping nook. Dukes of Hazzard star turned country singer John Schneider questions the validity of the presidential election's vote count and challenges Democrats to pause their victory party until legal challenges have been addressed. CNN . Lauren Akins, Thomas Rhett's wife, is a reluctant author. "For the whole last decade of my life," he says, "I would talk to people and they'd be like, 'How old are you?' In a lot of ways it was great, and it set me apart from the artists I was being compared to at the time, Rhett says. But with the release of her memoir, Live in Love, in May 2020, Akins . Rhett and Akins also shared two other daughters: Ada James, 2, and 3-month-oldLennon Love. Jul 19 2022. Thomas Rhetts song Marry Me sounded like a sentimental portrait of a young couple bound for the altar, until the hooks narrative twist revealed it to be a tale of bitter pillswallowing (so bitter that a new music video softened the storylines blow). Thomas Rhett is surrounded by connections to the military that keep life in perspective. People are gonna have their opinion about whatever I say or think, and thats completely fine, you dont have to agree with me. While youll find songs every year that lay out definitions of countrified identity, it was interesting to hear the formats foremost centrist, Luke Bryan, dwell on the elasticity of that idea. This is Rhetts wheelhouse, a land where the breezy summer jam reigns but a love song doused in heavy high-school nostalgia is never too far away. Aldean and his wife have been very outspoken on social media over recent months, from wearing anti-Biden t-shirts from a brand called Daddy T 45, to launching a politically-charged clothing line, and calling out government officials on his feelings of certain mandates. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. John Rich also challenges whether current projections legitimately mirror the American people's support of the Biden-Harris ticket over the current president. For Rhett, who already shares much of his personal life on social media, that sort of analysis gets trickier when you are already existing in front of a captive audience: Rhetts wife Lauren Akins now has, as Rhett points out on Life Changes, her own verified Instagram account. Political views He might be Republican, but has never said so. If anyone thinks posting a black square or tweeting #BlackLivesMatter is sufficient, and that youve done your part and can resume your normal" life, I challenge you to listen to the words in Mickeys songand do more:If you think we live in the land of the free, You should try to be black like me, Kurt Bardella is a member of USA Todays Board of Contributors, an MSNBC contributor and publisher of the country music tipsheetMorning Hangover. Can you stay in a relationship knowing that this will not change and will continue to be difficult to navigate? Sometimes people will hear this and say, I decide to stay. But its important to acknowledge your own distress in the situation and understand that youre making this decision knowing that the person will not change., Generally, therapists recommend against throwing in the towel because of differing political views, but not all relationships can or should be saved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. His marriage struggles behind him, the dad of three discovers that pouring himself into his family life is the fuel he needed for his new double album, Country Again. Bryan, who's marking his fifth year hosting the show, cracked. We want to hear it. The couple are parents to three daughters: Willa Gray, Ada James, and Lennon Love. When he was younger, his dad would bring him on stage during his own shows, with Rhett taking over the drums during his dad's encore. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. This all leads to an approach that many find as a perfect way to slide country music into a playful pop space, ripe for playlisting and genre-melding. During a trip to Tanzania in December 2016, Akins began feeling sick, so she took a pregnancy test. ", And, Thomas Rhett adds, he does finally feel "grown up. On Sixteen, his hit from 2017s Life Changes, hes looking at the passage of time with an anxious hand. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Thanks for including me in the conversation again this year. "I picked up a business major, wanting to do something in sales, but I found out I had to take an Excel spreadsheet class. Jana Kramer likes a lot of Brittany Aldean's political posts Carly Pearce "liked" Brittany Aldean's NYE Instagram post with Trump Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. "Just being vulnerable with each other," he says, "has made our marriage tenfold better. Meanwhile, in the distantly related but far more niche world of bluegrass, identity politics had a real impact. When Nicole Moore, the CEO and owner of Love Works near San Diego, started her relationship coaching business nearly a decade ago, the issue of politics seldom if ever came up with her clients. Scroll through below to see inside Thomas Rhett's jaw-dropping rustic retreat. Thomas Rhett and Luke Bryan both "liked" Jason Aldean's Instagram posts when he posed with Trump. "I'm trying to just figure it out now so that when I am 80, I can just be like, man, I made some cool decisions in my life that allowed me to experience life to the fullest.". The Georgia native admits that there are many of artists and industry personnel who share the same political views but are afraid of the backlash that may come if they speak out on them, so he feels the need to be the spokesperson. Perhaps the most unexpected expression of change came from Lady Antebellum, one of the most successful and recognizable groups in country music history, with a name usually associated with the pre-Civil War South. Its all created a bit of pressure for Rhett, whose fans now know everything from the names of his children to Laurens likes and dislikes, to where they might be on vacation at any given moment. His expertise, along with the programs new facilities located in a Granny White Pike home next door to the headquarters of the Gospel Music Association, gives students a direct connection to the music business. Its been four years, so I can say that now, Rhett says, sitting upstairs at a Nashville studio with a hearty amount of face scruff and a bag of jalapeno Cheetos nearby. Never believe what you read on TikTok, kids. Thomas Rhett celebrates his 30th birthday on Monday, March 30, and the singer will be spending the day at home with his family amid the coronavirus pandemic. It was like everything was flowing out for a reason.". ", Akins admitted she's been "nervous" to speak out"because of how some people believe that I as a white mother amundeserving or incapableof raising a black daughter. 147 Million Orphans aims to counter the global orphan crisis and provide care and supplies to those who need it, and Rhett and wife Lauren Akins have been involved with the organization for years. But I also have a voice and an opinion just like everybody else and there are times when I feel like I dont have a choice but to speak up or say something, because I feel like nobody else in the industry or not a lot of people in our industry do that for fear, and I feel like somebody has got to be that guy. Make no mistake, Rhett is still out there for the country music genre, at least. He has received four Grammy Award . You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. Lady A felt compelled to change their name and I applaud them for following their heart. When he was younger, his dad would bring him on stage during his own shows, with Rhett taking over the drums during his dad's encore. He laughs at the thought. She was referring, of course, to the Nashville home they've made for their three daughters, Willa Gray, 5, Ada James, 3, and Lennon Love, 14 months. "After much personal reflection, band discussion, prayer, and many honest conversations with some of our closest black friends and colleagues, we have decided to drop the word 'Antebellum' from our name and move forward as Lady A, the nickname our fans gave us almost from the start., In an industry where your name is your brand and in a format that has struggled in the past with issues related to race and equality, Lady As actions represent a real leadership moment for the country music community. But the connection between the personal and the political isnt playing out the same way in country as it is in some other sectors of the pop music landscape. I was like, 'Well screw that I'm not doing that!' While on campus, Rhett studied organizational communications and was a member of the Tau Phi social club. 2 Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins contributed to the conversation surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement with lengthy Instagram messages. In 2016, Eitan Hersh, a political scientist and associate professor at Tufts University near Boston, collaborated with Yair Ghitza, the chief scientist at Catalist, a data services company in Washington, D.C., and found that 30% of married households contain a mismatched partisan pair. His first stop is in Gilford, New Hampshire . "My wife is one of those people that never wants to be in the spotlight or in videos, but it was inevitable for her to be in this one because I wrote the song for her and about her," Rhett told PEOPLE of the clip. At the end of the day, its all about progressing with love, chasing the end goal of equality for ALL, no matter what we look like or where we are from. Akins has also teamed up with his son to write, with the duo penning Rhett tracks "Star of the Show," "Playing with Fire" and others. Copyright 2023 PopCulture.com. During the class, Rhett explained that although he is blessed to get to pursue his dream for a living, he and Lauren truly believe that they have been given this platform for more than just entertaining and writing hit-songs. In my opinion the press is covering their butt when they say ?Projected to be? And I think that has kind of shifted into the way that I write songs with a little bit more maturity in them.". Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Thomas Rhett, Lauren Akins and their daughters. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. The couple explained that no matter what, they are extremely grateful for this journey that God has them on in the music industry. While on campus, Rhett studied organizational communications and was a member of the Tau Phi social club. Fincher asked a series of questions including why its important to stay grounded in the midst of such a crazy and consuming industry. Hes just as keen on 808s as he is pedal steel, if not more, and hes downright obsessed with Bruno Mars (I think I watched his Super Bowl performance at least 100 times on YouTube). Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images. or political. All rights reserved. Rhett was an avid drummer for years and still plays drums to this day on his own tours. Posting on social media is a nice gesture, but as Mickey rightfully pointed out to me, we have a long road ahead in this journey, Its been a beautiful thing watching the country music community coming together to join the fight against racism. Trump Jr. wasn't the first in his family to discover the joy of bulk salesthree decades earlier, as the New Republic reported in 2017, his dad encouraged owners of Trump properties to buy. I stand with my wife and my daughters. Ever since, he says, he's been measuring his priorities on a brand-new scale: "One day I'm gonna look back and go, well, when I was 31, was I putting everything that I had into music and leaving scraps for my kids and my wife or did I put enough into being a good dad and a good husband?". Legal Statement. Not by anything that I said or have done, but something that The Lord completely ordained.. "I've never been more creative," says Thomas Rhett. Lipscombs contemporary music program officially launched in fall 2015 and since then has recruited 21 majors and counting. Thomas Rhett held nothing back on his latest LP Life Changes as indicated by the set's weighty title. Indeed, its lyrics are a roadmap to what's most important to him, embodied in the word "country," and it ends with this poignant coda: "I saw the light, I found the way home / Thank you, Lord, amen / Man, it feels good to be country again. Country Star Retiring, Going Into Ministry, Luke Bryan Dishes on 'American Idol' Judges Filling for Coronation-Bound Katy Perry and Lionel Richie, 'Songland' Winner Griffen Palmer Details Debut Album 'Unlearn' (Exclusive), Morgan Wallen's Team Addresses Accusations He Was Too Drunk to Play Canceled Mississippi Concert, Why Miranda Lambert's Tuesday Was a Huge Day for Her. Hear Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini's Nostalgic Duet 'Center Point Road' Worsham and Isbell each also injected self-conscious into narratives of Southern belonging. They dont have the luxury of choosing to address racism and inequality. Its the only way change can truly happen. "I won't lie, we struggled at it for a minute," Rhett wrote of their wedding night. Theres no way to gauge in advance what fans will think of such a decision. What rule-changing or transformative musical moments did the rest of you witness? As reported last week, Jason Isbell teased a covers album of Georgia artists if Biden wins the still-contested Peach State. "We had to get back to this oneness, and to saying, 'You tell me what you need from me. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. We are not letting this go.. Rhett did, however, get to write with some of the names on his bucket list, including powerhouse producer/writer quartet the Stereotypes on Dont Threaten Me With a Good Time, Ed Sheeran collaborator Amy Wadge, and OneRepublics Ryan Tedder. Jason Aldean is no stranger to speaking his mind and making his political views known. What weve gotten instead is a number of gently instructive songs appealing to relational ethics, some of them promoting general kindness and neighborly tolerance and others encouraging more conscientious masculinity and respectful treatment of women, though the intentions dont always land. The goal is to find ways that you will navigate the major issues without tearing down the other persons character., My favorite phrase that I encourage my clients to ask is, How can I be curious versus furious about my partners views? said McNeil.
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