Thomas Rhett is honoring his wife, Lauren Akins, with his brand-new single, “Beautiful As You,” out now. The song, which Rhett co-wrote, is the debut single from his next album, slated to be released on August 23.
“This is an anthem for everybody who feels like they out-kicked their coverage,” Rhett says. “There was one day a couple years back when I was looking at my wife, and I was like, ‘Why in the world did you choose me?’ I get to be with someone who could easily be on the cover of a magazine, and I get to see her in all her forms – a partner, a mother, a friend, even a philanthropist.
“I just feel like I’ve got a first row seat at almost-perfection, if you will,” he adds. “And like the song says, ‘Seriously, what is somebody as amazing as you doing with somebody like me?’”
The father of four girls is enjoying his wife, whom he wed in 2012, now more than ever, as their daughters gain a little more independence and freedom.
“Lauren and I are just in a different phase of life than we have been for awhile,” Rhett shares. “Now it’s a little easier to go on date nights, do stuff with friends, stay up a little bit later – I don’t know, maybe even sleep in a little bit! So much of my music is a reflection of the stage of life we are in – we’re in a very joyful season – and this song is just the tip of the iceberg to the rest of this next album.”
Rhett just celebrated his 22nd No. 1 single, with “Mamaw’s House,” his collaboration with Morgan Wallen. His last album, Where We Started, was released in 2022, and no one is more eager than Rhett to share his new record with the rest of the world
“We have a new project coming out this year,” Rhett says on Audacy’s Superstar Power Hour, adding that he had to be selective when choosing which songs to keep, and which ones to eliminate.
“We recorded almost 30 songs for this next project, and we played a game of, ‘Okay. We’re making an 11-song album. Go,'” says the singer. “And you gotta get real, real, real picky. Because you start to cut, even down into the number 15 region, where you’ve already tried to cut from 30. You go, ‘Yeah, but what about that song? But I think this group of people will like this song.’ At the end of the day, it’s really hard to make an 11-song album.”
A prolific songwriter, the 34-year-old admits his creativity can sometimes be a hindrance, especially when he is making an album.
“I feel like at least every year, there’s another 100, 200 songs that are written,” Rhett explains. “When you make a record, today you get a lot of chances, because a lot of people are making records with 20 and 30 songs on them. But for the longest time in my career, it was like, ‘What are your favorite 15?’ And so you’re writing 200 songs to figure out what 15 things you want to say to the world. It’s pretty wild.”
Rhett will perform “Beautiful As You” at the upcoming ACM Awards, taking place on May 16. Find the song, and all of Rhett’s music and upcoming shows, at ThomasRhett.com.