Thomas Rhett can’t believe how far he has come. The country music singer released his debut single, “Something to Do with My Hands” in 2012, from his freshman It Goes Like This album, out the following year. In the years since then, Rhett has had 20 No. 1 singles, and sold-out massive arenas all over the country. By his own admission, he never predicted the level of success he is now enjoying.
“2012 when I was playing 600 shows a year, and Lauren [Akins] was with me on the tour bus with nine other dudes, it felt like we were never going to get out of that,” Rhett admits to BMLG. “And my wife, being like, ‘Man, how many times have we been to Wisconsin this year?’ I wake up now, and we have four children. So much has changed in my career from success to bigger rooms, to getting to do neat collaborations with people.”
It’s looking at how far he has come that helps Rhett keep things in perspective, amid the challenges of a soaring career.
“Sometimes you wake up and you’re like, ‘Man, today is tough,'” Rhett admits. “And you look back at your past, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, but think about where we were.’ And I think whether you do music, or whatever you do, I think anyone can look back at their past, and be like, ‘Man, looking at where we are now, compared to where we were, the future looks pretty bright.'”
The Georgia native never predicted the success he is currently enjoying, nor did he predict doing it while raising a large family. But now that he has four daughters, he can’t imagine life any other way.
“If I’m being honest with you, Willa Gray and Lennon were the only two that were planned,” Rhett previously admitted. “Now, I do not believe in accidents. I do believe everything happens for a reason. … I will say, Ada James was definitely a surprise, and Lily was an extra surprise. And in the moment, you’re kind of sitting there going, ‘What are we doing?’ And now that they’re all getting of this age, you look back at all the sleepless nights, and all the crying and the teething, and all that stuff, and you go, ‘Man, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.’
“It truly is the best thing that I’ve ever been a part of in my life, getting to be a dad,” he added. “So, it is chaos 24/7, but it’s a beautiful kind of chaos.”
Rhett will embark on his Home Team Tour 23 in May, with Cole Swindell and Nate Smith serving as his opening acts. Find music and tour dates at ThomasRhett.com.