Thomas Rhett
Thomas Rhett
Birth name: Thomas Rhett Akins Jr.
Born/Date of Birth: March 30, 1990
Place of Birth: Valdosta, Georgia, United States
Origin: Nashville, Tennessee
Genres: Country, country rock, country pop, R&B
Occupation(s): Singer, songwriter
Spouse: Lauren Akins (m. 2012)
Children: Willa Gray Akins, Lennon Love Akins, Ada James Akins
Instruments: Vocals, guitar
Labels: Valory
Associated acts: Rhett Akins
Website: thomasrhett.com
Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. (born March 30, 1990) is an American country music singer and songwriter. His father is the singer Rhett Akins. Rhett has released four studio albums for Big Machine Records' Valory Music imprint: It Goes Like This (2013), Tangled Up (2015), Life Changes (2017). and Center Point Road (2019). These albums have produced nineteen singles on the Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, with fourteen reaching the No. 1 position on the latter: "It Goes Like This", "Get Me Some of That", "Make Me Wanna", "Crash and Burn", "Die a Happy Man", "T-Shirt", "Star of the Show", "Craving You", "Unforgettable", "Marry Me", "Life Changes", "Sixteen", “Remember You Young” and "Look What God Gave Her". In addition to much of his own material, Rhett has written singles for Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Florida Georgia Line, LoCash, and Michael Ray among others.
Early life
Rhett was born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Paige Braswell and country singer Rhett Akins, and grew up knowing other singers including Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn. After learning to play drums while attending junior high school, Rhett later would go onstage with his father and play. In high school, he was part of a band named The High Heeled Flip Flops. Rhett went to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, to study communications. He dropped out of college when he was 20 to pursue a career in music. He subsequently accepted a publishing deal by Big Machine Label Group to write songs.
Career
Songwriting
Rhett co-wrote the song "I Ain't Ready to Quit" on Jason Aldean's 2010 album My Kinda Party and signed a recording contract with Big Machine Records' Valory Music Group division in 2011. The album's first 21 weeks were spent in the top 40 of the Billboard 200; it also has sold 1.7 million in its first years of release. Rhett also co-wrote the 2013 singles "1994" by Jason Aldean, "Parking Lot Party" by Lee Brice, and "Round Here" by Florida Georgia Line. During the chart week of September 21, 2013, the Country Airplay chart included five songs within the top 10 that Rhett or his father had co-written, including "It Goes Like This".
2012–2015: It Goes Like This
In early 2012, he released his debut single, "Something to Do with My Hands", followed later that year by "Beer with Jesus". Both of these made top 30 on the Hot Country Songs charts. His third single, "It Goes Like This", topped the Country Airplay chart and also peaked at number 2 on the Hot Country Songs.
His debut album, also titled It Goes Like This, was released on October 29, 2013. The album's fourth single, "Get Me Some of That", became Rhett's second number 1 single in early 2014. The album's fifth single, "Make Me Wanna", was released to country radio on August 4, 2014. It reached number one on the Country Airplay chart on March 7, 2015. In between the two singles, Rhett sang guest vocals along with Justin Moore on Brantley Gilbert's "Small Town Throwdown".
2015–2017: Tangled Up
On April 7, 2015, Rhett released a new single titled "Crash and Burn" which served as the lead single to his second studio album. The album, Tangled Up, was released on September 25. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay chart in September 2015. The album's second single, "Die a Happy Man" released to country radio on September 28, 2015. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs, and Canada Country chart in December 2015. and January 2016. It stayed at number one on the Country Airplay chart for 8 weeks, becoming the second song in the chart's history to do so. The album's third single, "T-Shirt" released to country radio on February 16, 2016. It reached at number one on the Country Airplay in June 2016, but received poor critical reviews criticizing its lyrical content. The album's fourth single, "Vacation" released to country radio on June 13, 2016. The album's fifth single with Deluxe Version, "Star of the Show" released to country radio on October 3, 2016.
2017–present: Life Changes and Center Point Road
On September 8, Rhett released his third studio album Life Changes. It includes the chart-topping singles "Craving You" featuring Maren Morris, "Unforgettable", and "Marry Me". The title track was released as the album's fourth single on April 16, 2018. The album's fifth single was "Sixteen".
On March 1, 2019, Rhett released "Look What God Gave Her" as the lead-off single to his upcoming fourth studio album, Center Point Road. The following night, on Saturday Night Live, Rhett performed another new song from the album, called "Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time." The album was released on May 31. "Remember You Young" is the album's second single.
Personal life
Thomas Rhett married Lauren Akins, on October 12, 2012. They announced that they were expecting a child together, and adopting a baby girl from Uganda, Willa Gray Akins (b. November 1, 2015), on May 12, 2017. On August 12, 2017, they welcomed their second daughter Ada James Akins. Rhett mentions his wife and daughters in his song "Life Changes" and they appear in the music video with him. He also included them in his video for "Look What God Gave Her". On July 23, 2019, Rhett announced that he and his wife were expecting their third daughter, Lennon Love Akins, who was born on February 10, 2020.
