Thomas Rhett talks upcoming album and 'chaos' in raising 4 daughters
Thomas Rhett says his home is absolute "chaos" right now but he wouldn't trade it for anything.
During a recent interview with "Good Morning America," the country singer, 31, opened up on how he and his wife, author Lauren Akins, are adjusting to their full household and teased what's in store with his upcoming sixth studio album, "Where We Started," out April 1.
The couple, who married in 2012 but have known each other since they were children, welcomed their youngest daughter, Lillie Carolina, in November and are also parents to 6-year-old Willa Gray, 4-year-old Ada James and 2-year-old Lennon Love.
"It is the most unorganized form of chaos that you could ever imagine, but Lauren and I just embrace chaos," he said about their home. "We both grew up in households where there was at least 10 people at a household per day, like we kind of wanted our home to be that way -- our family comes over all the time, hangs out with the kids, hangs out with us."
He said their older girls have also adjusted well to Lillie's arrival. "Ever since Lillie kind of came into the world she's been such, just an incredible baby. She's already sleeping 7 to 7 and getting to watch the older three become just such an awesome big sister to her has been really, really fun to watch," he said.
"But it's chaos, like, I'm not gonna lie -- every day there's something new that I'm like, 'What is life right now?'" he continued. "But I also wouldn't trade this chaos for the world because I love them more than life."
The country singer gives most of the credit to his wife, Lauren, who he describes as his "superhero."
"I don't know how she does it. I really don't," he said about her. "I wake up every day and I look at her and I'm just like, I'm beyond proud of you, especially when I'm working, you know, just to hold the fort down and have such grace and such patience while she's at it, too."
His love story with Lauren has long been a focal point of his music, with Lauren serving as the inspiration for many of his biggest hits, including 2015 award-winning song, "Die a Happy Man." In his upcoming studio album, Thomas delivers more tracks about their story and his endless devotion to their family.
One standout is "Us Someday," released earlier this month, which shares how the singer had always imagined them together since he was younger.
Some of the lyrics include: "Ooh, you can't control the way life's gonna go / But therе's one thing that I know / It's you and me in an old rocking chair / You're still pretty and I'm turning gray / Thinking back on the memories we share."
Explaining the inspiration for the track he wrote with his father, Rhett Akins, Jesse Frasure and Amy Wadge, Thomas shared: "I'd had that idea in my phone for quite a while, just the phrase, that's gonna be us someday ... I just I wanted it to feel kind of timeless."
"It's kind of is a true testament of me being 18 years old, knowing that I was going to marry this woman and kind of just imagining our future together, just like a lot of kids, handprints in the driveway, chaotic minivan life, taking one to soccer practice, taking one to, you know, gymnastics, whatever it is ..." he continued.
He said he was also inspired by a '60s classic he'd been listening to at the time when looking at the style of the song.
"We went into the studio to record that song, and it could have easily been done just with a guitar but I'd been listening to a ton of old Beatles records," he shared. "And this one track, 'Eleanor Rigby' stood out to me because the entire song is nothing but an orchestra and a string section and I'd just never heard that done in our genre before."
"To open a country song out with just like a string section, I think immediately catches your ear and it makes you really want to listen to what the story has to say," he continued, adding that he "cannot wait to play on the road."
Speaking of his upcoming "Bring the Bar to You Tour" kicking off in June, Thomas said he and Lauren are currently trying to figure out their schedule and when they'll be able to bring the kids on the road.
"Trying to figure out what weekends we want to bring all four kids, which is an act of God to try to get all of them on the bus and settled, and do we let them watch the show? Do we put them to bed?" he said. "It's a whole different kind of lifestyle when the kids are out there, but it does make the road feel a whole lot more like home when everybody's out there."
Thomas also recently partnered with Fritos for its new "Down for Everything" campaign and is starring in the brand's first TV commercial in 20 years.
"This commercial was kind of shot mostly in the outdoors, which is where I find most of my peace and most of my solitude -- whether it's camping or fishing or hiking or just being outdoors with my family," he said. "It was really fun to shoot, and I wouldn't say that I have a career in acting but it was a really fun opportunity."
