Blake Shelton Once Helped Thomas Rhett With Homework, Now They’ve Got A Duet

Thomas Rhett’s friendship with Blake Shelton goes way, way back, but it wasn’t always music they bonded over. Long before they teamed up on a duet, Shelton actually helped a young Rhett with his homework, or at least he tried to.

During a previous interview with Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY, Rhett explained that due to his unique upbringing as the son of beloved country artist and songwriter Rhett Akins, he spent a lot of his time growing up hanging out with big names around Nashville like Blake Shelton. Things have come full circle since then, as Thomas Rhett has gone on to open for the former The Voice coach and now, record a song with him.

“Looking back at it today it’s just so funny to, like, hang out with Blake today because I am opening a show for him, but he was helping me with homework 10 years ago,” Rhett revealed.

When asked if Shelton was a good tutor, the “Something ‘Bout A Woman” singer joked, “Not really.”

Homework might not be Shelton’s specialty, but their just-released collaboration, “Old Tricks” proves that the two of them still work well together all these years later.

The artists teamed up to deliver some hard truths in their hilarious and all-too-relatable new duet. The collaboration appears among the three new tracks that make up ABOUT A WOMAN (& A Good Ol’ Boy), the second extended project to emerge from Rhett’s seventh studio album that dropped earlier this year.

Serving as the perfect toe-tapping anthem to keep the carefree summer energy alive all year long, “Old Tricks” was penned by Thomas Rhett alongside Andrew Haas, Ian Franzino, Jim Beavers, John Ryan and Julian Bunetta.

The pair of hitmakers come together to offer an honest look at the reality of getting older and realizing their younger selves might’ve been their peak. Rhett opens the song with a reflection on how hangovers hit harder, and recovery takes longer in this chapter of life. Shelton then jumps in with his own perspective, pointing out that the moves that once impressed girls in the past don’t seem to work like they used to.

“Basically the hook of the song is “My old tricks don’t work anymore.” I used to be able to… In college I could drink 10 beers a day, wake up ready to do it again… [Now] it takes two full days to recover from that. And Blake hops on the second verse, and it’s just being, in such special Blake fashion, just made the song 150% better,” Rhett told Apple Music’s Kelleigh Bannen.

As their authentic country vocals intertwine on the charming chorus, the country acts discover that the warnings about getting older that they’ve brushed off all their lives have finally started to settle. They come to the same conclusion that the wild days of their twenties are long gone.

“My old tricks don’t work anymore/ They don’t get it done like they did before/ Yeah, the cold, hard truth is gettin’ harder to swallow/ I guess the younger me is a hard act to follow/ My old ways ain’t workin’ for me/ Sometimes I still wake up and think I’m 23/ All my elders used to tell me this would happen for sure/ Now my old tricks (don’t work anymore),” they sing.

At the very end of the catchy track, we hear Thomas Rhett ask his duet partner, “We ain’t gettin’ any younger, are we?” to which Shelton playfully agrees.

“Old Tricks” joins a slew of feel-good tracks that blend Rhett’s charisma with nostalgic country storytelling. ABOUT A WOMAN (& A Good Ol’ Boy) also features collaborations with Jordan Davis on “Ain’t A Bad Life,” Tucker Wetmore on “Small Town Girls” and Lanie Gardner on “What Could Go Right.” His collaborations with Shelton and Davis, along with the cheeky tune “Bottle With Your Name On It,” all make up the three new editions of his latest collection.

Meanwhile, his duet with Wetmore first appeared as one of three other fresh tracks on the first extended edition of the album, About A Woman (From A Small Town). Under this title, he also dropped “I’m That Guy” and “Dance With You.” These deluxe versions have allowed Rhett to release songs all summer long.

Rhett Delivers Dream Show In Boston

This weekend, Thomas Rhett experienced several milestones. On top of dropping his dream collaboration with Blake Shelton, he also headlined a sold-out show at Fenway Park on his BETTER IN BOOTS TOUR on Saturday, July 19. The Georgia born, Tennessee raised act shared the stadium-sized stage with Tucker Wetmore, The Castellows, and frequent collaborator Teddy Swims. 

Reflecting on the series of unforgettable moments, Rhett shared, “This week is a really big deal for me…If you’d have asked me what two of my biggest career bucket list dreams are, I would have told you headlining a stadium and collaborating with one of my heroes like Blake Shelton. This week, I’m doing both of those things and my mind is blown.”

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He continued, “The best part is that I get to do it all with great friends and out on the road with my fans, surrounded by a team who has supported me from day one. I’m grateful and pumped and we’re going to bring every ounce of energy to Fenway this weekend. It’s one of the most iconic places you can play, and getting to come back to headline—especially with new music that means so much to me—feels like the perfect full-circle moment.”

The BETTER IN BOOTS TOUR will continue with performances at amphitheaters and arenas across the country through early Fall. Additionally, Rhett will return to Fontainebleau Las Vegas for two nights in October.