Thomas Rhett Reflects On His Seven Most Recent Chart-Topping Hits During Multi-No.1 Celebration

On Tuesday, June 6, Thomas Rhett gathered with friends, fellow songwriters, and members of his team at Nashville’s BMI building to celebrate his recent string of No. 1 hits that includes “Remember You Young,” “Beer Can’t Fix” feat Jon Pardi, “Be A Light” feat. Reba, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, and Keith Urban, “What’s Your Country Song,” “Country Again,” “Slow Down Summer,” and “Half of Me” feat. Riley Green. 

The country singer has managed to rack up 20 total chart-toppers in a matter of just 10 years. To celebrate this momentous milestone, Rhett sat down with Country Now and several other media outlets to reflect on these successful songs.

When it comes to writing music, an artist can never be too sure what the fans will gravitate towards, or which tracks will end up falling under the category of being a hit. Rhett revealed that working alongside songwriters such as Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Josh Thompson, and more has allowed him to hone in on his artistry and follow his own path to making the music that fans have come to love. 

“I think in any business, it’s easy to kind of chase what’s working, you know? Whether you’re in music or in sales, you could watch your coworker doing something that works and you can either follow that or you can carve your own path. I think that’s why today is so important because all these guys and girls that I’m about to honor today really allowed me to be me,” he shared honestly. “And we’re down to chase certain sounds and certain vibes that honestly we all probably knew weren’t gonna make the record, but I think allowing an artist to be able to chase down some of those things to get to the one is very important.”

He continued, “I think sitting down and not trying to write a hit, but to try to write something that feels like you, it’s kind of been the secret sauce for me. I just got really lucky that a lot of people listen to my music and sort of were going through the same things in life and found their own story within my story.”

Among the lengthy list of songwriters that have helped Rhett create these No. 1 hits is his dad and fellow country star, Rhett Akins. The “Die A Happy Man” singer explained that getting to work with his father and celebrate their accomplishments together has made each feat that much more special. 

“I go back to being like six and seven years old and me and dad were in the living room picking around Hank Williams senior songs and writing songs that a seven-year-old would write and all this kind of stuff. It’s one thing to write songs with your dad. It’s another to write songs with your dad and have other people in the world feel like they’re good,” he shared. “It’s easy to write a song with your dad, but then to actually have them make a record and also become a hit on country radio is a different story. It’s an interesting dynamic. I think it’d be easy for us to butt heads and be like, ‘no, this is the right line. This is the right line,’ but he knows me so well and I know him so well, which I think makes us really great collaborators. It truly is special to celebrate this many hits with your father.”

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In honor of reaching 20 No. 1 songs, Rhett also announced that he will be releasing a retrospective vinyl collection titled, 20 Number Ones. Out September 29, the project will compile each of his hits plus his current single, “Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings),” as a bonus track. Beginning with his 2012 breakout, “It Goes Like This,” compiling these 21 songs on two discs, allows the singer/songwriter to take a moment to acknowledge his entire journey of reaching for the stars and surpassing his goals one step at a time.

“It really is insane because in many ways this career has felt like it started a year ago and in many ways it feels like it was 50 years ago,” he explained. “I think the one thing that I’ve been kind of speaking over myself and trying to encourage younger artists to do is to really, really cherish when the moments are really cool and to really learn from when the moments are not so cool. I feel like from ‘Die Happy Man’ on, my career has been a whirlwind. And you win these awards and you sell this place out and you do this and you do that. It’s always like, that’s amazing, but like, what’s next? And what’s after that? I’ve really been trying to encourage some of the younger artists to really cherish those moments because you kind of don’t know when they’re gonna happen again and you might as well celebrate the crap out of ’em with your friends.”

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Listeners will take a trip down their memory lane as they get the chance to re-explore their favorite tunes like “Make Me Wanna,” “Die a Happy Man,” “Crash and Burn,” “Unforgettable,” and more.

Rhett continued, “Having a vinyl for me is very nostalgic in many ways. I also feel like a lot of people are buying vinyl today. I think it’s cool to collect and especially for certain fans of mine that have kind of been listening to my music since 2012, I just think it’s a really cool piece to own, and it’s kind of like a moment in time. I hope that in 10 years from now, we’re celebrating the next 20, but for right now, I’m really just relishing in the fact that this accomplishment did happen.”

Fans will be able to purchase special edition packages as well as a clear vinyl edition and gold metallic vinyl edition exclusively at Target and Walmart, respectively. 

As he continues to work on his next set of music and celebrate all the love fans have given him throughout his career, Thomas Rhett is also currently in the midst of his Home Team Tour 23. This trek kicked off May 4 in Des Moines, IA and is slated to hit 40 cities and 27 states throughout the summer. 

Cole Swindell and Nate Smith are currently serving as support on this popular run. 

“My road family, they are my family. You know, I say it on every stage all night, by band, my crew, my truck drivers, my bus drivers really are one big family unit. So anytime we bring other artists out, like this year, Cole and Nate Smith are out with us and we just invite everybody to just be a part of our family. This year has been extra special and extra fun,” Rhett said of his headlining trek. 

Find Thomas Rhett’s full list of tour dates HERE.