Thomas Rhett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thomas Rhett
Rhett in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Rhett Akins Jr.
Born	(1990-03-30) March 30, 1990 (age 35) Valdosta, Georgia, U.S.
Origin	Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Valory/Big Machine

Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. (born March 30, 1990) is a popular American country singer and songwriter. He is the oldest son of famous country singer Rhett Akins.

Thomas Rhett has released seven studio albums. These include It Goes Like This (2013) and Tangled Up (2015). Other albums are Life Changes (2017) and Center Point Road (2019). He also released Country Again: Side A (2021), Where We Started (2022), and About a Woman (2024).

His songs have been very successful. Twenty of his singles have reached the number one spot on the Billboard Country Airplay charts. Some of these hit songs are "Die a Happy Man", "T-Shirt", and "Unforgettable". He has also written songs for other big country stars. These include Jason Aldean and Florida Georgia Line.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Thomas Rhett's father, Rhett Akins, is also a country singer and songwriter.

Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. was born in Valdosta, Georgia. His mother is Paige Braswell and his father is Rhett Akins. His dad had hit songs in the 1990s. Later, his father became a successful songwriter.

Thomas Rhett grew up in Hendersonville, Tennessee. He knew other famous singers from a young age, like Tim McGraw. He has a younger sister and two younger half-brothers.

He started playing drums in junior high school. Later, he would join his father on stage to play. In high school, he was part of a band called The High Heeled Flip Flops. Thomas Rhett went to Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He studied communications there. At age 20, he left college to focus on his music career. He soon got a deal to write songs for a music company.

Music Career Highlights

Starting as a Songwriter

Thomas Rhett helped write "I Ain't Ready to Quit" for Jason Aldean's 2010 album. In 2011, he signed a record deal with Valory Music Group. He also helped write other popular songs in 2013. These included "1994" by Jason Aldean and "Parking Lot Party" by Lee Brice. He also co-wrote "Round Here" for Florida Georgia Line. In one week in 2013, five songs in the top 10 of the Country Airplay chart were written by him or his father.

First Album: It Goes Like This (2012–2015)

Thomas Rhett performing in 2014.

In 2012, Thomas Rhett released his first song, "Something to Do with My Hands". Later that year, he released "Beer with Jesus". Both songs made it into the top 30 on the country charts. His third song, "It Goes Like This", became his first number one hit.

His first album, also called It Goes Like This, came out in October 2013. The song "Get Me Some of That" became his second number one hit in 2014. Another song from the album, "Make Me Wanna", also reached number one in 2015.

Tangled Up and Life Changes (2015–2020)

Rhett in 2013.

In 2015, Thomas Rhett released "Crash and Burn". This song was the first single from his second album, Tangled Up. The album came out in September. The second single, "Die a Happy Man", was a huge hit. It stayed at number one on the Country Airplay chart for eight weeks. This was a record for the chart.

His third album, Life Changes, was released in September 2017. It featured hit songs like "Craving You" with Maren Morris and "Unforgettable". The album's title track, "Life Changes", also became a number one hit.

In 2019, he released "Look What God Gave Her". This was the first song from his fourth album, Center Point Road. The album came out in May. Other singles from this album included "Remember You Young" and "Beer Can't Fix" with Jon Pardi. In 2020, Thomas Rhett won Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Recent Albums: Country Again and Where We Started (2021–Present)

In March 2021, Thomas Rhett announced a double album project. The first part, Country Again: Side A, was released in April 2021. It included the songs "What's Your Country Song" and "Country Again". This album showed Thomas Rhett going back to his country music roots. His father helped write six of the songs.

In November 2021, he released "Slow Down Summer". This song was the first single from his sixth album, Where We Started, which came out in April 2022. The album also featured collaborations with other artists like Katy Perry. In 2022, he released a Christmas EP called Merry Christmas, Y'all.

In September 2023, Thomas Rhett released a greatest hits album called "20 Number Ones". This celebrated his 20th number one song. The album included a new song, "Mamaw's House", featuring Morgan Wallen. His seventh album, About a Woman, was released in August 2024.

Personal Life

Thomas Rhett married Lauren Akins on October 12, 2012. In 2017, they shared that they were adopting a child from Africa. They brought home their first daughter, Willa Gray, from Uganda. She was born in 2015. They then welcomed their second daughter, Ada James, in August 2017. Their third daughter, Lennon Love, was born in February 2020. Their fourth daughter, Lillie Carolina, was born in November 2021.

Thomas Rhett is a Christian. He often includes his faith in his music. He has also worked with worship singers like Chris Tomlin.

Discography

• It Goes Like This (2013)
• Tangled Up (2015)
• Life Changes (2017)
• Center Point Road (2019)
• Country Again: Side A (2021)
• Where We Started (2022)
• About a Woman (2024)

Tours

Headlining Tours

• Home Team Tour (2017)
• Life Changes Tour (2018)
• Very Hot Summer Tour (2019)
• Center Point Road Tour (2020-2021)
• Home Team Tour (2023)

Supporting Tours

• Own the Night Tour with Lady Antebellum (2012)
• Night Train Tour with Jason Aldean and Jake Owen (2013)
• Anything Goes Tour with Florida Georgia Line and Frankie Ballard (2015)
• Suits & Boots Tour (co-headlining) with Brett Eldredge (2015)
• We Were Here Tour with Jason Aldean (2016)
• Six String Circus Tour with Jason Aldean (2016)

Awards and Recognitions

Thomas Rhett has won many awards for his music. Here are some of his achievements:

Television Appearances

Thomas Rhett has appeared on several TV shows:

He also sang a duet with Elmo and friends on Sesame Street.