Thomas Rhett Interview: Country Newcomer Finds Inspiration in Dad, Hip-Hop and Eric Church
Fate is a funny thing. Just ask Thomas Rhett. Growing up around the music business and witnessing how fickle and volatile it can be, by way of his dad Rhett Akins' career in the mid-'90s, Thomas had pretty much decided a career as a singer was not really for him. In fact, he had all but promised his mom he wouldn't get into the business. But fate obviously had other plans. If you grow up attending Reba McEntire's Halloween parties and riding tour buses across the country on weekends, one can easily become enamored with the whole celebrity lifestyle, and Thomas will admit, it definitely had its perks.
"A lot of people ask me have you always wanted to do this, and the answer is no," Thomas tells The Boot. "Growing up, I got to see a lot of things that I probably shouldn't have seen being on the road with my father, just even R-rated movies for example. I grew up a little bit on the road. I went out of town a lot with my Dad on the weekends. If he left out on a Friday, I'd miss school and go out and see some of the shows. He would always pull me out there on stage. The first time I remember performing in front of a crowd, I think it was in Florida, I went out there in a Green Bay toboggan and baggy pants and sang Will Smith's "Gettin' Jiggy With It." That's just how it was around our house. Like going to Reba's party -- Dad was on tour with Reba and that's just what we did. I loved going on the road ... I think that's something everybody ought to experience one day, not necessarily as an artist, but just to get out and see the country. I remember going with Dad up to Minnesota to a Vikings game when he sang the Anthem or going to out to California or Wyoming and we'd stay an extra week and ski, that was
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