", "I want to be her mother who raises her to knowwhat it means to have brown skin and to be proud of it," Akins wrote on social media. For others, hes chipping away at the traditions they hold dearly. In a recent interview with Audacys Rob + Holly, the country superstar was asked if he has a fear of being canceled as he and his wife, Brittany Aldean, express their political views on social media daily. What I am seeing from my clients (mostly powerful, driven, left-leaning women) who are single and searching is that they don't want to date people who are not 'woke,' Moore told TODAY. You know what I'm saying? maybe I can do this for a living,'" Rhett told Taste of Country of his beginnings as a songwriter. It cant be about how life is just amazing all the time, because that just is not reality. Scroll through below to see inside Thomas Rhett's jaw-dropping rustic retreat. Hailey Bieber See her post here. And he, like most other humans, is also in love with Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour and how she was able to push country music into more unexpected corners, particularly on High Horse. If you record in a genre, then you are recording in a box and thats not how music was supposed to be made, he says. Legal Statement. It's like the moment you've crossed 30, you have entered the other side of the path. I found the way that SZA, whos already come up in our conversation a couple of times, framed her bracing frankness, demands, and disclosures to be powerful. The couple also hosts a regular Monday night get-together for friends, with husbands and wives separating into two groups to share their day-to-day stresses. The Georgia native admits that there are many of artists and industry personnel who share the same political views but are afraid of the backlash that may come if they speak out on them, so he feels the need to be the spokesperson. Never believe what you read on TikTok, kids. You wanted songs about Lauren? And Lizz Wright told me that she felt so alienated by the ugly, reactionary discourse that the presidential election stoked in her native South that she set out on a quest to restore her spiritual connection to the people and places she once knew. Both the coronavirus pandemic and intensified unrest around racial injustice have amplified the importance of politics in dating, said Moore. "It's been pretty incredible to talk to other men who are married. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. Learn why your partner holds the perspective they do., Take the time to notice when you become emotionally reactive to certain topics, and clearly communicate what you need from your partner to feel safe, said Danielle Moye, M.A., a licensed marriage family therapist in Windsor, Connecticut. Taylor Swift, arguably musics biggest star but who still has her roots in country, tweeted a long thread denouncing Confederate statues. Country music artists with Republican leanings have had just as much to say about Election Day results. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Thomas Rhett, Lauren Akins and their daughters. A third of those are Democrats married to Republicans. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. This creates an atmosphere of finding similarities and shared values. The Religion and Political Views of Luke Bryan Summary Religion Luke Bryan is Christian, but doesn't talk about it all the time. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, "We loved being rebellious.". "My sincere recommendation is that those who are banking on this 'projection' to be 'written in stone' save yourselves the embarrassment of losing yet again to not only the justice system but the very core of what the United States of America is all about," Schneider wrote on Facebook. Now country artists are using their platforms to draw attention to the plague that is racial inequality in America. latest feed. Akins has also teamed up with his son to write, with the duo penning Rhett tracks "Star of the Show," "Playing with Fire" and others. 7), when a projected win in Pennsylvania cleared former VicePresidentJoe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris' path to the White House, country stars and Americana artists from all ends of the political spectrum have been vocal on social media. Lauren is one of the most insanely giving and loving people I know, and that is why I married her, he continued. Wadge co-wrote VHS (Very Hot Summer), which is undeniably one of the most out there songs on the record fluorescent, dance-worthy decadence loaded up with synths that Rhett likes to point out as layered with a very country lyric (beer, backroads, not-too-scandalous sexuality). During the class, Rhett explained that although he is blessed to get to pursue his dream for a living, he and Lauren truly believe that they have been given this platform for more than just entertaining and writing hit-songs. Even mainstream country, which for years has had its own equivalent of what Carl described as a triumphalist diva-pop sound (more of a macho, hybridized, hip-hop and nu metalinformed bluster), is undergoing a significant shift in its aesthetic values. I definitely felt it, too. We want to hear it. Amber Artis, a professional matchmaker in Richmond, Virginia, with over 20 years in the field told TODAY that shes observed a similar trend operating along the same timeline. Mayer reports that Ginni Thomas holds extreme right-wing . The country star, 30, opened up about his relationship with his wife of seven years during an interview with The Bobby Bones. What rule-changing or transformative musical moments did the rest of you witness? Photos by Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Shannon Finney/Getty Images, and Rick Diamond/Getty Images for George Strait. Now that he's in this thirties, the growth theme is especially fitting, Thomas Rhett says, since he spent his twenties often being made to feel he'd gotten ahead of his years. "I grew up in Valdosta, Georgia, where one of the first Zaxby's existed, my grandmother took me there sometimes twice a day. "Just being vulnerable with each other," he says, "has made our marriage tenfold better. The rapper took to Instagram fully nude to explain why he's voting for Joe Biden in the presidential election. Can someone paint me that picture?". I think that with fame, the devil makes you think you deserve everything, and that is something since day one that Lauren and I have been very intentional about.. We desperately need that. All Rights Reserved. Locked post. Hes sick of the genre question. Talking about bringing this country together. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. We will be fighting this fight for the rest of our lives. Indeed, its lyrics are a roadmap to what's most important to him, embodied in the word "country," and it ends with this poignant coda: "I saw the light, I found the way home / Thank you, Lord, amen / Man, it feels good to be country again. 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Its cool to get to support him, and its obvious God has put him in this industry for a reason.. "It's like, 'I don't want to wait till I'm 80 to figure out who I want to be.' Hes just as keen on 808s as he is pedal steel, if not more, and hes downright obsessed with Bruno Mars (I think I watched his Super Bowl performance at least 100 times on YouTube). Send us a tip using our anonymous form. This is Rhetts wheelhouse, a land where the breezy summer jam reigns but a love song doused in heavy high-school nostalgia is never too far away. And the girls get to talk about um, us." When I witnessed the horrific murder of George and think about the mistreatment of other black men and women in America, I am heartbroken and angry, he wrote. Slate is published by The Slate "Talking about bringing this country together. The polarity Artis and Moore observe is reflected on a much wider scale in a recent survey from Dating.com, which found that 84% of singles said that they will not even consider dating someone with opposite political views, while 67% admit to ending relationships due to opposing political views. 2023 Music Mayhem. Instead, he opted to play at PBS' annual A Capitol Fourth event, held at the same time as the White House gathering. In the wake of everything that has happened with police brutality and as protests spread nationwide, Mickey Guyton, one of the industry's topBlack female artists, released a powerful new song called Black Like Me, that chronicles some of the struggles she has faced throughout her life as a person of color. ", And, Thomas Rhett adds, he does finally feel "grown up. But the opposite is also true: Trump supporters want nothing to do with those voting for Biden. HOME TEAM FEED. Though Lauren Akins may be many things wife to Thomas Rhett, mother to beautiful daughters, and passionate volunteer for overseas orphanages she never thought she would be an author. He thinks that approach, mixing pop with organic sounds and his singer-songwriter roots, is here to stay. THOMAS RHETT EXPLAINS WHY HE HIT BACK AT SOCIAL MEDIA TROLLS MOCKING HIS WIFE LAUREN But, she said she wanted to make sure now, and in the future, that Willa knew "that I am HER mother who. He is a son of singer Rhett Akins.. Rhett has released six studio albums for Big Machine Records' Valory Music imprint: It Goes Like This (2013), Tangled Up (2015), Life Changes (2017), Center Point Road (2019), Country Again: Side A (2021) and Where We Started (2022). Past Events. Worsham and Isbell each also injected self-conscious into narratives of Southern belonging. Politics would be something that would be discussed later on. Some are propelled into action, some are listening and some are educating. View All. In todays politically polarized landscape, dating someone with different political views can introduce a number of challenges. This all leads to an approach that many find as a perfect way to slide country music into a playful pop space, ripe for playlisting and genre-melding. "That is my weekly check-in," says Thomas Rhett. "It was just all brand-new, which meant there was a learning curve." Admitting they were both . We cannot relent in the fight against Americas oldest sin. Not by anything that I said or have done, but something that The Lord completely ordained.. Nashville, TN 37204 When people think about country music and politics, the conversation almost immediately turns to the Dixie Chicks. My how the times have changed. She introduced and concluded her album with her mothers clear-eyed insistence on self-knowledge and self-love. All rights reserved. Thomas Rhett celebrates his 30th birthday on Monday, March 30, and the singer will be spending the [], By Hannah Barnes Rhett told Taste of Country that he attended Lipscomb University in Nashville but wasn't quite sure which path he wanted to go down. triple play award is always such a huge honor. "The most hopeful and most calming thing for me is the way both CNN and Fox Newsare speaking intelligently, compassionately and focused on moving this country forward for all Americans," she wrote. Then there was Lilly Hiatts Trinity Lane, a magnetic blend of post-punk and alt-country that I adored this year. 2023 Rolling Stone, LLC. Follow him on Twitter: @KurtBardella. "Without hesitation he said, 'Bring her home. News. Now its often part of the screening process.. Im always trying to figure out where country music is heading, and this record has that perfect balance of pop-leaning progressive and the songwriting side, which is the truest side, he says. https://twitter.com/MarenMorris/status/1325252558747820032, Texas native Kacey Musgraves giddily waved goodbye to President Donald Trump in a series of Tweets, with highlights including a claim that she's "only touring Pennsylvania from now on.". which has well over 100 million views on YouTube. Read More: Taylor Swift Endorses Democratic Nominee Joe Biden, Lends Song to Unofficial Biden-Harris Ad. Photo illustration by Slate. The test turned out positive, so the Hubbards were the first to hear the news that Lauren was expecting. "I'm trying to just figure it out now so that when I am 80, I can just be like, man, I made some cool decisions in my life that allowed me to experience life to the fullest.". For all of February, when the alarm sounded at 5 a.m., the couple got up so they could have some precious togetherness before their daughters' day began. Im thinking of Big K.R.I.T.s double album, half of which he spends flexing his swaggering persona and the other half he devotes to explicitly autobiographical confessions. BUT. Thomas Rhett's new album 'Center Point Road' pushes country even further into pop territory. In 2016, they organized a benefit concert, enlisting Dierks Bentley and Florida Georgia Line to take the stage alongside Rhett, with the event raising more than $250,000 for 147. As I've listened and learned, I've realized its our responsibility and privilege to use our voices to establish what we as human beings with beating hearts want to see in this country for not only ourselvesbut our friends, neighbors, strangers, and future generations.". Still to this day I'd rather eat at Zaxby's than Kayne Prime. Watch the full episode of People Features: Thomas Rhett on PeopleTV.com or on the PeopleTV app. In my opinion the press is covering their butt when they say ?Projected to be? Thomas Rhett Akins Jr. was born in Valdosta, Georgia, on March 30, 1990. . What moved me most was hearing him sort through feelings of responsibility and exploitation as a Southern black man in the rap industry, striving to meaningfully represent his background and experiences. On Tuesday, Feb. 23, Rhett, dressed in his Tau Phi jersey, and Lauren spent time on campus sharing insight into their lives in the limelight and how their faith keeps them grounded through the fame and fortune. She is so good about keeping me humble and I think for us, if we could rub that off on other artists, songwriters and people that we have to meet on a random day, then I think that is something we try to do, and invest in those people.. People are gonna have their opinion about whatever I say or think, and thats completely fine, you dont have to agree with me. 2023 To me, its hard for to go lay my head down at night with a clear conscience, feeling like Im a coward for not saying the things that I want to say, or I feel like need to be said., He later added, from that, let the chips fall where they may. Here is what I have gathered based on social media: Morgan Wallen (follows Candace Owens on Instagram), Sara Evans (Follows numerous conservative figures on social media), George Strait (Doesnt talk about politics but DIL is very outspoken politically on social media), Parker McCollum (Follows various conservatives on social media and has posted other things. ", Over analyzing the set list since 1996. Theres no way to gauge in advance what fans will think of such a decision. see all. I'm feeling relieved. His first stop is in Gilford, New Hampshire . There are a lot of things on here that are pop and hip-hop influenced. It was like everything was flowing out for a reason.". "I called Thomas one of the first nights I met her in Uganda and told him about her," Akins told Us Weekly. The organization also led the couple to their daughter Willa Gray, who they adopted from Uganda. Katherine M. Hertlein, Ph.D., a professor with the Couple and Family Therapy program within the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's School of Medicine said shes seen quite a bit of discord among couples concerning politics, even among those on the same side. What then, can people who are partnered with perhaps even married to people with opposing views do to make it work? It is very evident to me that the Lord is just like, hey you dont want to do this sometimes, but youre just gonna have to suck it up, because this is what youre supposed to be doing, and so just keep doing it, Lauren explained. The inexhaustible patience and willful affection she projected through her reading of Seems Im Never Tired Lovin You, famously recorded by Nina Simone, floored me. Ann, you asked how I saw notions of home rewritten this year. "We all dyed our hair black and sang in British accents," he recalled. "We all have our role to play and we all move at different speeds and thats okay. I've never seen more fruit from any other practice that we've done.". Please enable JavaScript in your browser to submit the form, See Photos Of Jason Aldean & Wife Brittany Aldeans Winter Luxurious Vacation: Straight Out Of A Hallmark Movie, Maren Morris, Cassadee Pope Call Out Jason Aldeans Wife Brittany Aldean: Its So Easy To Not Be A Scumbag, See Photos From Jason Aldean & Wife Brittany Aldeans Epic, Star-Studded Nashville Mansion Pool Party, Jason Aldean Celebrates 27th No. The couple began their morning by speaking to a music production class in Lipscombs contemporary music program. Once youve established a mutual understanding for these discussions, incorporate active listening into your conversations listening with the intent to understand and not to respond so quickly., This punctuates the importance of a political view for one partner, said Moye. Spread across its dozen tracks was vivid portraiture of a thirtysomething woman daring to own her anger, disappointment, delusion, and desire, devising new coping mechanisms, reasserting her independence, and reassessing whats sturdy and reliable in her life. Inside Thomas Rhett and Wife Lauren Akins' Sweet Love Story, Thomas Rhett's Wife Lauren Akins Says Her Memoir Shows the 'Imperfections of Our Life': Read an Excerpt, Thomas Rhett Is Crowned Male Artist of the Year at 2021 ACM Awards: 'This Is Absolutely Incredible', Thomas Rhett Reveals How His Girls Helped Him Choose His Tracklist: 'Kids Have a Really Good Read', Thomas Rhett Says He's a Proud 'Girl Dad' to His 3 Daughters: 'They're Beautiful and Unique', Tom Schwartz and Katie Maloney's Relationship Timeline, BRELAND Makes the Most of Unlikely Country Stardom: 'I Belong Here. And I'm like, 'Uh, 23.' The goal is to find ways that you will navigate the major issues without tearing down the other persons character., My favorite phrase that I encourage my clients to ask is, How can I be curious versus furious about my partners views? said McNeil. Or 'You're getting married, and you're 22? You're a dad. Charlie Peacock, a songwriter, artist and Grammy-award-winning record producer as well as a Lipscomb artist-in-residence, is the founding director of the program. Mar 3. Other early cuts included songs for Joe Nichols and Scotty McCreery. Luke Bryan, Angaleena Presley, Keith Urban, and Miranda Lambert. She was referring, of course, to the Nashville home they've made for their three daughters, Willa Gray, 5, Ada James, 3, and Lennon Love, 14 months. But I also have a voice and an opinion just like everybody else and there are times when I feel like I dont have a choice but to speak up or say something, because I feel like nobody else in the industry or not a lot of people in our industry do that for fear, and I feel like somebody has got to be that guy. I have so much clarity in my career at this point, and, man, I get it. If anyone thinks posting a black square or tweeting #BlackLivesMatter is sufficient, and that youve done your part and can resume your normal" life, I challenge you to listen to the words in Mickeys songand do more:If you think we live in the land of the free, You should try to be black like me, Kurt Bardella is a member of USA Todays Board of Contributors, an MSNBC contributor and publisher of the country music tipsheetMorning Hangover. Aldean and his wife have been very outspoken on social media over recent months, from wearing anti-Biden t-shirts from a brand called Daddy T 45, to launching a politically-charged clothing line, and calling out government officials on his feelings of certain mandates. | 02/29/2016. Thomas Rhett Resets His Priorities: 'I Had to Figure Out Who I Was Without a Guitar' His marriage struggles behind him, the dad of three discovers that pouring himself into his family life is the. What is the Home Team? "If there was suspicious activity that potentially compromised even one vote for Biden? While on campus, Rhett studied organizational communications and was a member of the Tau Phi social club.