Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett Akins Jr., born March 30, 1990, is an American country music singer-songwriter. The oldest son of singer Rhett Akins, he is best known for his successful solo recording career and his work as a songwriter for major country acts. Over his career, Rhett has released seven studio albums through Big Machine Records' Valory Music imprint and achieved 20 number-one singles on the Billboard Country Airplay chart.

Rhett was born in Valdosta, Georgia, to mother Paige Braswell and father Rhett Akins. Raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee, he grew up around country artists such as Tim McGraw and Brooks & Dunn. He learned drums in junior high school, later performing on stage with his father and joining a high school band called The High Heeled Flip Flops. Rhett attended Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, to study communications before dropping out at age 20 to accept a publishing deal with Big Machine Label Group.

Beginning his professional career as a songwriter, Rhett co-wrote tracks for artists such as Jason Aldean, Lee Brice, Florida Georgia Line, LoCash, and Michael Ray. He signed a recording contract with Valory Music Group in 2011 and released his debut album, It Goes Like This, in October 2013. The album produced his first chart-topping singles, including the title track, "Get Me Some of That," and "Make Me Wanna."

Rhett's second studio album, Tangled Up, was released in September 2015 and included the lead single "Crash and Burn" alongside "Die a Happy Man," which spent eight weeks at number one on the Country Airplay chart. Subsequent singles included "T-Shirt," "Vacation," and "Star of the Show." His third album, Life Changes, followed in September 2017, featuring hit singles such as "Craving You," "Unforgettable," "Marry Me," and "Sixteen."

In May 2019, Rhett released Center Point Road, featuring "Look What God Gave Her" and "Beer Can't Fix." In 2021, he released Country Again: Side A, an album returning to traditional country elements like the fiddle. His sixth album, Where We Started, arrived in April 2022, yielding number-one singles "Half of Me" and "Angels (Don't Always Have Wings)." Rhett released his greatest hits album, 20 Number Ones, in 2023, followed by his seventh studio album, About a Woman, in August 2024.

Rhett has received four Grammy Award nominations, including Best Country Album nods in 2017 and 2019, and was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. That same year, he released the charity single "Be a Light" with Reba McEntire, Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin, and Keith Urban for the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Rhett married Lauren Gregory in October 2012, and the couple has five children.