Spotlight – Chase Rice

It’s a new day and our Spotlight – Chase Rice. We sit down with Chase to talk about his multi-part project called “The Album”. Going strong for a while now Chase has been there and done that and we talk about it all. Check it out!


In Taste of Country, you said “I’m living life again for the first time in eight years, and it’s been pretty awesome.’ It’s amazing that in the pandemic you found a new side of yourself. What brought out this side? What does living life again mean for you?

We’ve been touring nonstop for the past 8 years, which I’m so thankful for, however that also meant I was never really home. I finally got to enjoy my farm and even turn it into a working operation with bison on the property. I got to sit around the bonfire and have real conversations with friends, sit on my front porch, and have real conversations with God. There’s no doubt that it’s been a long, tough year but there have also been so many silver linings.

You’ve tasted so much of what life has to offer. From college football, car mechanic, hunter, TV personality, Survivor participant, and now a best-selling country singer-songwriter. Are there other big stars you want to reach for, or have you found your true calling in country music?

Music is absolutely my passion. My focus was completely on sports when I was young, but once that dream got derailed and music came into my life, I realized that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.

Is there one of your achievements you are most proud of? What do you think your friends/family would say is your best?

I’m really proud to finally be able to say that I know who I am as an artist. It’s been a long journey to get to this point, but I’ve finally stopped chasing anything besides being me and putting out the best possible music I can, telling the story that only I can tell.

Your niece and nephews clearly mean the absolute world to you. Think they’ll take after your enthusiasm for music and sports?

They’re the best! Being their uncle is one of my favorite things in the world. They all love singing songs with me which is an absolute blast – so who knows! I just hope they find whatever they’re passionate about, and maybe make a few less mistakes than I did along the way…

You have implausible ambition. Even when massive hardships are in your way such as the injury that ended your football career. Instead, you picked up a guitar and made a new dream. What is this force that pushes you?

My motto since that injury has been “Head down. Eyes up. Keep going.” and that is absolutely how I approach things in life. There will always be obstacles or challenges that we face, but the key is staying focused and moving forward.

What is some of the best advice you think you’ve been given so far?

Before he passed away, my dad told me to always keep God first. I definitely lost sight of that at times over the years and those periods were always my lowest points. Now I make it a priority to talk to God every day, which makes a huge impact on my mindset and how I show up for myself and the people around me.

As a songwriter, do you prefer collaborating on a piece of writing by yourself? How does the difference between the two impact the final product?

It really depends on the song and what’s best for that particular moment. I’ve written most of my music together with other people, which is always great because everyone’s pushing the group for the best possible end result. This year, though, I spent so much time at home with just me and my acoustic guitar and I wrote a lot of songs that way which I’m really proud of.

You are not shy to make light of surreptitious topics. Specifically, you are very open about loss. Does writing songs about these tough topics act therapeutically for you? Or is it quite difficult but you push in the hopes to be a comfort to others?

It’s definitely therapeutic. The first song I ever wrote was about my dad, because I needed to channel that grief somewhere. The real magic is when you put something difficult that you went through into a song and then other people tell you how much it helped them in their own situations – that makes everything worth it as an artist.

What was the thought process behind this multi-part project of “The Album”?

We really wanted to let each song have the moment it deserved. Most people don’t listen to albums all the way through anymore with how streaming works, so a lot of songs miss their opportunity to get heard. With this project, we broke it up and put out less music more often so people could really get to know every single song.

Is there any track that was difficult to finish up?

We were stuck for a bit on the current single, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.,” to tell you the truth. Corey Crowder kept talking about wanting to write a porch song, and we were throwing every idea at it – whatever we could do to mess the song up, really. It started to feel like we weren’t going to write a song that day, and then I came across the title I had written in a note on my phone. I basically said “if this isn’t a porch song, nothing is” and we wrote the whole song in about 45 minutes. Sometimes that’s all it takes, that one idea to get you un-stuck and to make an awesome song happen.

Your Spotify 2020 statistics quoted 13.7 million listeners across 92 different countries. Does it surprise you that country music is so loved worldwide?

I don’t think it’s surprising, because country music is such genuine stories about what we all go through in life, and that applies everywhere. Some of my favorite shows we’ve played have been overseas – I can’t wait to get back out there.

What is your take on the music landscape these days?

We’re at a really exciting point in music. So many creative people have been at home all year with nothing to do but write and record new music, so I think this is going to be somewhat of a renaissance period and we’ll see a lot of great new projects coming out.

How did COVID affect your music this past year?

It was definitely strange to release new music without playing it live. Part I of The Album came out right before the pandemic hit and then the rest while we were all stuck at home, so we missed out on that opportunity to get the fan’s feedback at live shows. Now that we’re back to playing concerts, it’s incredible to hear how passionate the fans already are about the new music – they’re singing every word.

How do you vision your next concert when you can start touring again?

We’ve started back a little bit, and it’s amazing. The fans have clearly missed it just as much as we have, so there’s this incredible energy between us. I’m loving it.

A little off topic, how is Jack? That is one cute puppy and I’d love to hear a little more about the adoption story.

He’s great! He’s a lot of work which I’m sure anyone who’s has a puppy can relate to. I actually got to spend a lot of time with my friends’ dogs when I was off the road this year and I realized I was ready for one of my own. We were working with some black labs for a project you might see soon and I knew it was meant to be. He’s a perfect wingman already!

And finally, to end this off, are there any local spots you’d like to shout out? Covid has hit some places hard, and everyone can use a little extra love.

I have to shout out my spot, Tin Roof. That is my go-to bar when I first moved to Nashville and it’s become a special place for me over the years. We actually threw the number one party for “Eyes On You” there because of how meaningful it is to me, and we just shot a performance of the current single, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen.,” there for Jimmy Kimmel. Anyone who comes to Nashville should definitely check it out.


Today’s Spotlight – Chase Rice has come to an end. Big thanks to Chase for taking the time to chat.


Check out The Album right now!


Keep up with Chase right here

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