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If you ask him, country music star Thomas Rhett will tell you he wrote songs about his wife Lauren Akins from the beginning of his career.

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“I feel like I’ve become a pro at writing about this one human being,” Rhett, 34, says, flashing a smile over Zoom. So when he started thinking about the songs that would be on About a womanhave recently been released For his seventh studio album, the Nashville singer-songwriter didn’t have to look far for lyrical influences.

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“There’s no shortage of inspiration when I’m around my wife. She makes me better in so many aspects of life,” he says. “She’s made me a more patient and loving person. When I see her as a mother to our four girls, a friend to our friends, and a sister to her siblings, I can just look at her and figure out a way to write about her. It’s always been so natural to me. Especially since the beginning of my career.”

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One of Akins’ favorite songs on the new record is called What could go wellIt tells the story of the night Rhett told his wife — whom he met when they were classmates in first grade — that he was in love with her.

“It’s almost the complete literal story of the night I told my wife I was in love with her,” he recalls. “I thought, ‘I just signed a record deal and I have no idea if I’m going to make it, but I might be gone for the next two years.’ I think there was a point where early on in the story she said, ‘It’s a one in a million chance for anyone to make it.’ It’s a miracle if anyone makes it. There are so many people who are doing it at such a high level. But if Die a happy man When she came out she said to me, ‘I think this is going to be the next 20 years of your life.’”

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Since their marriage in 2012, the Nashville couple have had four children: Willa Gray, 8, Ada James, 6, Lennon Love, 4, and Lillie Carolina, 2. Rhett has also become one of the biggest faces in country music, with 22 No. 1 hits and eight ACM Awards and two CMA Awards.

On the new album, which was produced by Julian Bunetta (who has worked with Sabrina Carpenter and Teddy Swims), he just wanted the songs to “exude joy and fun.”

“It was Nashville-meets-California in a way,” Rhett says. “I tried to focus on melody on this project and really tried to live up to the mission of fun. You’ve been to our shows, man. They’re very energetic, so I wanted to make a record that represented what we do live.”

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Rhythm-driven songs like Crazy, After the bars close, Road Country, Back to Blue and the fast pace Bootswere all meant to get his fans moving.

On I don’t want to danceRhett puts his own spin on Whitney Houston’s 1987 classic, I want to dance with someone (who loves me).

“A lot of people have asked if it was a nervous feeling to try that, and the answer is definitely yes. It’s perhaps the most iconic pop song of all time,” says Rhett. “I was driving down Music Row and when I heard that chorus my hands went straight to the roof of the vibe. That subtle Whitney chorus made me think it had to be played in an arena somewhere.”

This weekend, fans can hear the record live when Rhett performs and co-hosts the 2024 Canadian Country Music Awards in Edmonton, alongside Alberta-born country artist MacKenzie Porter.

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“It’s a great honor for me to co-present with the Canadian royal family,” Rhett said. “I spoke to her the other day and I told her I’m just going to follow her lead.”

In preparation for the performance, Rhett watched old videos of Reba McEntire hosting both the CMAs and ACM Awards broadcasts.

“Reba is always my top person to look at. Reba is amazing,” he says. “MacKenzie and I just try to find our humor. Not just with each other; we’ll kind of go find artists and make it all fun and loving. But Reba brings a lot of energy to a room, so I’ll study some of her game tape.”

As he prepares for an upcoming short residency at the Rhett says he’s going to Fontainebleau Las Vegas later this year and he’s just trying to enjoy the ride.

“There’s a cliché that this has to be fun,” he says. “This record — and the last (Where we started) — is so different because I feel like I’m really in the moment. I can enjoy it, instead of worrying about the stress of whether it’s going to do well and worrying about the pressure of other things. I’m just like, ‘Man, I made a record that I’m happy with and I’m confident in.’”

Thomas Rhetts About a woman is out now.

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