He might be one of the reigning superstars of country music, but Thomas Rhett couldn’t do it without help from his wife, Lauren Akins, and his two oldest daughters, Willa Gray and Ada James, at least when it comes to deciding which songs to record. The 29-year-old recently opened up about his family’s involvement when it comes time to choose songs for his albums, and why their input is so important to him.
“I was driving Willa and Ada out to the farm, and it’s about a 45-minute drive, and I keep going through demos,” Rhett told his record label. “I’ve got them on a playlist and my kids are about the best A&R team that I can have –– my kids and my wife, because they for sure are gonna tell you that that song is terrible or that song is good. Like, if Willa Grey wants to listen to a song six times in a row, maybe it should have a shot. Maybe a lot of other 4-year-olds will want to listen to it six times in a row.
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“And my wife is the first one to be like, ‘That’s not my favorite,’ or ‘That’s one of my favorite songs you’ve ever written,’” he continued. “There are some of the songs that neither of them like that I love too much to not cut. But for the most part, I do listen to a lot of opinions and then at the end of the day, I take all those opinions and I put them in a pot and try to make a decision for myself. But my kids do have a huge role in picking a lot of songs, which is hilarious.”
Rhett’s youngest daughter, Lennon Love, might be a little young to help pick songs, but Rhett previously predicted that at least his oldest two could have a career in the music industry.
“I mean, anytime I get a guitar out like I can’t keep it in tune, because they just want to turn the knobs and play the strings,” Rhett recounted. “And Willa Gray has a little baby piano that she plays a lot out of key. And they both sing a ton, and they remember the words to my songs at such a young age.
“I think when you’re around it as much as they’re around music, I think they’re gonna grow up to do something,” he added. “They may not be a musician, but I think they would love to be in and around the entertainment business in some fashion.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Presley Ann
