Thomas Rhett Reveals New Album 'Where We Started' Was an 'Evolution' (Exclusive)

Country superstar Thomas Rhett is releasing his new album, Where We Started, on April 4, and he says the project was very much an "evolution." While speaking exclusively to PopCulture.com about his recent Frito Lays partnership, Rhett offered some insight into the new album. He explained that he didn't initially set out to make the album as it is, but rather, it was the process that shaped the songs.

"It's an evolution. Like, I'm one of those people that like, when I write that one song that I feel like is kind of the centerpiece for the album like that, that's when I get to take that song into all my co-writes and be like, 'Not that everything has to sound or feel like this, but I think this is kind of the rock of the record.' And I wrote 'Where We Started' with Jesse Frazier, Ashley Gorley and a good friend of mine named John Bellion. I'd never written with John before and he is the melody king of the universe, and we wrote this song and loved everything it represented because I look back at my life and my marriage and my career. And I go, 'Good grief, man.' Like, we did start with absolutely nothing, you know, 10 years ago."

Rhett continued, "And to see where we've kind of come, not only in a career state, but just like with my wife and my kids and just kind of everything about our life has grown. So, so crazy and rapid. And I think a lot of people can really relate to that. Just phrase of like, you know, when you're, when your heartbroken, like, just think about where you began cuz the future has a lot of great things to hold." 

Explaining how the album progressed into its final form, Rhett revealed that it was originally supposed to be a follow-up to his 2021 album Country Again: Side A. "So [I] just started sitting down and kind of writing for what I thought was gonna be Country Again: Side B, that morphed into its own different project. And, and that's kind of where, where we started was kind of birthed and, and next thing, you know, 15 songs kind of made it on there and all very different."

Finally, Rhett offered his thoughts on how the album turned out once it was completed. "It's a pretty versatile record. Like every track you click on doesn't sound, anything like the one before," he said. "And I love that 'cause I think it keeps the listener kind of on their toes and kind of wondering where we're gonna go next and that's kind of how our show is as well. And so just kind of keeping on brand with that and just a lot of great songwriting on this project and you know, just huge kudos to the people that kind of believed in the, you know, just the vision for this project."