Thomas Rhett Calls Wife, Lauren, the ‘Ultimate Gauge’ for His Music

Thomas Rhett has had plenty of hit singles on the radio, but fans might not have heard any of them if his wife, Lauren Akins, didn’t first approve. The singer explains that all of his songs, including songs he might love, first have to get the approval of Akins.

“She is the ultimate gauge,” Rhett acknowledged. “If she didn’t like a song, it more than likely means that 70 percent of the female population are not going to like a song, which is a big percentage. And so I’m always playing her songs. Lauren is a person that when she listens to a song, she is strictly listening for feeling. Not that she doesn’t care about lyrics, but if you can get her to love a song within 15 seconds of the song starting, she’s on board with it.”

Akins was likely on board with Rhett’s current single, “Look What God Gave Her,” which, like many of his previous singles, was written about his wife.

“‘Look What God Gave Her,’ to me is a song about my beautiful wife, inside and out,” Akins explained. “How amazing she is, how funny she is, how caring, how much of a great mom she is. And I think you can dance to it.”

“Look What God Gave Her” is from Rhett’s upcoming new Center Point Road album, out on May 31.

“It’s been interesting being back in the studio because I feel like every time I finish a record, in my brain I go, ‘I have nothing else to say. How in the world are we going to write for another record?’” Rhett told PopCulture.com and other media. “It’s funny how the moment you get the momentum back and you start to get into a room and you start writing, you realize that there’s a million things you have to say; about your life.

“As your life changes there are so many different ideas that you can pull from,” he continued. “When you get in the studio, somehow, some way, the song gods make things fresh again for you.”

Rhett will likely perform his new single when he takes the stage at the 2019 ACM Awards, where he is also nominated for Male Artist of the Year. The 2019 ACM Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Rhett is currently performing a series of shows in Australia, and will then kick off the Canadian run of his Life Changes Tour. His Very Hot Summer Tour begins on May 17 in Spokane, Washington. Find dates at ThomasRhett.com.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jeff Kravitz