Everything you need to know about Thomas Rhett

He's had so many hits!

Thomas Rhett
Author: Iesha Mae ThomasPublished 29th Mar 2026

Unless you have been living under a rock, any country fan will know — and love — Thomas Rhett, the voice and brains behind huge hits such as 'Die A Happy Man' and 'Marry Me'. But just how much do you really know about him?

We've taken the liberty of gathering together pretty much everything you'd need to know about Thomas Rhett; from his famous parents, to awards he's won — and even just how cute his kids are! To celebrate Thomas' incredible success, we've gathered together everything you need to know about the singer...

Who is Thomas Rhett?

Thomas Rhett Akins is an American country music singer-songwriter. He is the son of country singer-songwriter Rhett Akins and his first wife, Paige.

How old is he?

Thomas is 36-years-old, born on 30th March 1990.

Where is he from?

He was born in Valdosta, Georgia where his parents are from, but was raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee, a town just outside of Nashville.

How did Thomas Rhett get famous?

Growing up with a country music star for a father who went on to become an acclaimed songwriter, Thomas got his start in music early. Focusing first on drums, Thomas would go onstage with his father and play.

In his early years, he would spend time with his dad's famous friends including Brooks & Dunn, Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire, who collaborated with Thomas and Lady A’s Hillary Scott on his single, 'Be A Light'.

Thomas briefly attended Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee before dropping out of college aged 20 to pursue a career in music. He subsequently inked a publishing deal with Big Machine Label Group.

In early 2012, he released his first music as an artist, but it wasn’t until his third single, 'It Goes Like This', that he had a Top 5 radio hit. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Thomas Rhett performing with Reba McEntire

How many albums does he have?

Thomas has released seven studio albums, with his seventh album 'About A Woman' released in August 2024. Thomas' debut album, 'It Goes Like This' was released in 2013 followed by 'Tangled Up' (2015), 'Life Changes' (2017), 'Center Point Road' (2019), 'Country Again: Side A' (2021) and 'Where We Started' (2022).

His single 'After All The Bars Are Closed' from his seventh album 'About A Woman' went to Number 1 in the Country Airplay chart after its release in August 2024 — becoming the 24th of his songs to do so.

His sixth studio album ‘Where We Started’ included the singles ‘Slow Down Summer’, ‘Half of Me’ (with Riley Green) and ‘Angels (Don’t Always Have Wings)’, in addition to collaborations with Katy Perry, Riley Green, Tyler Hubbard and Russell Dickerson. In the US, the album reached Number 2 on the US Top Country Albums chart.

Also in 2022, Thomas released the EP ‘Merry Christmas, Y’all’ in October, which included his versions of four classic Christmas songs.

He then released the greatest hits album ’20 Number Ones’ in September 2023, after his song ‘Half of Me’ became his 20th Number 1 single on the Country Aircheck/MediaBase chart. The album also included the bonus track ‘Mamaw’s House’, which was released as a single in September 2023 and features Morgan Wallen. The track topped the US Country Airplay charts and reached Number 17 on the UK Country Airplay chart.

Does he write his own songs?

After getting his start as a songwriter with his first cuts for big country names such as Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line and Lee Brice, Thomas continues to write most of his own material. He has also teamed up with his father to write, with the duo penning the tracks 'Star of the Show', 'Playing with Fire' and others.

Thomas Rhett winning Entertainer of the Year at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards

What are his biggest hits?

How much time do you have? Thomas has amassed a whopping 24 Number 1 singles on the Country Airplay Charts in his career so far.

'Get Me Some of That' and 'Makes Me Wanna' off his debut album are fun songs that shot to Number 1 back when 'bro country' was still king. But Thomas really found his footing when the genre valued heartfelt love songs from their male stars.

Arguably his first mega hit, the love ballad, 'Die A Happy Man' was written about his wife Lauren, and also starred her in the music video. The song topped the Country Airplay chart for an unprecedented eight weeks.

Thomas' third album, 'Life Changes', took him from a few good songs to country music powerhouse. The record produced three hit singles, 'Craving You' with Maren Morris, 'Unforgettable' and 'Marry Me'. The latter won Thomas a Country Music Association (CMA) Award for Music Video of the Year. If you haven’t seen it, stop what you’re doing and take a look. Fair warning, you may need tissues.

The critically acclaimed, 'Center Point Road' album took Thomas to new heights. Named after a road from his hometown of Hendersonville, Tennessee, it was nominated for Country Album of the Year at the Grammys and even won him the Entertainer of the Year at the ACMs (tied with Carrie Underwood). It spawned the hit singles, 'Look What God Gave Her' and 'Beer Can’t Fix', featuring Jon Pardi.

Who is Thomas Rhett married to?

Thomas and wife Lauren Akins’ love story is like a country love song itself - no wonder he is such a good songwriter! Thomas and Lauren have known each other since the first grade (about six-years-old). As they grew up, the pair became close friends, and even dated for a brief period of time in high school. But it wasn’t the right time and went back to being friends.

Both Thomas and Lauren moved on and almost ended up marrying other people, but he never quite got over Lauren. One day, he confided in Lauren's dad — the families remained close.

"Her dad called me and said, 'If you don't come over here tonight and tell Lauren how you feel about her, then I'm going to tell her how you feel about her,'" Thomas told CBS This Morning. Six months later, the couple were engaged.

Thomas and Lauren are heavily involved with the charity, 147 Million Orphans aims to counter the global orphan crisis. The organisation also led the couple to their daughter Willa Gray, who they adopted from Uganda. Lauren, who is now a member of the charity's Board of Directors, first met the little girl while she was in the country traveling with 147.

“I called Thomas one of the first nights I met her in Uganda and told him about her,” Lauren told Us Weekly. “Without hesitation he said, ‘Bring her home. She is ours. We are going to make this happen.’”

Along with Willa Gray, Thomas and Lauren are also parents to daughter Ada James, who was born in August 2017, Lennon Love, who arrived in February 2019, Lillie Carolina, who was born in November 2021 and youngest son, Brave Elijah, who was born in February 2026.

What awards has he won?

Thomas was named Entertainer of the Year along with Carrie Underwood at the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards, where he's also been named Male Artist of the Year three times.

He won the Male Artist of the Year award at the 2021 Academy of Country Music Awards, and his song ‘Country Again’ was nominated for Best Country Song at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Is he going on tour?

Thomas is supporting Luke Combs on his 'My Kinda Saturday Night Tour' in July and August 2026, visiting London's Wembley Stadium.

He has ventured across the pond a handful of times, notably on the C2C: Country to Country Festival stage in 2016 and 2023, and when his 2018 Life Changes tour came to the UK.

Take a look at some of the country tours to look forward to:

The Ballad of Johnny and June - March-September 2026

A musical celebrating the life of Johnny Cash and his second wife June Carter Cash is touring the UK this year, performing hits from both artists, including 'Ring of Fire', 'I Walk the Line', 'Jackson', 'Hey Porter' and 'I've Been Everywhere'.
'The Ballad of Johnny and June' is underway now, and will continue until 19th September, visiting theatres across the country.


Buy tickets here

Tucker Wetmore - April 2026

Tucker Wetmore will be gracing the UK with FOUR tour dates in April 2026, performing in Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London. The singer, best known for 'Wine Into Whiskey', 'Wind Up Missin' You' and '3, 2, 1', released his debut album 'What Not To' in April 2025 - which peaked at Number 4 on the US Country charts. He also performed at the incredible Country 2 Country Festival in March 2025, sharing the bill with the likes of Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley and Cody Johnson.

Highways Festival - May 2026

Highways Festival will return to the Royal Albert Hall in May 2026, with a huge line-up on the bill. Jon Pardi, Carly Pearce and Emmylou Harris will headline, joined by Corey Kent, Kaitlin Butts and more from 15th-17th May.


Buy tickets here

Garth Brooks 2026 - June 2026

Performing in the UK for the first time in three decades, country star Garth Brooks will headline BST Hyde Park in the summer. Known for putting on huge productions, Garth will take to the iconic stage on 27th June 2026, supported by soulful country singer Ashley McBryde and Zac Brown Band.


Buy tickets here!

Zach Bryan - June 2026

Zach Bryan will bring 'With Heaven On Tour' on to UK for four dates in the summer. From Friday 12th June, he'll begin the UK leg in Liverpool, before heading through Edinburgh and London, concluding on Wednesday 17th June. He'll be supported by Dijon and Fey Fili.


Buy tickets here

StateFayre - June 2026

A brand new festival celebrating Americana, rock and barbecue will come to Chelmsford in the summer. Headlined by Kings of Leon, Alanis Morissette and The Lumineers, the festival will also feature Max McNown, The Black Crowes, Skunk Anansie, Kingfishr, Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton, Counting Crows, Amble, Dylan Gossett, Sierra Ferrell and more.


Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts were set to headline, but Neil announced in February that he would be cancelling his tour and festival performance.


Buy tickets here

Shania Twain supporting Harry Styles - June-July 2026

Shania Twain will support Harry Styles during his record-breaking Wembley Stadium residency this summer. They'll perform from 12th June to 4th July as part of Harry's 'Together Together' tour.

Country on the Common - July 2026

Country music festival Country on the Common will take place this summer in London. Returning for its second year, the festival will feature Seasick Steve, Cody Penington, Kezia Gill, Elles Bailey, Harleymoon Kemp and many more acts. It will take place on the weekend of the 4th and 5th July.

Buy tickets here

Luke Combs - July/August 2026

Luke Combs will bring his 'My Kinda Saturday Night Tour' to the UK in the summer of 2026, visiting London and Edinburgh for a total of five dates between 24th July and 2nd August. He'll be joined by special guests Thomas Rhett, Ty Myers and The Castellows in Wembley, and The Teskey Brothers, Ty Myers and The Castellows in Edinburgh.

The Long Road Festival 2026 - August

August Bank Holiday 2026 will see the return of the three-day The Long Road Festival — celebrating the music, lifestyle and influences of Country! From Friday 28th-Sunday 30th August 2026, the festival returns to Stanford Hall estate in Leicestershire with a range of incredible artists across the five stages. The first headliner has been announced as Bailey Zimmerman, who will be taking to the stage on the Saturday night, with Josh Ross and Kezia Gill later added to the bill.


Buy tickets here!

Bailey Zimmerman - August-September 2026

Bailey Zimmerman has announced four UK dates for his 'Different Night, Same Rodeo' tour coming up in August and September. The singer's second album 'Different Night Same Rodeo' was released in 2025 and featured his hits 'Holy Smokes', 'Backup Plan' featuring Luke Combs and 'Chevy Silverado'.

Megan Moroney - September-October 2026

Megan Moroney is set to tour later in 2026, in support of her third album 'Cloud 9'. The 'Am I Okay?' singer will wrap up her international tour with a stint here in the UK and Ireland, visiting Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow. It'll take place from 26th September-1st October.


Buy tickets here

Brandi Carlile - October

Brandi will be bringing 'The Human Tour - 2026' to the UK, starting in Manchester on 18th October, before travelling to Glasgow and London, finishing on 21st October. She will be supported by KT Tunstall at her UK shows.

Cody Johnson - October-November 2026

Cody Johnson will be heading to the UK as part of his 2026 tour, in October. He'll perform in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Glasgow from 24th October to the 2nd November. He'll be supported by Parker McCollum and Emily Ann Roberts.


Buy tickets here

Brothers Osborne - December 2026

Brothers Osborne will support The Darkness on their December 2026 UK tour, visiting seven arenas. From Tuesday 8th, they'll head to Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Cardiff, Brighton and London, concluding on 16th.


Buy tickets here

C2C Country To Country - March 2027

Following another hugely successful year in 2026, C2C Country To Country will return in 2027, over the weekend of 12th-14th March.
C2C will take place at London The O2, Glasgow OVO Hydro and Manchester AO Arena.


Buy tickets here!

Now read:

Luke Combs: The country star's career highlights so far

Luke Bryan: Everything you need to know about country music's busiest star

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