Chase Rice

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Chase Rice Bio

"I think now is the beginning of it all."

Chase Rice is headed south through snowy mountain highways, winding his way home to his Tennessee farm. He's readying for the release of The Album Part I, his anticipated new seven-song set. It's an exciting time. But a beginning? Coming from a star who's already earned Platinum songs and a No. 1 single – plus a record-breaking, Diamond-certified No. 1 as a songwriter – the claim is puzzling.

Until you hear the new music.

Singing sleek rhymes over heartland six strings and keys mixed with EDM-laced drama, The Album Part I is the same gravely-voiced Chase Rice fans first fell in love with years ago – but better. Freer. Unbeholden and uninhibited, somehow capable of evoking Chris LeDoux and The Chronic, campfire singalongs and stadium anthems, all at once. "If you just keep going and keep going, you eventually figure out what you want to say with your songs and how you want to say it," Rice says. "It's crazy to say, but yeah. I think this is the beginning of my entire career." 

Rice first climbed charts as a co-writer of Florida Georgia Line's monster hit "Cruise," the historic 24-week No. 1 that perched atop the Billboard Hot Country Chart longer than any other song in the chart's then-69-year history. In 2014, Rice broke through as an artist: Ignite the Night yielded Top 5 singles "Ready, Set, Roll" and "Gonna Wanna Tonight," which he followed in 2017 with the acclaimed Lambs & Lions before ultimately earning his first No. 1 single as an artist, 2019's two-week chart-topper "Eyes On You."

"I feel like we should have been in arenas three years go," Rice says. "I believe that's where it was headed." But that belief in himself and willingness to walk away from a label that no longer fit delayed the prospect of a stadium tour. Three years later, Rice and his music have only benefitted from the extra time. "I think, Whoa, that didn't happen how I planned it at all," he says. "But I wouldn't change it."

Embracing the unexpected has emerged as something of a mantra for Rice, whose life thus far reads like far-flung adventures of a modern-day Hemingway. After growing up on a farm in Fairview, N.C., he played football at the University of North Carolina. A linebacker many expected to reach the NFL, Rice had to abandon those dreams after a devastating injury. "I wasn't the most gifted dude on the team, but when that happens, in order to play – in order to be one of the best – it's all about how hard you work," Chase says. "It's the same with music."

Rice's father encouraged him to pick up the guitar, and he did – first as a comfort, not a career. He joined Hendrick Motorsports' NASCAR pit crew and won two championships with his team before the unconventional beckoned yet again: Rice competed on Survivor: Nicaragua, and walked away with second place. Throughout all of the globetrotting and time in oily trenches, the only constant was music. So when his time in Central America was up, Rice packed and moved to Nashville, determined to put the poetry and melodies increasingly filling up his head to the test.

The Album Part I is the most triumphant reflection of Rice's distinct blend of worldly and American rural experience yet: an exploration of sounds and moods with authentic country roots and bold pop wings. The sexiness and fun fans have come to expect from Rice is still there. He has a way of combining playfulness or even sadness with commitment: A strong vein of being someone else's rock in a variety of ways continues to run through Rice's writing. "That's what life's about, really," he says. "I've had breakups over the last few years, but I don't post about my personal life on social media. You'll just hear about it in my songs. That's the only place where I'll let it out."

Produced by Martin Johnson – frontman/producer of Boys Like Girls and new wavers The Night Game – album opener "American Nights" plants a flag in eclectic new territory. Over claps, "Heys!," instrumental waves and anchoring piano, Rice tells individual American stories in a celebration of diversity. "That's the first thing Martin and I have ever done together, and I'm really excited to see what we can do moving forward," Rice says. "He's insanely smart with music. It's a different approach than we've ever taken."

Lead single "Lonely if You Are," produced by Rice together with frequent collaborator Chris DeStefano, kicks off with plaintive solo acoustic guitar before launching into a promise to "love the lonely right out of you." Hard-driving "Everywhere," produced by Zachary Kale, captures the inescapability of fresh heartbreak, while nostalgic "In The Car," another DeStefano track, offers a sweet and sultry ode to young love.

Breathlessly happy and punctuated by percussive crashes and background vocals, "Best Night Ever" (DeStefano) rolls through a vivid picture of the perfect night. Rice points to the track as a favorite. "It seems so elementary––'the best night ever,' but that's what that night was," he says. "I was on my farm, and the story of the song happened."

Layered over gorgeous guitar, "Messy" (DeStefano) is an acknowledgement and a vow, quiet and strong. "Everybody wants The Notebook," Rice says. "They think that was perfection. But that's not what that story was about at all. Those two were messed up – they went through ups and downs. 'Messy' is about real life. That perfection you want isn't real." He then points to moving album closer "Forever To Go," produced by Casey Brown, as one of his proudest moments on the record and a highlight for other early listeners as well. A celebration of love found and cherished, the song is also a standout vocal performance from Rice, whose gritty tenor conveys warmth and steely determination.

Ultimately, Rice hopes every listener enjoys each song for exactly what it is. Proud of his distinct path but focused most on what's next, he is enjoying the unique gift of growing artistically while still connecting with the fans who have been there from the beginning. "Now I know what I want to say. Now I know how I want to say it. This music I'm about to put out is by far the best music I've ever made," Rice says. "Now's our time. It's about to get real fun."

"Lonely If You Are" by Chase Rice
Taken From "The Album, Part I" - Available Now!