Thomas Rhett Values Music Advice From His Wife Lauren

Thomas Rhett abides by the 'happy wife, happy life' rule when it comes to his lady's opinion on his new music.

Written by Kelly Brickey
Thomas Rhett Values Music Advice From His Wife Lauren
Thomas Rhett, Lauren Akins; Photo by John Shearer/WireImage

Happy wife, happy life or so goes the phrase known by many husbands all around the world. Thankfully, Thomas Rhett abides by such a cliché rule of thumb and it turns out to make for his best music.

Leaning on the support system that his wife creates for him back home, Rhett always looks to her humble opinion when it comes to new songs he’s writing or recording in the studio. She’s always ready to give him her honesty, but sometimes she finds herself a little too attached to the first cut of each song which can lead to quite the conversation between Rhett and his wife.

“I think I’ve learned a lot with Lauren. I’ve learned when to play her song and when not to play her songs. My wife gets the worst case of demo-itis, worse than anybody I’ve ever seen. Demo-itis is basically falling in love with the demo and hating the way that you recorded it on the record,” Rhett Sounds Like Nashville and other media at a recent event. “‘Sixteen’ was one of those songs for her. She hated the way we cut it in the studio, and she made me hate the way we cut it. She has such a pull on the way that I think. What I’ve started to do lately is if I have recorded a song that I feel like is going to be pretty close to what the studio version is going to be, then I’ll play it for her. If in my head I know that the vision of this song is going to change drastically, she’s not allowed to hear it.”

For the most part, Lauren cheers on Rhett in whatever he releases. Being a part of the biographical subjects that the lyrics unravel, she feels a close connection to many of the tracks, including her favorite song, “Sixteen.”

“I think ‘Sixteen’ is her favorite because we knew each other during all those ages. I think it struck a nice chord with her, because she remembers what I was like when I was 16, 18, 21 years old. She was probably at all those birthday parties. I think that’s why that one sticks out to her in her mind,” he explained.

Rhett’s latest album, Life Changes, which just garnered a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album, is out now.