Chase Rice has lived a full and well-rounded life earlier than turning 40—and earlier than establishing himself as one among nation music’s hottest voices. Rice’s résumé consists of elite school soccer athlete with NFL aspirations to a actuality TV star—ending runner-up on the hit TV collection Survivor, Nicaragua. Alongside the best way he additionally earned a pair of NASCAR Dash Cup championships as a pit crew member for high driver Jimmie Johnson.
Now the previous North Carolina Tar Heels linebacker’ drops his seventh album, Go Down Singin’, which he calls his greatest work but. This comes after his earlier private fave, the uniquely titled 2023 album I Hate Cowboys and All Canine Go to Hell. Over a decade after he began his pursuit of music greatness, Rice, who simply turned 39, is assured on this newest launch.
“This album is my favourite album I’ve ever achieved,” Rice says, “as a result of it’s actual, it’s private, it’s nice songwriting, it’s storytelling, and it’s nation.”
Rice’s entry into nation music is something however abnormal. As he rehabbed an ankle harm that finally lower his soccer profession quick, Rice turned to the web for DIY guitar classes. After studying a couple of chords, Rice turned a low second of his life (his father had additionally handed away on the time) right into a nation music alternative. Rice has developed right into a profitable singer-songwriter who continues to depend on a hard-nosed work ethic—just like the dedication that helped him earn a beginning spot at UNC. Whether or not it’s shifting up the charts, or maintaining match, Rice is aware of the method going ahead will all the time be a steady grind.
“Different persons are extra gifted than me,” he admits. “Morgan Wallen is a approach higher singer than me. Zach Bryan’s a approach higher poetic songwriter than me… So what can I do higher than [them]? That’s the aggressive aspect of this. However I’m simply making an attempt to be the very best model of me.”
Chase Rice Enjoys the Outside Life
Rice plans a tour within the spring of 2025, throughout that point he’ll even be engaged on songs for his subsequent album. The delay he says is to permit his followers to soak within the album. “I’m going to provide the give individuals time to be taught the album and actually dig into it,” he says.
However whereas he doesn’t hit the weights as typically or intense as he did throughout his enjoying days, Rice, who additionally owns a buffalo ranch exterior of Nashville, does use his time away from the stage to benefit from the outside.
“I’ll be elk looking, deer looking, duck looking with my canine,” he says. “When winter rolls round, I’ll snowboard, and I’ll have time to put in writing plenty of songs.”
One expertise that also stands out to him personally was a rucking journey with famend bow hunter Cameron Hanes, which included carrying a boulder up a mountain. Rice stated Hanes took it straightforward on him, however it was nonetheless one thing he remembers fondly whereas acknowledging how intense it was.
“He’s an absolute animal,” Rice says. “He may’ve smoked me, however he didn’t. Cam’s a superb man. He’s been a giant affect on me.”
Carrying a boulder up North Carolina’s Mount Pisgah was tough, he says, however like each different problem, Rice has discovered methods to regulate and succeed when confronted with sturdy types of adversity. His knowledge might be utilized to each bodily and life challenges.
“You bought to be smarter than all people,” Rice says. “You bought to be work more durable and be smarter than all people.”
He used to use that precept on the gridiron and initially of his music profession, however now he invests extra time and vitality into himself with out concern for out of doors components.
“I simply wish to bust my a** and make the very best music that I could make,” he says. “That’s the one likelihood that I’ve to be the very best artist and the very best person who I might be, and that’s the place I’m at.”
Endlessly a Soccer Mentality
Rice’s hard-nosed mindset was cast partially due to the burden room. He spent plenty of time lifting for his school coach at North Carolina, and every thing had a function—get higher to carry out higher.
“We did plenty of bands, plenty of squats. plenty of energy cleans,” he says. “[Our coach] was huge on fast-twitch muscle tissues. Something we have been doing that was fast and quick, that was large, which I don’t do anymore, and I must get again on.”
Rice now not works with that coach, however he by no means misplaced that fireside for coaching. He began working at a CrossFit fitness center and met the proprietor, who grew to become his coach throughout the pandemic. That coach is now on the highway with Rice and his staff working in a administration place. The exercises contain extra body weight and bands than plates and bars. However the work remains to be difficult and rewarding whereas he maintains a weight of round 205 kilos.
Chase Rice defined, “I’m simply making an attempt to optimize my physique now, versus being a loopy match dude. I simply wish to be in good condition.”
Making ready to get onstage is far totally different than placing on the pads and taking the sphere. However there are nonetheless many individuals watching him do what he does, and he by no means loses sight of that. The primary distinction is as a substitute of making ready his physique for the collisions each down, he’s making ready his voice to encourage and entertain the followers.
“I wish to be optimum whereas I’m up there on stage and be capable of sing and provides the individuals the very best present that I can. So, yeah, it’s a sport day,” he says.
Rice continued by explaining that the mindset is sort of totally different as properly. “Soccer, it was do your job and be an absolute murderer on the defensive aspect of the sphere. That’s the objective. And music is just not that it’s very it’s inventive, it’s feeling, it’s vulnerability, it’s being probably the most actual model of your self.”
Chase Rice is a DIY Nation Music Star
Rice’s expertise on the guitar really got here to him whereas he was recovering from an ankle harm. He began studying from watching YouTube movies, then a good friend confirmed him some chords. These chords finally grew to become part of Florida Georgia Line’s hit tune, Cruise, which grew to become his first No. 1 tune as a co-songwriter. Despite the fact that he’s thriving in nation music, he’s nonetheless a pupil in his thoughts.
“The method remains to be taking place, which is the loopy half, like I’m studying new s*** every single day on these new information.”
His dedication to the method and success he has seen lately goes again to that linebacker mentality—do no matter it takes to win, and don’t take into account another end result.
“I’ve not had a plan B since I began doing this, which is a large a part of it.”
That mentality goes to be useful as Rice enters future levels of his musical profession. He’ss at present a free agent as an artist. He not too long ago ended his file take care of a earlier label and is now exploring selling himself and his music independently. He’s not one for self-promotion however is adjusting to it.
“I logged into TikTok [receently] for the primary time in my life,” he admits
As Rice did on the sphere, within the weight room, and on his boulder-carrying journey with Hanes, the end-goal is what issues, and Rice’s present objective is obvious.
“What’s vital to me is individuals liking my music, coming to exhibits and sing alongside, and us having a superb time.”
Rice’s new album is accessible to pre-order now. You possibly can comply with him on Instagram @chaserice.
