Banding Together: “It’s a Lot More Fun to Make Music With Your Friends,” Says Thomas Rhett

Banding Together: “It’s a Lot More Fun to Make Music With Your Friends,” Says Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett has a fondness for friendly collaboration. The proof is in the production.

For his newly released song, “Be a Light,” TR teamed up with Reba McEntire, Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott, Chris Tomlin and Keith Urban. The bright new tune benefits the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which was created by The Recording Academy to help people in the music industry affected by the pandemic.

“Be a Light” is the latest in a long line of TR tandems. His 2019 studio album, Center Point Road, features three collaborations, including “Center Point Road” with Kelsea Ballerini, “Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time” with Little Big Town and “Beer Can’t Fix” with Jon Pardi. TR’s 2017 album, Life Changes, features his No. 1 duet with Maren Morris, “Craving You,” while his 2015 album, Tangled Up, includes his joint effort with Jordin Sparks, “Playing With Fire.”

As Thomas Rhett told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, “it’s a lot more fun to make music with your friends.”

“I just love when I hear collaborations and I know—based off of Instagram or the internet—that those two people are actually friends in real life,” says Thomas Rhett. “It’s really fun to make music by yourself, but it’s a lot more fun, to me, to make music with your friends . . . I feel like when you actually have a good relationship, they can come into the studio and have a super low-pressure environment, and, I feel like that just makes the song even better.”

photo by NCD