Chase Rice has officially put his “Bro Country” era behind him.
The country music artist got his start during what one could call the peak of “Bro Country.” Rice was actually a crucial part of the rise of that genre, considering he co-wrote “Cruise” with Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line.
Though it was a successful part of his career, Rice has historically been very open about how it wasn’t all that fulfilling. And when he sat down with the Whiskey Riff Raff last year, he had no problem talking about his “Bro Country” past:
“It was an interesting route for my whole career. I just randomly listened last night to an album I put out in 2012 called ‘Dirt Road Communion.’ And it wasn’t great, but there were signs of, ‘I’m just doing what I’m doing.’
Right around that time is when we wrote ‘Cruise,’ and ‘Cruise’ is the biggest blessing and curse that I could have asked for. We were in there, write it, it blows up and I’m like, ‘F**k, this is cool.’ And that was when Bro Country became a thing. Love it or hate it, it was a thing. And it was huge.”
Admittedly, it was a thing.
In case you’ve missed it (and considering Rice’s comments, most people have), Chase Rice has changed his sound a bit since the early 2010’s. His last two albums – I Hate Cowboys and All Dogs Go to Hell and Go Down Singin – have been critically acclaimed and have showcased a move for Rice into more honest, authentic storytelling. The only problem? Both projects have been oddly looked over, as he told People:
“That has been the frustrating part of the last two years because it’s the best music I’ve ever made. But the masses haven’t heard it. They don’t know it exists. So how do we get people to really believe what I’m doing? And the short answer for me is just keep doing it.”
Rice continues to power ahead and is choosing to focus on more personal, authentic projects – like his most recent Fireside Sessions project. The country singer also has a new album on the way called Eldora, which he describes as “mostly story songs” that are inspired by his time spent out in Colorado (it’s supposed to come out “later this year”).
Despite the frustration of fans not flocking to his new records, Rice would probably be the first to tell you that he finally feels like he’s on the right track career-wise. He’s setting out to make music that’s genuine and authentic to himself, and that’s ultimately changed his definition of success. He even told People that he believes the music he is making now is more hit-worthy than the poppier tracks of his past:
“It keeps me wondering why that is what people want to hear, as opposed to the more quality, better music that I’m making now? I don’t have an answer for that, but I’m not going to go back to what I was doing. This is who I am.”
Why would the country star go back if he’s more fulfilled creating music now than ever before?
Funny enough, there’s actually one moment that the country music singer remembers that inspired him to stop chasing what was popular, or what the radio was playing. This one, singular moment – which birthed I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell and Go Down Singin’ – might as well have marked the death of his “Bro Country” era.
Rice said that his “ah-ha moment” for making the stylistic switch to more genuine songwriting came to him during a random-yet-impactful conversation:
“I was talking to somebody about that out in Utah, and she said it, and I said, ‘Damn, I’m using that.’ It’s such a well thought-out thought. She said, ‘It sounds like you don’t want to be well-known, you want to be known-well.’ And I was like, ‘Sh*t, that was well said.’ That would be it.”
You can hear more from the country star in our sit down with Chase Rice on the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast:
Also, check out Chase’s tour dates on Vivid Seats, the only platform that gives you free tickets just for going to concerts.
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