Finishing just shy of the $1 million prize during 2010’s Survivor: Nicaragua, Chase Rice had another trick up his sleeve. In 2012, he co-wrote the Florida Georgia Line hit “Cruise”—a song widely credited with establishing the “bro-country” genre that dominated the 2010s. And after releasing two albums of his own, the North Carolina-born artist hit No. 1 himself in 2019 with “Eyes on You.” Now, after a nearly two-decade career, Chase Rice recently announced that he will step back from performing for an unspecified time period. And in a new interview with Rolling Stone published Thursday (Jan. 15), the “I Hate Cowboys” singer, 40, shares how he knew it was time for a break.
“Everything Felt Wrong”: When Chase Rice Knew He Needed a Break
First of all, Chase Rice wants to make it very clear that this is a break from touring—not music. While he will “probably never tour like I did again,” the country singer is by no means done for good.
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“Creatively, I’m planning on writing my ass off,” Rice told Rolling Stone. “There won’t be an album this year, I know that. But I’m really looking forward to slowing down, seeing what we can create.”
The “Three Chords & the Truth” crooner was on the road for much of last year, kicking off his Go Down Singin’ International Tour last May. By September, though, as the tour was winding down, Rice felt like something was off.
“I was elk hunting, and I just really didn’t want to go back,” he recalled, adding, “Throughout the fall, I kept doing shows, but I was like, ‘This is not right. I’m not excited to get onstage anymore.’ Everything felt wrong.”
“Zero Plans” To Return to Earlier Sound
After helping usher in the bro-country music, Chase Rice surprised everyone by pivoting to a more traditional sound on his last two albums. That’s here to stay, he says.
“I have zero plans of going back to any of the more pop stuff,” he told Rolling Stone. “I’m going to keep writing the style of music that I make now on a guitar and pray for the best.”
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