Thomas Rhett said teaming up with Niall Horan for stadium shows at GEODIS Park is the next move for a “stadium year,” building on a friendship and prior collaborations. He discussed the surprise origins of “Ain’t A Bad Life,” his packed 2026 road plans, and wh
Minutes before Thomas Rhett stepped to the microphone at GEODIS Park, the country star stood in a tan vest and blue shirt overlooking the stadium—already talking like the lights were about to hit.
He was there to announce a hometown stadium show with Niall Horan as part of a summer kickoff tied to the FIFA World Cup. The breeze moved through the open space outside the venue, and when he spoke about what comes next, it was clear this “stadium year” isn’t just a marketing slogan. It’s a pivot.
Rhett’s upcoming stadium dates will include two shows at GEODIS Park and Hersheypark Stadium. His plan is simple: each artist performs his own set, then they join for a special 30-minute encore together—an ending designed so “half of the stadium” is built around Niall fans and “half” around his own.
Horan said the crossover between country and pop won’t be forced—it’ll be powered by friendship. “I’ve known Niall for 10 years now. ” Rhett said. describing their connection as something that clicked quickly through mutual friends and years spent crossing paths in the music industry. He and Horan are also “golfing buddies. ” both “just” enjoying life in each other’s orbit while their careers keep rising.
Horan, a former One Direction star, said Rhett’s success never changed the way he carried himself. “My first impression of Thomas was just that he was a gent straight away,” he said. “Such a nice. grounded man. especially considering the success he’s had in country music. the amount of hit songs he’s written. and the shows he’s played.”.
The stadium collaboration also builds on work they’ve already done together. They previously teamed up on a revamped version of Rhett’s song “Old Tricks,” with Rhett saying it’s “likely to make the setlist” when they take the stage.
For Rhett, the partnership fits the way he makes music—bringing other voices in when it happens naturally. He said that’s been his pattern with collaborations, including the story behind his latest project, “About a Woman (Deluxe).”
“Ain’t A Bad Life,” featuring Jordan Davis, is among the tracks tied to his latest run. Rhett described a moment from the Arkansas woods that began as something informal. With Davis—“Die a Happy Man” singer Jordan Davis—Rhett said they pressed play on a track Rhett had written years earlier while taking a break from duck hunting. They were both dressed head to toe in camo gear, drinking coffee and eating bacon.
When the song ended, Davis asked about its future. Rhett recalled the question as a kind of artistic instinct: “That’s an artist way of saying like, can I record it,” he said. Rhett told Davis, “I loved it so much that I was just like, well, you can’t have it. But we should do it together.”
That moment turned “Ain’t A Bad Life” into a collaboration that would eventually top the Mediabase/Country Aircheck chart and mark a milestone in Rhett’s career: Rhett’s 25th No. 1 song.
The track joins “Beautiful As You” and “After All the Bars Are Closed” as the third No. 1 from the latest project, “About a Woman (Deluxe).” Rhett also pointed to the broader momentum of hits including “Die a Happy Man,” “Life Changes,” “Craving You” and “What’s Your Country Song.”
He said collaborations often don’t begin with a radio plan. “Just like so many of my collabs, they never were recorded to be singles,” he said. “They never were recorded to be on the radio. They were recorded because it just organically happened that way.”
That focus on “organic” also shows up in how Horan talked about the stadium format. He said fans already know they’re “genuinely good mates,” and that it will create an atmosphere where the room understands why the show matters.
Rhett said his thinking about stadium moments has been shaped by watching Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.” He pointed to “one song that she did in the middle of her show that no one thought she was going to play. ” saying that for diehard fans—people who have seen an artist “five times. 10 times. 15 times”—there has to be something that speaks directly to them.
Rhett is carrying that mindset into a packed schedule. He said he has already opened shows for Morgan Wallen, and he’s set to join Luke Combs for three nights at Wembley Stadium in London, marking his return to the U.K. stage.
“So this is a stadium year for us,” he said.
While the tour plans stack up, his personal timeline has moved forward too. In late February, Rhett and his wife Lauren Akins welcomed their boy, Brave Elijah Akins. Rhett said the baby was born nearly two weeks early, weighing almost 10 pounds. The couple is now raising five children: Willa Gray, Ada James, Lennon Love, Lillie Carolina and their newborn son.
Rhett said the reality of fatherhood adds urgency to the way he shows up—especially with touring. “I have eight summers left with my oldest child, which is like so sad to think about,” he said. “But also like might as well make the daggone best of it while she’s under my roof.”
For him, balance doesn’t come from trying to split attention evenly between life and work. It’s about being fully there wherever he is. “I don’t know that I believe in balance anymore,” he said. “I think that when you are at the thing that you’re at, you got to be fully present there. That’s my balance.”.
At home, those moments lead to conversations that can feel like the future happening in real time. Rhett said his children talk about big goals. “They were like, because we want to be CEOs one day,” he said. He described Willa Gray’s plan: “Willa Gray was like. I’m going to move to Paris and I’m going to own my own clothing line and I’m going to be a worldwide known designer.”.
He said all five children are growing up around music. much like he did as the son of Rhett Akins. and he believes they already show their own direction. “Ada James, my eight-year-old, has already kind of voiced that she wants to do this,” Rhett said. He described how she can sit down and figure out what keys make sense on the piano. and how she comes up with “clever rhymes” while making up songs in the back of the car.
Even in his work, the personal and the professional keep colliding. Rhett said his phone’s notes app scrolls with thousands of titles, fragments and lyrical ideas. He said some sit for years; others become hits.
Among his career favorites, he pointed to “Life Changes,” a song he said continues to embody each season he’s in. “I think when I’m like 65 years old, I’ll be able to look back and be like, ‘Man, that was a super pivotal moment for me, not only in my career, but in my life and in my family too.’”
Rhett also said his instincts don’t always chase what would become an obvious radio single. He said he gravitates toward songs he’s proud of. even when they may not look like they were built for broadcast. His approach. he said. is what has helped make him a hitmaker—writing from personal place while still reaching a universal audience.
He described how overworking can turn into self-doubt. “I could sit there and overanalyze a song or overanalyze a second verse or overanalyze a bridge until I’m blue in the face. ” he said. “Sometimes I’ll just work on it so hard that I end up just like hating the song. That’s why I’m grateful for people in my life that kind of go, ‘Buddy, this is good. It’s done. It’s finished.’”.
Even with a career built on hits and collaborations, Rhett said there’s still one name he’d love to land. “Bruno Mars is it for me,” he said. “If we could do a song together, I would quit the next day.”
The rhythm of his year—new music, major stages, and the everyday surprises of a growing family—doesn’t look like it’s about slowing down. It looks like it’s about choosing the right moment to be fully present, then letting the spotlight find him there.
Thomas Rhett Niall Horan GEODIS Park Hersheypark Stadium country music stadium tour FIFA World Cup Jordan Davis Ain't A Bad Life About a Woman (Deluxe) Life Changes Morgan Wallen Luke Combs Wembley Stadium Bruno Mars Lauren Akins