Country singer Chase Rice performs at Meadow Event Park on Saturday, July 16. (Photo by Mike Lerner)
Country music singer Chase Rice does not seem to stray from the spotlight, whether it’s playing linebacker for the University of North Carolina, working in the pit crew for NASCAR’s Hendrick Motorsports or stirring up drama by surprising an ex-girlfriend with his performance on 24th season of “The Bachelor” in 2020. Beginning his music path in college, the gruff-voiced singer-songwriter released his most recent work, “The Album,” in 2021 and has sold more than 2.2 million copies and earned more 2.1 billion streams during his career.
Rice comes to town on Saturday, July 16, as part of the After Hours concert series at Meadow Event Park. As he made his way to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to perform for the troops, we spoke with Rice about his process for creating music, his past experiences and what’s to come.
Richmond magazine: You shared that your faith has been important in getting through the past couple years, as well as unplugging from social media. Share a little more about that with me, and talk about your process for creating your forthcoming album.
Chase Rice: I had spent about a decade straight on the road before we were all forced to take a break from touring, so it was a big mental adjustment to lose your way of making a living overnight and having to adjust to that new normal. For me, eliminating the unnecessary distractions and focusing on the relationships that matter — with God, with my family, with my friends — was really important. Now that we’re back on the road and I’m working on new music, I’m in a better place personally than I’ve ever been throughout my career, which has a huge impact on the music.
RM: Tell me about how your past school and work experiences affected your music, from going to school with fellow country star Luke Combs to having a career-ending injury at UNC playing football and being a member of Ryan Newman’s pit crew.
Rice: Luke Combs was actually a few years behind me, so we weren’t in school together, but we both grew up in that same area of North Carolina, playing football and loving country music. I think that way of life comes through for both of us in our music. The difference is that I was focused on football as a career — music was something that came later for me. It wasn’t until an injury ended my football dreams and I lost my dad that I really turned to playing guitar and writing songs, which turned into a new dream for me.
RM: What can we expect from you next?
Rice: We’re wrapping up my next album now, and it’s my favorite project I’ve ever done. I wrote a lot of these songs during trips with friends or completely on my own, instead of the usual Music Row writing sessions, and then I worked with [musician and songwriter] Oscar Charles to turn my house into a recording studio where we set up camp and recorded them in a really raw, authentic way. We’ve been playing some of the new music in our live shows, and the fans seem to love it as much as I do, so I can’t wait to share even more soon.
Chase Rice performs at Meadow Event Park on Saturday, July 16; showtime is 6 p.m. Tickets are $26 to $99. afterhoursconcertseries.com
