Thomas Rhett's Children Set the Bar for His Music: 'Does It Bop or Does It Not?'

Published: June 20, 2025

Country superstar Thomas Rhett is gearing up for new music this summer, and his children are playing a big role in shaping his new sound. In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Rhett reveals that his daughters, Willa Gray, Ava James, Lennon Love, are his toughest critics.

"It's this funny balance of how much am I trying to impress my kids compared to how much am I trying to make sure that my fans actually like my music," he jokes. "It's been a fun record-making process to thread that needle of like, man, my kids do like this, but I also think that my fans are really going to love this song or this album."

Rhett's kids are already showing their own opinions on music. "Willa Gray, my oldest, is now starting to understand, okay, this is a really well-written song, but my other three are like, does it bop or does it not? That is the only standard. Can I dance to it or am I asking you to skip it?" he says.

As Rhett prepares to release new music in July and August, his children will likely have a say in what makes the final cut. The country star is also gearing up for two special shows at Fontainebleau on October 3 and 4. (Tickets went on sale Friday.)

In other news, Rhett is also recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered in April during a surprise appearance at Forrest Frank's Nashville concert. "It's better than I thought it would be, but it's still probably at 80%," he said of the recovery. "After these shows, I'm jumping around in cowboy boots, and I come straight back to the bus and ice it for 30 minutes. So it feels better than I thought it would, but it's still kind of a lingering pain."

Ironically, his wife Lauren Akins also sprained her ankle six weeks before Rhett did. "Her sprain was worse than mine, and so even when I was doing physical therapy, she was like, 'Why are you doing PT?' I'm like, 'Because that's what normal people do. People do physical therapy.' She's so stubborn that she was like, 'Well, I'm going to do it on my own.' She's doing great, though, but it's just so funny that we both sprained our ankles badly within six weeks of each other."

Read more about Thomas Rhett's music and family in the latest issue of PEOPLE.

Thomas Rhett's children are already showing their own opinions on music. "Willa Gray, my oldest, is now starting to understand, okay, this is a really well-written song, but my other three are like, does it bop or does it not? That is the only standard. Can I dance to it or am I asking you to skip it?" he says.

Thomas Rhett is gearing up for new music this summer, and his children are playing a big role in shaping his new sound.

Read more about Thomas Rhett's music and family in the latest issue of PEOPLE.

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Thomas Rhett is heading back to Las Vegas for two shows this fall. The country star is releasing new music this summer as his Better in Boots tour makes its way around the country.

Thomas Rhett tells PEOPLE he's "80%" recovered from his April ankle sprain

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