Chase Rice Might Still Perform Some Of His “Bro Country” Hits, But He’s Done Chasing Trends: “I Was Making Records Anyone Could Make”

Chase Rice isn’t running away from his past… he just prefers to focus on his future.

If you were to go see Chase Rice in concert, you’ll likely hear him play some of his biggest hits such as “Eyes on You,” “Gonna Wanna Tonight,” and “Ready Set Roll.” Rice also won’t shy away from playing “Cruise,” the Florida Georgia Line song that he helped pen in 2011. In fact, the singer said in a recent interview that because he had so much success early on, he thought there wasn’t much to making hit songs:

“I remember telling a friend, ‘Damn, country music is the easiest thing I’ve ever done.’ And it wasn’t.”

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 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 set to release on September 19, and the two singles that have sent out ahead of it – “Two Tone Trippin'” and “Circa 1943” have already gotten a lot of praise.

And it’s all thanks to the shift that he’s made in his career. It might not be as lucrative as his “Bro Country” era, but now Chase Rice is truly fulfilled through the music that he brings to life:

“I was making records anyone could make. Now I’m making MY records… I was done with mainstream country music and chasing trends. I wanted to write stories. This is a whole new ballgame. It’s just me and a guitar. It’s very raw and real in that way. It’s me to a T.”

If you haven’t given some of his new stuff a chance yet, make sure to check out the two singles from Rice’s forthcoming Eldora album below:

“Two Tone Trippin’ (Feat. Wyatt McCubbin)”

“Circa 1943”

The post Chase Rice Might Still Perform Some Of His “Bro Country” Hits, But He’s Done Chasing Trends: “I Was Making Records Anyone Could Make” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.