This Wednesday night, Thomas Rhett will be honored as one of CMT’s Artists of the Year, for a second year in a row. The honor recognizes those who have had the biggest impact on country music over the past year, and when Thomas thinks about that, and the fact that he’s nominated for a People’s Choice Award and two CMA Awards, he says, “It’s just weird. I think looking back at my 19-year-old self, that never in a million years thought that I wanted to be an artist, and I wanted to stay in Nashville and just write songs, to where we’re at now is all a God thing to me.”
While there may have been some bumps along the way to getting to where his career is today, Thomas says, “Every decision that we made and every tour I said yes to, every tour I said no to, every song I did cut, every song I didn’t cut, I think it was all part of some crazy plan that … I don’t know where it’s gonna lead, but I’m really just trying to live in 2019, in the present.”
Thomas’ New Year’s resolution for 2019 was to live in the present instead of always being focused on “what’s next.” So as he contemplates the honors and the nominations that he’s received as this year nears the end, he says, “Those accolades and stuff, that’s just mind blowing to me, and I feel very humbled by it and just feel like this is incredible.”
The CMT Artists of the Year special will air Wednesday night at 8pm ET/7pm CT on CMT. The winner of Country Artist of the Year for the E!’s People’s Choice Awards will be announced on November 10th. Then Thomas will find out if he can take home his third, fourth and fifth CMA trophies as artist and producer for Album of the Year for Center Point Road, and for Male Vocalist of the Year, when the CMA Awards air live from Nashville on November 13th at 8pm ET/7pm CT, on ABC.
Thomas Rhett – CMA Artist of the Year :32
“It’s just weird. I think looking back at my 19-year-old self, that never in a million years thought that I wanted to be an artist, and I wanted to stay in Nashville and just write songs, to where we’re at now is all a God thing to me. Every decision that we made and every tour I said yes to, every tour I said no to, every song I did cut, every song I didn’t cut, I think it was all part of some crazy plan that … I don’t know where it’s gonna lead, but I’m really just trying to live in 2019, in the present. And so, those accolades and stuff, that’s just mind blowing to me, and I feel very humbled by it and just feel like this is incredible.”