“When I got in the studio my sole job on this song was trying to not sound terrible up next to how awesomeDanielle’s voiceis,” Thomas Rhett, 28, tells PEOPLE.
“I truly believe that Danielle is literally one of the best singers that I have ever heard in my entire existence. So when I got on that song, there was a part of me that was going, ‘Do I sing this verse down in my register or do I try to copy Danielle’s melody on the second verse?'”
Although they opted for a harmonizing melody, Thomas Rhett says it was “one of the hardest times for me in the studio — trying to keep up with how amazing of a vocalist she is.”
Rick Diamond/Getty
The longtime friends are no stranger tomusical collaborations, and are often quick to compliment each other on the different dynamics they each bring to the table. Bradbery featured on Thomas Rhett’s 2015 albumTangled Up,when they sang a duet called “Playing with Fire,” and that’s when they learned the true chemistry their voices had.
“It sounds awesome,” Bradbery, 22, tells PEOPLE of her new single. “When we did ‘Playing with Fire’ a lot of people were like, ‘Oh, y’all’s voices sound awesome together’ and I agree. I love singing with him.”
“I’ve known Danielle for so long [and I’ve gotten to] watch her grow into this amazing artist that she is today,” Thomas Rhett says. “Her voice absolutely kills me and I’m just honored to be a very small part of this song.”
However, Thomas Rhett’s association with the song is more organic than just collaborating in the recording studio. The “Die a Happy Man” singer actually co-wrote the track with his father,Rhett Akinsin April 2017. Initially, the song was titled “Hello Summer” and was meant to have a male lead.
Big Machine Records
“It’s a pulling into a beach town or a lake town or the middle of nowhere town and seeing that person,” Thomas Rhett tells PEOPLE. “You’re like, ‘Oh my gosh we’re both single and we’re immediately drawn to each other even though I’m from Tennessee and she’s from Michigan. We’re just going to spend the next like three months hanging out with each other.'”
“He pulled into that parking lot with them out of state tags / I fell in love before he unpacked his bags,” Bradbery sings in the song’s opening verse.
“Most of the time when you part ways from a summer fling you never know what’s going to happen after that,” Thomas Rhett says. “That’s the emotion of the song to me and that’s where the idea stemmed from.”
WATCH THIS: Thomas Rhett Explains His Stanky Leg Performance with Brett Eldredge
When Bradbery first heard the track, she fell in love with it, but “lived with the song for a while” before knowing she would cut it for her album.
“It was cool because without knowing what was going to happen to it, I still wanted to listen to it in my car or jam to it when I’m cleaning my house,” Bradbery says. “It was such a fun song. It was so catchy and the story was really cool.”
“At first it was a guy’s song, then it was a girl’s song, and now it’s both,” Thomas Rhett says. “The song finally found its place and found a home.”
He jokes, “I hope for my sake that I did the song justice! I hope when people hear it they love our voices blended together.”
source: people.com
