Chase Rice Reveals ‘Full-Circle’ Conversation With Taylor Swift

Chase Rice had a summer to remember — partly because of Taylor Swift.

While attending Travis Kelce’s Tight End University event in June, Rice, 40, was able to thank Swift, 35, for her support of the song he wrote titled “Cruise.”

“I actually walked up to her and just said bye to Travis and her, and she said, ‘Well, can you sit down for 10?’” Rice recalled to Us Weekly before the Friday, September 19, release of his album Eldora. “I looked at her. I said, ‘I got to write with Lori McKenna tomorrow. No, I’m going home.’ And she said, ‘Oh, my God, I love Lori McKenna.’ Luckily, I changed my mind.”

What came next was a candid 45-minute conversation about a topic both parties are extremely passionate about.

“We just talked music, and I talked to her about ‘Crusie’ and it was a really, really full-circle moment that was cool,” he recalled. “While I’m talking to her, she just has this way about her that’s like, ‘OK, you’re not talking to Taylor Swift the superstar. You’re just talking to Taylor,’ and that’s what it was. It was really, really cool to just all of a sudden sit down as just friends, not music people, even though we’re talking music.”

Rice helped write “Cruise” before it was recorded by Florida Georgia Line in 2012. It became one of the country music duo’s biggest hits of their career.

When the song was first gaining traction nearly 14 years ago, Rice said Swift expressed her support by tweeting about it. After all these years, he remains grateful.

“It was just two people talking about music and what we love, and just being friends for the first time in our lives,” Rice added about his chat with the Grammy winner. “She was a big part of my career early on with that song and blowing it up, and it was a good moment to sit there and thank her for that.”

This summer, Rice was also able to finalize his highly anticipated new album titled Eldora.

In just one short week, the country singer wrote and recorded 12 songs in the quiet solitude of Eldora, Colorado. The finished product, Rice said, could be the best album he’s ever made.

“Early on in my career, I was lost. I didn’t know what I was doing,” he explained to Us. “I didn’t know who I was as a man or as an artist. I was just putting out whatever is popular, if I’m being honest. …  With this album, I really want to write stories, and that’s what we did. Nothing’s overthought. We’ve got the songwriting process locked in, and that’s why it turned into what I believe is my best record ever made.”

With his album being released the same day as his 40th birthday, Rice also explained that his focus in life has shifted to be less about partying and more on “health and wealth.”

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As he embarks on the next chapter of his life with his Black labrador Jack, he’s more than pumped at what’s to come.

“I’m not the party guy anymore,” he said. “You don’t come to my shows to just have a huge party. You come to my shows to listen to great stories and great music. Hopefully people understand that, and it continues to grow my world as a songwriter and musician.”

For more about Rice’s new album, pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.