Chase Rice takes Kelly Clarkson’s stage to perform his soul-stirring ‘Hey God It’s Me Again’ and demonstrates how his musical goals and direction have changed over the years. Kelly, looking gorgeous in jewel-toned satin, introduces Chase and shares a comment the 39-year-old singer shared with a reporter, “I want to write songs that are crazy deep and make people think.” ‘Hey God It’s Me Again,’ from Chase’s recent album, ‘Go Down Singin’’, certainly does that!

Low-key and casual, Chase wears dark jeans, a black baseball cap, and a white t-shirt. Near the top of his guitar strap, the words “I Hate Cowboys” are easily read—reflective of an earlier album entitled ‘I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell.’ Perhaps a bit of satire? Actually, the album title references two songs that are part of the project—both intentionally provocative. 

‘Country Now’ wrote, in a September 2024 article, that Chase’s music has undergone a “transformation.” They added, “With his new album, Go Down Singin’, Rice continues to embrace authenticity and finds himself making music that he is truly passionate about. The result is an 11-song project that dives deep into his personal and musical journey.”  

Here are a few lines from ‘Hey God It’s Me Again,’ written by Chase Rice, Corey Crowder, and Randy Montana:

‘I need a little less time in a honky tonk and a little more time with you

I need a little less chasin' what I want and a little more front-porch pew

It's been a minute since I shut up and listened and caught up with an old friend’

Transformation in our personal lives or work often comes as a result of lived experiences. Chase Rice has had a few since his upbringing in Ormond Beach, Florida, and Asheville, North Carolina. After graduating from high school, Chase attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was a linebacker on the football team, but an injury ended his football career.

Before graduating from college, Chase’s father died suddenly at the age of 58. Chase was just 22 years old at the time. When he finished school, he was offered a spot as a tire changer on a very successful NASCAR pit crew. In 2010, he competed in Survivor: Nicaragua. Chase came in second and took his $100,000 winnings to Nashville to embark on a music career. 

Life does take unexpected turns, and often, those are painful. Chase Rice’s song, by his own admission, is a product of the turns in his life and resulting growth, both personally and professionally, along the way. Thanks, Chase, for a song that reminds us all to move in a little closer and listen a little longer to God.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” Psalms 18:6