Chase Rice is leveling up the only way he knows how to — his way.

The 38-year-old chart-topper has officially unlocked his “most authentic” independent era yet with the release of his new single “Fireside” last Friday (May 10). After parting ways with longtime label Broken Bow, which he himself even calls a “ballsy move,” the guitar-driven anthem marks his first independent release since dropping “Ready Set Roll” over a decade ago.

“I wanted to step away [from Broken Bow] and do it my way, on my timeframe and with the creative control I wanted,” Rice tells Celeb Secrets reporter Juliet Schroder exclusively over the phone. “I feel like these days you can do that. There are a lot of artists who’ve proven that it’s not as important these days to have that major label behind you.”

Penned by Rice alongside Jonathan Sherwood, Jackson Dean and producer Oscar Charles, “Fireside” was one of the songs written prior to leaving his label. Spotlighting the fiery passion of romance — with the chorus erupting in a rallying cry to “burn with me” — the track elevates Chase as both a singer and a songwriter as it shows he’s able to dig deeper with more thoughtful themes and a sound that hasn’t been replicated… just yet.

“It’s a song that I didn’t start. I added my songwriting touch on it later after the song was already kind of pieced together, and that’s when I made it mine,” he explains. “I was so confident in [‘Fireside’] and it was just a perfect moment in my life to say, ‘you know what? I believe in this music so much. I think this is a whole step up. If we can do this on our own, let’s go do it and let’s do it our way. If it fails, at least I’m the one taking the risk.'”

Staying true to who he is — and not answering to anyone on what he should or shouldn’t do — Chase says his upcoming album isn’t “trying to be what’s popular right now.” After co-writing Florida Georgia Line‘s “Cruise,” which inarguably was one of the most progressive songs in the genre of country music in the 2010s, Rice tells Celeb Secrets he’s stopped chasing success and is more focused on what he’s truly passionate about because at the end of the day, there’s nobody who can be better at what he does than him.

“I would just say [that I’m in authentic songwriter [era],” the “Eyes On You” singer explains. “[My new music] is not trying to be what’s popular now. You got [Morgan] Wallen and Zach Bryan two into the spectrum, but they’re both the kings of country right now, and they’re two very different things. I used to chase that. I’d say, ‘man, I want that success. Let’s write this song that sounds like a Morgan Wallen song.’ It’s like, why the would I do that? It’s, it’s, yeah, that’s not me. Let Morgan do that. He’s better at that than anybody.”

“But there’s nobody who can be better at what I do than me, so authenticity and the songwriter aspect of it has to be spot on. And the songwriting is so good,” he continues.

Teasing that the new project features co-writes with Lori McKenna and Oscar Charles, Chase says he “has no idea” what is going to happen when it comes to feedback as there’s no major label pushing it; however, he knows people will find it — and of course enjoy it — because it’s his best work.

And with a lot of things inspiring the upcoming album, Chase says that the ultimate secret to making the best music he’s ever put out is by detaching himself from technology and living in the moment.

While it’s hard to believe, the country crooner does indeed put his phone down and experiences life in real time, which he tells Celeb Secrets helps him recharge for whatever he’s about to conquer in his career. Encouraging his fans to do the same, the 38-year-old has teamed up with UScellular for the Life in US Mode with Chase Rice, which highlights the importance of unplugging and creating positive human connections.

“I partnered with UScellular to kind of encourage people to put the phone down for a little while and actually live in real life,” he reveals. “It’s funny because I’m doing it right now. I’m on an Airstream trip right now headed to Missouri and then up to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. And that’s what it is for me. It’s to get away.”

“It’s cool to be part of this campaign because people see what my life’s like off the stage and when I’m away from my phone and pulling this airstream and living this life. It allows me to kind of get away from the music. And then when I go back to the music, whether it’s recording or, writing or playing shows, I have the energy to actually do that because I’ve, I’ve taken that time to escape for a little while,” he continues.

The campaign, which kicked off March 27, features a variety of touch points for fans to engage with Chase, including a dedicated home page, artist videos and a chance to enter the Chase Rice VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes to win a trip to meet the country star and watch him perform at the UScellular Connection Stage at Summerfest in Milwaukee on July 6th.      

“[Summerfest] is probably one of my top five favorite festivals that I’ve ever done. This will be our third time; we’ve got me and [Tyler] Childers back to back night so that’ll be great lineups. It also gives people an opportunity in Milwaukee to hear the last album that I put out and not just hear some of the hits, but hear songs off [‘I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell’]. They’ll also get to hear the start of my next album, which is ‘Fireside,’ and then there are some lucky folks that don’t have to pay for it,” Chase says with a laugh.

“We’re gonna be doing that with UScellular… bringing them in… so they’re gonna have a blast and they don’t even lose any money. So that’ll be awesome,” he continues.

In addition to playing Summerfest on the UScellular Connection Stage, fans can catch Chase on Dierks Bentley’s Gravel & Gold Tour visiting arenas and amphitheaters nationwide from June through September as well as prominent sets at major festivals including Tailgate N’ Tallboys, Windy City Smokeout and more.

Take a listen to “Fireside” below and let us know if you’re loving Chase’s new track by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecretscountry. You can enter the Chase Rice VIP Fan Experience Sweepstakes now through May 28th here.

For more Country news, visit CelebSecretsCountry.com. 

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