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Backstage Country

Thomas Rhett Did Not Think Katy Perry Would Do Duet With Him

Thomas Rhett just surprised fans with the announcement that he and Katy Perry filmed a video for the title track of his latest album, which they sing together, called “Where…

Thomas Rhett Did Not Think Katy Perry Would Do Duet With Him
Jason Kempin,Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Thomas Rhett just surprised fans with the announcement that he and Katy Perry filmed a video for the title track of his latest album, which they sing together, called "Where We Started."

He posted to Instagram, "The #WhereWeStarted music video will be here at 10 am CT on Tuesday, 10.18.22. Who's ready? @katyperry."

Rhett said of the song he sings with Katy, "I think that phrase, 'Where We Started,' just means so much. I could relate it to my marriage; I could relate it to my career. Any time I've ever been down on my luck or feeling like things aren't going right; I can always look back into, like, where I began, and how much I've grown, and how many things have shifted in my life. And I wrote this song with Ashley Gorley, Jesse Frasure, and Jon Bellion, who is one of my favorite artists and songwriters. He's written songs for literally everybody. Lately, he has written the last three or four Justin Bieber singles. And he started playing this melody, and I was like, 'I don't even know if I can sing that high.' I remember working on this vocal for like a really long time. And we finally finished it, and Allison Jones at the record label was like, 'I feel like a female feature would be really cool on this.' And I was like, 'Well, who you got in mind?' And she was like, 'I was thinking Katy Perry.' And I was like, 'Wow! Like really, really shootin' for the stars here.'"

He continued, "I honestly didn't think that Katy was going to do anything with it, much less like it. And I remember the next day Allison said, 'Katy's in.' And I was like, 'This is nuts.' And she called me on the phone, and I was walkin' in my kitchen. I remember my wife was in there, and the kids were in there. I was like, 'No big deal; I'm just talkin' to Katy Perry about something. I'll be done in a minute.' And it was so surreal talking to someone who, I don't know, when I was like 16, 17 years old, Katy's music was everybody's anthem, everybody's jam, and everybody's got a favorite Katy Perry song."

Thomas concluded, "And so when she said that she was gonna sing on the song with me, I was shocked. And it turned out so beautiful. One of the most incredible string arrangements I've heard. I remember when I got Katy's vocal back, I was blown away. I mean, she's an incredible singer, but this kind of reminded me of how amazing of a vocalist she is, and I just feel like it really came to life."

The "Where We Started" video with Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry will make its world premiere Tuesday morning (10/18) at 10 am CT on Thomas Rhett's YouTube page.

Thomas Rhett celebrates his 30th birthday today (3/30). Rhett, a father of three little girls, is known for his wonderful family and his high octane show.

With a bunch of number one songs under his belt, numerous awards and even a couple of Grammy nominations, let's take a look at some photos of country music's "golden boy."

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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 07: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Thomas Rhett and Jon Pardi perform on stage during day 2 for the 2019 CMA Music Festival on June 07, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 20: Singer/songwriter Thomas Rhett performs at Madison Square Garden on September 20, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 12: Thomas Rhett performs during the "Very Hot Summer Tour" at Bridgestone Arena on October 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 16: Honoree Thomas Rhett performs onstage during the 2019 CMT Artist of the Year at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on October 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for CMT/Viacom)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 16: (L-R) Honoree Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins attend the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on October 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 16: Honoree Thomas Rhett performs onstage during the 2019 CMT Artists of the Year at Schermerhorn Symphony Center on October 16, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 12: Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins attend the 67th Annual BMI Country Awards at BMI on November 12, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 13: (FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Thomas Rhett performs onstage during the 53rd annual CMA Awards at the Bridgestone Arena on November 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images,)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 13: (L-R) Thomas Rhett, Scott Borchetta and Brantley Gilbert attend Big Machine Label Group celebration of The 53rd Annual CMA Awards in Nashville at The Bell Tower on November 13, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Big Machine Label Group)


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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Thomas Rhett attends the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for dcp)


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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: Thomas Rhett performs onstage during the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)


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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 24: (L-R) Thomas Rhett and Lauren Akins attend the 2019 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 24, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)


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WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 08: Thomas Rhett attends the 42nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Kennedy Center on December 08, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Paul Morigi/Getty Images)


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NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - FEBRUARY 25: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) Thomas Rhett speaks onstage at the 11th Annual CMA Triple Play Awards at Marathon Music Works on February 25, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.