Chase Rice, the 40-year-old country star who announced an extended break from the road in January, has given fans fresh reason for optimism, posting this week that he is “back in the studio” after a brief run of high-profile festival appearances. In a candid Instagram update Rice said recent sets at Red Rocks and Stagecoach rekindled his love of performing and left him eager to see what new studio work produces.
“Some time off at the start of the year, then right into Red Rocks and Stagecoach was wild. I was having FUN on the stage again. I know it hasn’t been long, but it made me miss it,” Rice wrote, adding that he now has “a little more time off to go live life, be with friends, golf, write, record…see my niece and nephews and be with family.” He closed the post with a simple, “Love y’all, thanks for a fun ride,” as fans flooded the comments with encouragement.
Rice’s studio update is notable because it follows his January announcement that he would step away from touring after 13 years on the road. At the time he said exhaustion had robbed him of the ability to “be myself on stage” and that he needed to “go live life so that I have more real experiences to write down.” He stressed the decision was not a permanent goodbye but insisted that he would not be touring this year, though he left the door open for “a handful of shows” in 2026 and said future performances would look different from his previous schedule.
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The new post does not reverse that timeline, but the move back into the studio signals Rice is shifting from downtime into creative work, a development that often precedes new releases and could shape how and when he returns to performing. Rice himself tempered expectations, writing that he didn’t know what his time away would “do for these songs,” only that he was excited to find out.
Rice’s background underlines why his choices draw attention beyond the country scene. A native of Ormond Beach, Florida, he launched his music career in 2010 after stints as a linebacker for the North Carolina Tar Heels and as a NASCAR pit crew member for Hendrick Motorsports, and he appeared on Survivor: Nicaragua. Over more than a decade on the road he built a devoted fanbase, which responded warmly to his announcement to pause touring and to this week’s studio news.
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For now, Rice’s message is one of balance: prioritizing family and real-life experiences while returning to the craft that launched his career. He has not offered specifics on recording plans, collaborators, or potential release dates, but his brief return to the stage and the move back into the studio mark a clear shift from rest to creation that suggests more activity — if not a full-scale tour — could be on the horizon.
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