Country music fans are shattered to hear that Chase Rice is stepping away from music after more than a decade of touring.
The 40-year-old country star shared an emotional post on Instagram sharing the news, saying that he will step away from music after completing a limited run of shows slated for 2026, admitting he has reached a point of exhaustion.
“Alright everybody, I wasn’t sure whether I was gonna talk about this or not but here we are,” the Instagram post reads. “I’ve been touring for 13 years and I’ve lived a dream far greater than I could’ve ever expected. This isn’t a goodbye thing or anything like that to be clear upfront, although itmay feel like that, but I’m exhausted.”
The post continues, saying, “I haven’t been able to be myself on stage in quite a while and really enjoy music and why I got into it in the first place. I love songs, I love living them, hearing stories from other people, and figuring out how to put that life into music. After 13 years it’s finally beat me up to the point where I need to step away for a while. I need to go live life so that I have more real experience to write down. I won’t be touring this year and it wasn’t even really a decision, it was something I know that I just have to do for myself.”
Rice goes on to share how much he loves his band and fans, and how he hopes to create more music in the future.
The country artist shared the announcement alongside a video montage of performance clips, highlighting both the intensity of his touring years and the gratitude behind his decision.
Rice rose to fame on Survivor: Nicaragua in 2010 before sharing his first widely released music the following year. Along with that, he co-wrote Florida Georgia Line’s 2012 hit single, “Cruise”, and scored his own first chart-topping album two years later with Ignire the Night.
Over the past three years, Rice has released three albums: I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs to Hell, Go Down Singin, and ELDORA.
Some of the most popular songs include “Eyes on You,” “Drinking Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen,” “Lonely If You Are,” and “Read Set Roll.”
While the shocking news has put a damper on the country music industry, fans still have a chance to see him before his hiatus, with a few shows popping up throughout 2026.