Olympian Aly Raisman Listens to Country Before Competing
It turns out country artists made it on to several Olympians’ playlists this summer. While Michael Phelps may pump the more rough-around-the-edges Eric Church through his headphones before jumping in the pool, gymnast Aly Raisman uses country’s softer feel-good side to calm her nerves before she competes.
Raisman shared her warmup playlist with Entertainment Weekly, and though it does contain a few pump-up pop jams, she also listens to songs from Rascal Flatts and Chase Bryant to round out the list. The gold medalist says "Rewind" by the trio soothes the inevitable anxiety before performing.
"This song has been out for a while, but I love country music. It makes me feel happy and calm,” Raisman shares.
In a similar vain, she adds that Bryant’s catchy, upbeat tune “Little Bit of You” keeps her in high spirits: "I like the lyrics of the song. Country music always puts me in a good mood."
Bryant responded to Raisman on Twitter about the playlist, expressing his thanks, as well as his congrats.
Raisman took home the gold this year, along with her teammates for best all-around, as well as the silver medal for individual best all-around.
Bryant is currently working on his debut full-length record, which promises to be an honest reflection of who he is but also a collection of songs people can relate to.
"I’m tailoring my records around what I think I’ve learned in the past couple years of touring and finding out who I am,” he tells Taste of Country. "You only have one first time and I don’t want to blow it, so I’m trying to get the record correct."