Darius Rucker Speaks out on Divorce From His Wife of 20 Years

Darius Rucker is opening up about his 2020 divorce from wife Beth and how he processed the end of his 20-year marriage through music. The Hootie & the Blowfish artist, 57, is releasing a new album for the first time in six years, titled Carolyn's Boy, telling PEOPLE in an interview that some of the songs on the album stem directly from the loss in his personal life.

"You try to express those feelings, and it's hard to say and it's hard to put that on paper," Rucker explained. "You try to do it as real as you can. I'm not a big talk-to-you guy, but I can sit down and write a song about it." The Grammy Award-winning artist and his wife Beth, 56, announced their split in July 2020, but Rucker says they're "not officially divorced yet" three years later. The two share a daughter Daniela, 22, and a son Jack, 18, and Rucker is also dad to daughter Carolyn, 28, from a previous relationship. 

Despite remaining on good terms with his ex, Rucker said the divorce was still hard. "That stuff hurts and you feel like a failure," he said. "But we're still a family – a piece of paper is not going to change that. We're still a family, and that's all because Beth is awesome. She knows it's the best for the kids, and she's a great human being." 

In July 2020, Rucker and his wife announced that they had decided to "consciously uncouple." They wrote in a joint statement on social media at the time, "We remain close friends and parenting partners and continue to be each other's biggest cheerleaders. Our priority will always be our beautiful family. We have so much love in our hearts for each other and will continue to encourage growth and expansion in one other." Their statement concluded, "Please be kind as we take on this journey, and we thank you for your love and support always."

As for turning the next chapter of his romantic life, Rucker said he's far from getting back into dating. "I'm not thinking about that right now," he told PEOPLE. "I'm just trying to be the best dad I can be for those grown kids." Having grown up without his father was "tough," and the singer-songwriter doesn't want his children to "not know where their dad is or how they can get in touch with him," even with the travel that comes as part of his job.