Darius Rucker Says Divorce 'Hurts' but He and Ex Beth Are 'Still a Family': 'She's a Great Human Being' (Exclusive)

The country singer opens up about fatherhood, fame and more in this week's issue of PEOPLE

When Darius Rucker and his wife Beth split in 2020 after 20 years of marriage, he turned to songwriting to help process his feelings.

“You try to express those feelings, and it’s hard to say and it’s hard to put that on paper,” Rucker, 57, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “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.”

Rucker — who found a home for some of those personal songs on Carolyn’s Boy, his first album in six years — and Beth, 56, announced their split in July 2020, saying at the time that they’d remain “close friends and parenting partners.” The two share daughter Daniela, 22, and son Jack, 18 (Rucker is also dad to daughter Carolyn, 28, from a previous relationship).

Three-and-a-half years on, the musician, who says he’s “not officially divorced yet,” maintains that he and his ex remain a family unit, no matter their relationship status.

“That stuff hurts and you feel like a failure,” Rucker says of divorce. “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.”

Related: Darius Rucker 'Gets to See the World' as He Embarks on His 'Starting Fires' Tour (Exclusive)

The Hootie & the Blowfish frontman adds that dating is the furthest thing from his mind at the moment, and he remains focused on his three children.

“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he says. “I’m just trying to be the best dad I can be for those grown kids.”

For Rucker, being a good dad has always been his top priority, as his own father wasn’t present. Rucker was raised by his late mom Carolyn, and though his dad lived down the street from him and his siblings, was never around.

“It was tough growing up without a dad. I hated it,” he says. “I had a lot of great father figures in my life, but not having him there was s---ty, and I don’t ever want my kids to not know where their dad is or how they can get in touch with him, because I never knew how to get in touch with mine.”

He continues: “With a job like mine, you travel a lot, but the one thing is, [my children] always know where I am. I think that’s directly from the fact that I never knew where [my father] was.”

Related: Darius Rucker Shares His Father's Day Plans — and Jokes About Being 'Scared' to Be an Empty Nester (Exclusive)

The three-time Grammy winner says all three of his kids can sing, but Jack and Daniela are looking to follow in dad’s musical footsteps — despite Rucker’s best intentions.

“My two youngest want to be in the business, but they’re all talented,” he says. “I wanted them to be doctors and lawyers!”

He adds that his kids do a great job of keeping him grounded, and though they enjoy his music, don’t pay any special mind to the gig.

“They truly don’t give a s--- what I do for a living. I’m nothing special. I’m their dad,” he says. “They love my music, and they think it’s cool, but they’ll still be at a show, and I’ll walk out of the back of my bus, and they’ll go, ‘Dad, are you going to wear that?’ They love letting me know that I’m a dork, and I love them for it.”

For more on Darius Rucker, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.