Taylor Hicks Shares Single 'Teach Me to Dance' Ahead of Opry Debut (Exclusive)

"To be a part of the Opry is truly an honor and a blessing," Hicks tells PEOPLE

Taylor Hicks is celebrating another career milestone with a little something for his fans!

The American Idol alum, 46, is back with a new single "Teach Me to Dance," which he's premiering exclusively with PEOPLE the day before his debut performance at the Grand Ole Opry.

The track, which Hicks describes as "the perfect wedding song," comes complete with a lyric video made up of fan-submitted wedding shots, as Hicks toasts a milestone in his own life.

"Growing up as a southern musician, being able to be called 'in the circle' is something that dreams are made of. Also being a Nashvillian for so long, the Opry is the ever-flowing musical river of Music City," Hicks says of his latest accomplishment. "To be a part of the Opry is truly an honor and a blessing."

Related: 'American Idol' Alum Taylor Hicks Explains His Years-Long Break from Music: 'Quality Over Quantity'

As for the song itself, the Idol winner reveals it was written by singer-songwriters Candy Parton and Victoria Shaw, who actually intended for another artist to sing the tune.

"She stood up, ran downstairs and had a CD in her hand," Hicks says of a studio session he and Shaw had together. "The story is that Garth Brooks absolutely adored 'Teach Me to Dance' but never cut it. When she played it for me, I knew immediately that this was a song for me. I'm thrilled it's the new single!"

The release is all about "timing," Hicks adds, noting that it coincides with Father’s Day weekend and his Opry debut on Friday night.

The rest of the year for Hicks will feature a few other big moments, with his third studio album — recorded at Zac Brown's Southern Ground Studio — set for a 2023 release. The multi-hyphenate is also auditioning for "some serious film and TV roles," he adds.

Hicks' previous studio album, The Distance, was released back in 2009, and he made his musical comeback earlier this year with single "Porch Swing."

"It just makes me really happy," Hicks told PEOPLE in February of his fans' patience. "You go through these years and the peaks and valleys of the business and entertainment, but it's those people who stuck with you that helps you get to a situation where 10 years later, if you wanted to release a single, you could still call them, and they still answer."

He continued, "I am very appreciative of it, and some people aren't. To have that interest, to still be there, is a blessing."

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