Darius Rucker On His Upcoming Single: "I Want People Hearing It Now"

Back in May, Darius Rucker revealed to CBS Local that there would be another Hootie & the Blowfish album.

“Oh yeah, Hootie’s going to do another record some day,” he said. “We’re going to do another record and one more tour and have fun with it and do it the right way. Country music is my day job.”

But before the singer gets back into the studio with his former band, he’ll be busy promoting his upcoming country album slated for release this fall. In fact, the lead single off that album is due to hit airwaves pretty soon. Excited for fans to hear it, Darius filled us in on the story behind the song and how he came to write it with Josh Kear and producer Frank Rogers.

“It’s a song called ‘True Believers.’ It’s an anthem,” he said. “Every time I hear it it’s the only way I can describe it. The production is different and so light. Frank Rogers, I don’t know what he did, but he just decided to make a different record than the last two that we made and he succeeded.”

Amazed at the sound, Darius expressed his frustrations in being unable to release the song earlier for fans.

“I was mad because we were supposed to put it out last week and we didn’t get it finished until the day after the deadline,” he said. “I was so mad because I want it out now. I want people hearing it now. I’m just so proud of it.”

Extremely personal, Darius explained the real life tale behind “True Believers.”

“It’s so me and so personal in my life,” he confessed. “It’s the story about a husband and a wife who all their friends said were never going to make it and all these years later all their friends are divorced and they’re still together and everybody is still saying they’re never going to make it.”

“When I was singing it I was just laughing because it’s such a defiant song. It’s a song that’s saying to everybody, ‘Screw you. I know we’re going to make it. Through all the crap, we’re going to be the two that make it.’ And that’s how my wife and I feel. I love the song.”

So how have Darius and his wife stuck together all these years?

“She’s awesome. She’s put up with a lot of crap over the years,” he revealed. “I’ve been gone a lot and she’s a strong woman who takes care of our house and raises our kids and takes care of our parents and does all she can do. She’s a great wife. We’re happier now than we ever could be. I’m happier now than I ever thought I could be as a person. I love it. I never thought I would love being married this much.”

Darius Rucker’s upcoming album will be released later this year.

-Annie Reuter, CBS Local