Darius Rucker is grateful for his fame, but the country star admits that success in the entertainment industry comes with its burdens. Rucker, who rose to notoriety as the lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish before starting his solo career in country music, recently talked with Fox News about the struggle of being away from his family while performing around the country.

He said, “I’ve wanted to play music since I was 4, and I’m getting to do it at 56 still, so I think that’s pretty cool. The only hard thing about being on the road is being away from your kids.” Rucker continued, “That’s the only hard part. Everything else is gravy. But, you know, being away from the family and not seeing them as much as you can is tough, but it’s your job.”

Rucker, who once described his relationship with God as very important, took a chance when he tried country music after 10 years with Hootie and the Blowfish. He remembered knowing it was time for his solo career after the band decided they wouldn’t tour anymore. At that point, Rucker moved to Nashville. Rucker said, “When I first started, there were a lot of naysayers and everything, but once ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It’ hit, I think acceptance started.”

While some critics questioned whether Rucker could leap from performing the kind of music Hootie and the Blowfish were known for to country music, others were concerned that a Black man couldn’t be successful in the genre. As Rucker explained in a 2020 interview on the “Color Me Country” radio show, the first time he walked into a country radio station studio, “What was said was, ‘I don’t think my audience will accept a Black country singer.’ Just like that. ‘I love the song. I think it’s country. Love it. I’m going to play it tomorrow, but I don’t think my audience will accept a Black country singer.'”

He quickly proved those critics wrong. Rucker’s first solo hit, ‘Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,’ came out in 2008 and shortly after landing at the top of the country music charts. A few years later, Rucker was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry, a rite of passage for anyone in country music. Looking back at his success so far, he said, “I have no idea why any of this is happening; I just know I’m enjoying it.”

Since that initial hit in the genre, Rucker has released four more country albums, all of which have reached number one on the country charts. According to his website, his achievements include nine No. 1 singles on the Billboard country chart and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits.

Now with huge success as a country artist, Rucker can’t help but share what he loves about the genre. “Country music’s real,” he told Fox News Digital on the red carpet at the CMT Music Awards. “It’s stories, and it’s life. It’s what music is supposed to be.”

He continued, “It touches you in the way I think music’s supposed to touch you. And it’s just getting bigger and bigger and doing its thing.”