Garth Brooks had three reasons for retiring from country music back in 2000: his daughters.
In an new interview with People, the 53-year-old, who is back on tour for the first time in 14 years, defends his decision by saying that being a father to his three girls was more important to him than fame.
“People said, ‘How could you walk away from music?’ But being a dad — there’s nothing that can touch that,” Brooks said.
(Photo: PEOPLE)
In 2000, and after Brooks had divorced his first wife, he and his three daughters moved into a one-bathroom bunkhouse at his ranch in Oklahoma.
“I’d just stare at them. I knew their sweet faces and their dispositions. But I didn’t know who they were.”
Now that his daughters have all graduated high school, he’s back to music full-time, and his ninth album is breaking sales records and has gone platinum.
He’s also in the running for Entertainer of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards.
“This is not work. I just love to see people having a good time.” (RELATED: Garth Brooks Joins Justin Timberlake For Awesome ‘Friends In Low Places’ Cover)