Dierks Bentley , by his own admission, didn’t want to return to Nashville from Colorado. The Arizona native, along with his wife, Cassidy, and their three children, relocated to Telluride, Colorado at the start of the pandemic, and would have stayed there if all of his family had agreed. But when some of the family wanted to return to Music City, the family returned, restoring in the singer a love for the place he once wasn’t sure he would ever call home again.

“My wife and some of my kids wanted to come back and unfortunately, we live in a democracy in my house,” Bentley tells People with a laugh. “And what I discovered when I came back was that I had really missed Nashville.”

Still, although the Bentleys returned to Middle Tennessee, it wasn’t to their former home. The “Gold” singer traded his lavish home in an upscale neighborhood for one a little more low-key, and one that feels much more authentic to who he is now.

“I moved about ten minutes closer to town than I was before. … I live somewhere now with sidewalks,” Bentley says, adding that his new home doesn’t have a gated entrance like before. “It’s a regular neighborhood. We’ve got kids coming in and out of the house and you can just park on the street. It’s just been great for my kids, great for our family, and great for my mental health.”

When the Bentley clan moved to Colorado, it was ostensibly for spring break in 2020, but as the world shut down, there wasn’t a reason tor Bentley to return to his frenetic life. Now, as life has returned to normal, and he has relocated to the city he once loved, the 47-year-old couldn’t be more grateful for the place he now calls home, again.

“Coming back to Nashville, it was like I had to either lean in or move out,” says Bentley. “So now, I just lean into it. The city’s crazy. It’s growing out of control, and I could sit here and complain about it, or I can just lean into it and embrace some of the cool things that are happening.”

Bentley just released his tenth studio album, with Gravel & Gold. The record, his third attempt at making the milestone project, also reflects his journey to rediscovering the place he calls home.

“I came back to Nashville in ’21 and jumped right in the studio in March,” Bentley explains. “I had a bunch of songs I had been working on that were part of it. So I had the songs and jumped in the studio with my guys in my band, and we were going to make the album. We’re all in. And what I realized is that no one was ready. I wasn’t ready mentally. I still had some more songs to write. … I had a vision for what I wanted to say. It just all came together. It was a long process, but I’m grateful I get to work with people who don’t get their feelings hurt. Everyone wants what’s best on the album.”

Bentley will embark on his Gravel & Gold Tour in June, with Jordan Davis joining him for all dates, along with a rotating list of opening acts that includes Tracy Lawrence, Elle King, Tyler Braden, Caylee Hammack, Kameron Marlowe, The Cadillac Three, The Red Clay Strays, Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, Shane Smith & the Saints, Caitlyn Smith and Hailey Whitters. Bentley’s own Hot Country Knights will also open for select shows as well. Find music and tour dates at Dierks.com.