Rascal Flatts‘ members Jay DeMarcus, Joe Don Rooney and Gary LeVox are now working on solo projects, after 20 years together as a trio. But while they may be going their separate ways, at least for now, DeMarcus says they have remained like a family throughout their two decades together.

“I try to always take a few moments and thank God for the platform, the career, that He has given us, and that I’ve been able to do it with people that mean so much to me,” DeMarcus shared with BMLG. “Gary and Joe Don, we could be sitting here 20 years later hating each other. And although we’ve had our times where we’ve fallen out and we’ve disagreed, and things of that nature, it’s remained a family, and we’ve remained a tight knit unit, and a lot of bands can’t say that at the end of 20 years.”

While Rascal Flatts had hoped to be able to embark on their farewell Life is a Highway Tour, which was unfortunately canceled because of the pandemic, all three men are now working on their own endeavors, which for DeMarcus means a lot more music, this time working with other artists.

“I opened a Christian record label two years ago called Red Street Records, and so, I’m really devoting a lot of time to that,” DeMarcus revealed. “So, we’re not slowing down.”

Still, while all three band members are eager to embark on other endeavors, the end of Rascal Flatts is a bittersweet farewell.

“I’m gonna miss the times that we shared together that no one knows about, that no one sees – the looks at each other on the stage, the moments that we look at each other and we know that we’re at our best,” DeMarcus admitted “The time in the trenches that no one knows about that the three of us have shared together that have bonded us together for life is what I will miss the most. You can’t make up for time spent together. No one can do that, and we’ve seen the best of each other, we’ve seen the worst of each other.

“We’ve held each other through the saddest of times, through love and loss, and it’s a brotherhood,” he continued. “It has always been a brotherhood, and the day that we don’t have that anymore and we can’t just reach out to each other so easily is gonna be very, very sad and heartbreaking for me. But I know that when we’re old men together someday, sitting around on a porch and sharing old stories and singing ‘Prayin’ for Daylight’ when we’re 75, we’re gonna have a heck of a legacy to look back on.”