Michael Ray Says He's Coming Out Of 2021 'Better Than He Went Into It'

Michael Ray has experienced a lot of self-growth in recent years and that is documented on his recently-released Higher Education EP, his first new effort since 2018’s Amos.

"I'm human," Ray, 33, said in a new interview with PEOPLE, in reference to his personal trials, including his 2017 DUI charge, as well as his 2020 divorce from Carly Pearce. "For a long time, I just wanted everything to be right. But I'm not perfect and my family is not perfect, and my friends aren't perfect…nobody's perfect. And instead of being ashamed of that, I've started to embrace it now."

As he learned more about himself and his surroundings, Ray admitted that he turned to music as his outlet and the new project stands apart from the rest of his discography. "I'll be honest with you…I've been trying to write something like this for a really long time," he explained of the 7-song collection. The set includes "Whiskey And Rain," "Picture" and the newly-released autobiographical track, "Just The Way I Am." "I felt like I had a couple of things that were kind of close, but when I got this, it just really spoke to who I am. I mean, I've gone through my stuff, and you really only have one thing to do, and that's to make a choice as to how you're going to react to it."

"I think I'll be coming out of this year actually better than I went into it," he continued. "In every way, I'm more confident than I've ever been and more accepting of things than I've ever been. You have no other choice but to grow and be better."