Former Boy Band Member Chase Mitchell Finds a New Home in Country Music Courtesy of 'Back Road'

Chase Mitchell was 9 years old when the spotlight first shined his way.

After being discovered by acclaimed producer Maurice Starr, the kid from Charleston, West Virginia became the youngest member of the boy band Lucky, which went on to have some success in the late '90s opening for groups such as Destiny's Child and Outkast.

But at the age of 13, the spotlight began to dim on Mitchell. And soon, he increasingly found himself craving a brand-new vibe … in Nashville.

"I knew I wanted to do country music of some sort," Mitchell, 32, tells PEOPLE in a recent interview. "I had so many pop influences growing up, but I also knew I had a deep love for country music."

After spending a year trying to "just be a normal kid," the then-teenage Mitchell spent the next two and a half years walking up and down Music Row with his "little briefcase," knocking on doors and leaving demos in the mail room.

One fateful night after performing in a small Music Row showcase. Mitchell was approached by a pair of label executives, who immediately wanted Mitchell to go with them to meet Tony Conway, who through the years has represented the likes of country music powerhouses such as Alabama, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks and The Chicks.

"I'll never forget going in his office for the first time," says Mitchell, who now lives in Nashville with wife Jaqueline and their daughters: 9-year-old Brookline Rose and 4-year-old Lyric Amelia. "Every single inch of his walls was covered in platinum records and awards. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, mom, we have made it.'"

Soon, Mitchell signed a deal with Conway and went out on the road as a solo artist, opening for artists such as Taylor Swift, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts. But at the same time, Mitchell was also dealing with a slew of personal issues that had come up during the past decade of non-stop performing.

So, having just turned 19 years old, Mitchell took a professional step back.

"I had some dark moments after that," Mitchell admits. "My mental health was not in a good place. I was feeling anxious and next thing you know, some doctors are putting you on antidepressants. The next thing you know, those aren't working. I couldn't stay focused, and I couldn't sleep, and I just became a person I no longer knew. I just wasn't living my purpose."

And then, in 2018, Mitchell's "pappy'" died.

"The one thing he told me before he passed was that he believed that I was still meant to do music," he remembers. "I couldn't give up."

And he didn't. In late 2018, Mitchell reunited with Conway and Aldean's former guitarist Danny Rader. And throughout the pandemic and with their help, Mitchell began writing and collaborating and finding his purpose yet again, eventually materializing into new music such as his new single "Back Road" off his upcoming debut album Chase Your Purpose.

"'Back Road' is like a love letter to a small town, but it's also about rekindling old relationships that maybe were broken at one point," says Mitchell of "Back Road," whose music video premieres exclusively on PEOPLE. "It's about getting a second chance and coming back to where it all started."

It's an idea that he connects with now more than ever before.

"I can look back now for once and see what all of the lessons were preparing me for," says Mitchell. "I've been doing this for so long, but in a way, I feel like I'm doing everything for the first time. This season of life is my real chance to push and learn and appreciate everything. I feel like this kind of authentic brand of country music that I've been doing and trying to do is now widely accepted. I'm just doing what I know comes naturally now."