Parker McCollum is patterning his life and career after one country music icon, but not just for his music. McCollum reveals he wants to be like George Strait, not just onstage, but off-stage as well.

“I’d be completely lying to you if I told you there wasn’t still the part of me that’s like, ‘Yeah, George Strait,'” McCollum admits to People. “With George, I would love to be the next George Strait off the stage: long marriage, great dad, great family man, great businessman, a spotless reputation, never been in trouble, never embarrassed his family on the news. I just think that’s so baller. I think there’s not going to be a lot of people in 50 years who still got it all together like that man does.”

This isn’t the first time McCollum has honored the King of Country Music. McCollum has been fortunate enough to open for Strait for some of Strait’s stadium shows, and he doesn’t waste a minute of watching the country music icon.

“What influenced me as a kid, and still does to this day, more than George’s music, is the way that he carries himself behind the scenes, off-stage, as a family man, as a husband,” McCollum tells CMT. “That’s really the part that I try to pay the most attention to when I get the chance to be around him. And I just think that’s so impressive. With 60 No. 1s, the King of Country Music, and as big as an artist and a talent could ever be in this business, and he still carries himself just like a great man. I pay a lot of attention to that.”

Interestingly, McCollum has a new album out, one he says confirms once and for all that he is not a country singer.

“I’ve always wanted to be a country singer and I’ve always been trying to be a country singer, and I just don’t think that I am one,” McCollum admits (via Country Now). “And that’s fine. That doesn’t bother me at all. I wish I would have realized that sooner. But the real thing is just going in and making a record that sounds like whatever it is that I do sound like. “

“Forget genre,” he adds. “We weren’t trying to make a record that sounded like anybody. We never even talked about that. We just said, ‘Man, we’re just going to go in and let it rip. And whatever’s on the other end of the line is what we’ll put out.’”

McCollum may not consider himself a country artist, but he is definitely making a mark in the genre. He has a Top 25 hit with “What Kinda Man” from the record. He also has a song on Parker McCollum, “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues,” featuring country music superstar Cody Johnson.

“Cody’s always been someone kind of looked up to,” McCollum shares. “He is from Texas around the same part of the state [I am]. And it just kind of seemed like a cool sentiment. I’ve always kind of watched him very carefully, how he’s carried himself off the stage and thought really highly of him, and just think his talent is out of this world. And so I just asked him one day, I was like, ‘Will you sing the second verse?’ And he shot back right away. He is like, ‘I’d love to do it.’ And he did it and just absolutely murdered it.”

See a track list for Parker McCollum below. Find all of McCollum’s music and upcoming shows at ParkerMcCollum.com.

Parker McCollum Track Listing:

1. “My Blue” (Parker McCollum, Scooter Carusoe)
2. “Big Sky” (Parker McCollum, Charlie Magnone, Jarrod Morris)
3. “Solid Country Gold” (Parker McCollum, Jon Randall, Brad Warren, Brett Warren)
4. “Watch Me Bleed” (Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Mat Kearney)
5. “Killin’ Me” (Parker McCollum, Monty Criswell, Randy Rogers)
6. “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” featuring Cody Johnson (Danny O’Keefe)
7. “Sunny Days” (Parker McCollum, Tony Lane, Lee Miller, Randy Montana)
8. “Permanent Headphones” (Parker McCollum)
9. “New York Is On Fire” (Parker McCollum, Nick Bockrath, Adam Wright)
10. “Come On” (Parker McCollum, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
11. “What Kinda Man” (Parker McCollum, Natalie Hemby, Jeremy Spillman)
12. “Hope That I’m Enough” (Parker McCollum, Jessi Alexander, Matt Jenkins)
13. “Enough Rope” (Chris Knight, Austin Cunningham)
14. “My Worst Enemy” (Parker McCollum, Wade Bowen)

Photo Credit: CMA / John Russell