Tim McGraw reveals he is mulling music retirement after many health setbacks: 'I have to be very careful'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Country icon Tim McGraw, 58, recently opened up about his physical struggles over the past year and admitted he’s seriously thinking about stepping away from music altogether.
Talking on the Tracy Lawrence's podcast 'TL’s Road House', both looked back on their early days in the 1990s country music scene.
Tim McGraw says ‘there were times this year that I thought this might be it’
The longtime friends also discussed the toll aging has taken on McGraw and how it has changed his outlook on performing.
During the podcast, McGraw detailed the physical setbacks he's endured. He said the accumulation of injuries and surgeries has made it harder for him to perform live.
“To have almost a year of just sitting there [doing nothing], and I can tell you that after double knee replacements and three back surgeries and now a torn rotator cuff and a ruptured disc, there were times this year that I thought this might be it. This might be time to hang it up,” McGraw said per Parade.
He added that he has to be cautious about his every move to avoid further injury. “I have to be very careful about what I do. What I do do is everything is intentional."
He said, "I can't move quickly, there's no turning real quick to do something. Everything has to be very intentional; everything that I do has to be very methodical. I have to do cold plunges, I have to do infrared saunas. I have to do massages."
Tim McGraw compares his routine to an athlete's
The 'It's Your Love' singer went on to share that his approach to fitness now mirrors that of a professional athlete, as he needs to manage his body carefully to continue performing live.
“It has changed the way I do a live show… it's gonna come to a point to where I'm either gonna have to decide to change the way I do a live show to continue to do it or just not do it anymore,” McGraw said.
He mentioned that he still wants to entertain fans and play the larger-than-life cowboy character he's known for, though it's different from his real-life personality.
He recalled parenting moments to highlight that contrast. “You can't be a ‘country outlaw’ type of person when you're at home trying to raise a family,” he said.
Tim McGraw says ‘putting a cowboy hat on is like putting Superman's cape on’
McGraw explained how his stage persona differs from the man he is at home, describing the transformation he experiences before each show.
“It's like I always say, putting a cowboy hat on is like putting Superman's cape on. It changes your character,” McGraw said.
He added, “It's hard to say this because you don't want people to think that it's an act, but it is in a certain degree. It's another part of your persona.”
He also shared how proud he is of his daughters with wife Faith Hill — Gracie, Maggie, and Audrey — who are now following in her parents' musical footsteps
“My youngest daughter, Audrey, just finished her first album," McGraw said.
"She wrote everything, and the dad in me and the producer in me, when she played the music back for me - ‘it isn't finished yet, you gotta tune your vocal, you gotta tune these guitars, you gotta add a few more layers.’ And she goes, ‘Dad, that's not what I want to do. That's not what kids are wanting to hear these days,’” McGraw recalled.
