Why Chase Wright Says Keith Urban's 'Tonight I Wanna Cry' 'Encapsulates' His Post-Breakup Feelings (Exclusive)

It was 2023, and life almost looked picture perfect for Chase Wright.

The country music singer/songwriter was enjoying some much-deserved success courtesy of songs such as “Hurt No More,” “Why Should We” and “Why Can’t It Be Over.” He embarked on his very first headlining tour that took him to places he had never been. And from the looks of it, his personal life was thriving too.

But looks can be deceiving. 

“We tried to make it work as much as we could, but we just had differences we couldn't get past, so we thought it was better just to go our separate ways,” admits Wright, 27, to PEOPLE about his 2023 breakup with fiancée Brittany Norris. “It just wasn't ever going to be right.”

Indeed, Wright admits that things didn’t feel right, right from the start. “I was pretty young, and I hadn't really been in a serious relationship when we got together, so there was a whole lot of learning there,” reflects the Indiana native. “We moved pretty fast, and there was a lot of personal things going on that led us down a path of moving pretty quickly. Things were fine, but they were never really great.”

Despite the rockiness of the relationship, the couple joyfully welcomed their son Ashur Lee into the world back in November of 2022.

“There were a lot of really great moments in our relationship, and Asher is the ultimate blessing to both of us,” says Wright, who proposed to Norris in March of 2023. “But at the end of the day, there was just some pretty core differences that [Brittany and I] had. We realized we could have tried everything to make it work, but ultimately realized that it was probably best if we just go our separate ways.”

And they officially did that in the fall of 2023. 

“Change is frickin’ scary,” Wright admits. “This is the life that I had known for the last three years. Since I really started my music journey, she and I had been together. And so, yeah, it was obviously really hard and very sad.”

It’s this extreme sadness that led Wright to retreat to a song he had always loved — a song that could describe the place he once found himself and a place he had hid from his growing legion of fans, until now. 

“I've just always loved the song, but it took on a whole new meaning when you get out of a relationship that you were in for three years,” says Wright about his brand-new cover of the Keith Urban hit “Tonight I Wanna Cry,” with the music video of the reimagined tearjerker of a song premiering exclusively on PEOPLE. “I would have loved to be able to write a song that sort of encapsulates this feeling, but I don't think any song that I could write could say it as well as this one does.”

And while he is now finding the light after some very dark days, Wright says singing the song brings some of those emotions right back to the forefront. 

“I cried every day for a month and a half,” he admits. “And sometimes, it still creeps up on me when I’m not even thinking about it. That’s why I really pushed to record this song because I feel like mental health is such an important thing for men to talk about. Crying is OK.”

And as heavy as the song is, Wright says that the relationship between him and his ex-fiancée has gotten a bit lighter as of late.

“I’m very thankful for the time that we had together,” explains Wright. “It definitely was the right decision for both of us because there was always going to be these core differences that we could have tried to force and make it work, but at the end of the day, both of us wouldn't be happy.”

Instead, the former couple are now working together to ensure that they both are the best parents to little Ashur.  

“He is the chillest guy I've ever met,” says Wright with a laugh. “He's growing so fast. He's 15 months now, which is crazy. He is starting to walk a little bit and he's starting to make some sounds that sound like words. He and I just hang out every day, and he is just the best.”