Trey Lewis says country music saved his life after a drug and alcohol addiction took hold of him in his teenage years. The "My Ex Came Over" singer chatted with Taste of Country in a recent Instagram Live interview, sharing details about the difficult road that led him to pursuing a career as a musician.

Lewis says that his struggle with substances began when he was 13 years old, and the addiction continued until he entered rehab at age 19. He was finally able to overcome his addiction thanks to the power of music.

"I was in rehab for two weeks, and then I went to sober living for six months, or a halfway house," he recounts. "I started going to 12-step meetings, and after I made amends with my father, I decided to buy a guitar and I taught myself to play it. I’ve been playing music ever since. Back in June I celebrated 15 years of continuous sobriety."

"Country music saved my life," he adds.

Now, 15 years later, Lewis is making his mark in country music with songs like "Single Again" and his July release, "My Ex Came Over." The former, he says, was written after he and a love interest got into an argument. He released "Single Again" this past winter, and it not only gained traction on TikTok, but it landed at No. 1 on the iTunes Country chart.

Lewis further reveals that he and his love interest began healing their relationship after the song was released, and that is when "My Ex Came Over" was born.

"While ['Single Again'] was coming out and blowing up, me and that girl started trying to work things out," he says. "She came over to my house one night, and the next morning I had a write, and I woke up and picked up the guitar and I was playing this little riff. Joking around, I was like, ‘What do you think about this? (sings) My ex came over last night.’ She was like, ‘I hate it, but it would probably work for you.’"

Although Lewis has long overcome his addiction and has started seeing success in country music, he still makes sure to check in on his mental health. After working at his career for so long, he admits that he sometimes has trouble soaking in the good moments — such as opening for Morgan Wallen — and he aims to be better at being present in the future.

"This year, with the Kid Rock stuff and whatever other opportunities come my way, I’m just going to enjoy it and soak it up," he says, referring to his slot on Kid Rock's Bad Reputation Tour. "I feel like I’ve done a good job of taking care of my mental state of mind to be able to be in the moment. That’s one thing I’ve had to work on — taking care of my mental health and physical health. All that stuff is so important."

A new song, "How 'Bout We Don't," dropped on Friday, Aug. 19. Lewis plans to release a new EP in November or December, and he will begin recording a full-length album in early 2023.

"I’m gonna cut a full record and we’re gonna have fun," he says. "Going to take a gamble on myself."

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