Bailey Zimmerman Says He 'Took a Little Break' from Music to Overcome 'Slump' in His 'Personal Life' This Year (Exclusive)

"You can be doing so good and everything's going great, but still you just can't feel it," said the country star at PEOPLE and IHG Hotels & Resorts' pre-CMAs event in Nashville

Bailey Zimmerman is busy working on himself.

The country singer, 24, opened up about his whirlwind rise to fame and how it's changed his life during an interview at Hotel Indigo Nashville — The Countrypolitan at PEOPLE's pre-CMAs listening event, hosted in partnership with IHG Hotels & Resorts, on Monday.

"I didn't plan past this point. I really didn't. Last year I thought about putting out a record and then I just didn't really love all the music that we were trying to cut, and I wasn't at a good point in my personal life. It's so weird," he tells PEOPLE.

"I don't know if anybody can relate to this, but you can be doing so good and everything's going great, but still you just can't feel it," he says. "I haven't really talked about it much, but I've been going through that the last year or so, kind of since we got done cutting Religiously. I've just felt this slump."

Related: Bailey Zimmerman Talks Inspiring Hope with 'Holding On' — and the CMA Award Nom That Left Him 'Speechless' (Exclusive)

Zimmerman released his full-length debut album in May 2023, and his latest single, "Holding On," just last month.

Still, the CMA Awards' best new artist nominee says that enjoying his success has been challenging for him as he navigated personal lows amid the incredible highs of his skyrocketing career.

"It's the weirdest thing. I'm getting number one after number one, people are just so excited to see me live. We're selling out tours, but then at the same time, you can't feel it. You can't feel anything," he explains. "And so that's why I haven't put out a lot of music. I've been trying to, I guess, find myself and find who I really want to be."

"I think that's what the last year of my life has really been is just finding my purpose, bettering relationships with my parents, with my grandma. She's not going to be around for long. Just doing personal stuff,' he says.

But, he adds, "Holding On" was the song that helped him reconnect with music.

"When I heard 'Holding On' for the first time, it just gave me that fire in my a--. Just lit a fire right underneath me like, 'man, I can't wait to write more songs. I can't wait to get in the studio. Can't wait to work again,'" he says. "Now I'm back, and we're back in the studio. I'm working on the album. We've been working on that a lot. More music. More shows."

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Zimmerman first garnered attention on “trucktok" where he'd post videos of himself and his brother building trucks together. The siblings intended to eventually open a shop, but when Zimmerman got bored early on while waiting for parts, he recorded himself singing Black Stone Cherry's "Stay."

Then, he posted a viral TikTok of a song he wrote with his friend Gavin Lucas, and he quit his job the next day to pursue music.

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Fast forward four years later, and the now 24-year-old still can't believe his life's fortuitous turn.

"Man, it's just crazy to not live in a trailer anymore. I feel like any time you can have the opportunity to make it out and support your family, retire your dad, get to do things that nobody else gets to do, it's just emotional all the time. Every day is emotional," he says. "You wake up, and I've got a house now and got two puppies. To be recognized for your music is insane."

The 58th Annual CMA Awards airs on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.