Chris Stapleton on Being an Unofficial Member of 'Duck Dynasty' : 'I've Signed Some Autographs'

The breakout country star often gets mistaken for a member of the Robertson family

Photo: Rob Kim/Getty

Chris Stapleton‘s world has completely changed – in the best possible way! – since his epic performance with Justin Timberlake at the CMA Awards in November, but he’s still able to get around relatively unrecognized – as himself, anyway.

“I can pass myself off as a Duck Dynasty impersonator a lot,” Stapleton, 37, tells PEOPLE, joking about how he stays under the radar.

For Stapleton, whose long beard is a hallmark of his look, appearing to be member of the Robertson family on A&E’s hit reality show has come naturally.

“For a while, when it was a really hot thing, people would be like, ‘Hey, are you one of those Duck Dynasty guys?'” he explains. “I think I’ve signed a few autographs on their behalf.”

For more on Chris Stapleton, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

Stapleton – a hugely successful Nashville songwriter who has written hits for Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney and Darius Rucker, to name a few – is now experiencing fame as a performer. This year, he’s up for four Grammy nominations, including album of the year for his debut Traveller). Still, Stapleton says songwriting is the best gig going.

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“I moved to Nashville to be a songwriter,” he says. “I found out that was a job, that someone would pay you to sit in a room with a guitar and make up songs! It is the greatest job in the world. I wrote three or four songs a day. That’s what I lived for. Then I got the chance to get back out and play some music in a band.”

Adds Stapleton: “Fate has a funny way of steering you [toward] whatever it is you’re supposed to be doing, at the time you’re supposed to be doing it.”