Dustin Lynch Says Being 'Ghosted' by Ex Kelli Seymour Inspired His New Album: 'I Wanted to Be Friends'

The country music star opens up about the heartbreak at the root of his fifth studio album, Blue in the Sky, on a new episode of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast

Dustin Lynch is one of many who had a relationship that didn't survive the ongoing pandemic. To help the country music star get through it, he put his pen to paper and created his fifth studio album, titled Blue in the Sky.

To celebrate the collection's Friday release, Lynch, 36, discussed the inspiration behind his new music in a new episode of the PEOPLE Every Day podcast. He tells host Janine Rubenstein that his breakup with model Kelli Seymour is what kicked off his latest bout of creativity, explaining how it all went down.

"It was one of those 'we didn't survive quarantine' relationships," Lynch explains, adding that the couple — who made their red carpet debut at the 2019 CMA Awards — ended things on the beach. "I learned so much about myself and what I want out of life and what I want out of my future partner."

"There's no regret, but I think I found a lot of clarity after that happened and we started recording this album," he says of his new album, which includes his hit duet with MacKenzie Porter, "Thinking 'Bout You."

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Lynch had hoped the two would remain in each other's lives, but he says being "ghosted" put a major hurdle in his plan.

"I wanted to be friends, but it takes two to tango, so that didn't pan out for me," he says.

"We had hours and hours of conversations, to which I thought, 'Hey, I'm here for you, I'll support you,' and I still am," he continues. "It was just a clean break, which I think in hindsight is probably the best thing for us."

Despite getting over the heartbreak of a recent breakup, Lynch wrote and recorded much of his latest album while enjoying "life with my friends on the water: lake parties, house parties, farm parties."

Fittingly, his latest single is titled "Party Mode" and documents the hedonistic hunt for joy after having one's heart smashed to bits.

"My goal for this album was, 'Hey, let's put something fun together,'" he says, adding that it's all about "embracing the new chapter" after putting a relationship behind you. "It feels optimistic. I just hope that a couple songs, somebody can connect to."

The "lake season" aficionado is looking ahead to a summer of "fun on the water" and enjoying life back on the road. "We're back on tour every single weekend this year and excited to bring the party to town."

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