Matt Sorum Says He's 'More Relaxed' Becoming a Dad Later in Life: 'The Timing Is Perfect for Me'

"I got started a little later," Matt Sorum, who welcomed baby daughter Lou Ellington in June with wife Ace Harper, tells PEOPLE

By Tomás Mier

and Benjamin VanHoose

Published on November 5, 2021 02:54 PM

Matt Sorum and Ace Harper attend the amfAR Gala Los Angeles 2021 honoring TikTok and Jeremy Scott at Pacific Design Center on November 04, 2021 in West Hollywood, — Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Matt Sorum is enjoying his new role as a dad.

The Grammy-winning musician, 60, and wife Ace Harper chatted with PEOPLE about life as new parents at Thursday's amfAR Gala Los Angeles 2021, sponsored by Fiji Water, in West Hollywood. The couple welcomed their first baby, daughter Lou Ellington, on June 11.

Harper says they're "really loving it" and couldn't be happier with their "incredible little girl."

"I got started a little later, you know? My wife, that's why she's so young and gorgeous here, but the timing is perfect for me. I'm more relaxed. I'm more focused on family," says Sorum. "We spent three months just nesting with the kid, just not doing anything but hanging with the baby and playing music for her. It's cool. I dig it."

"He's an incredible dad," says Harper, 37. "I mean, he's the fun guy, right? So fun, and he plays her music every day. He writes her songs based on different outfits that she's wearing and he really uses his creativity to inspire her."

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Adds Sorum, "We're just giving her all the opportunities to be who she wants to be. She's already this incredible little being, starting to give us the smiles. We just want to nurture her and have her have all the opportunities to be educated in music and art and culture."

The former drummer for Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver married Harper in 2013. He tells PEOPLE she is "the best mom."

"She's a natural. It's like everything just clicks," he explains. "For me, it's like, 'Here's the kid and you better figure it out.' But it's really a natural, organic feeling. We just do. We had some help to kind of teach us the ropes because you can't just jump in uneducated."

"We got a doula early on," he shares. "They're like nannies, basically, but they have a special way of helping you get them to sleep better, all the ins and outs of getting a child acclimated. We slept almost the whole night last night. Almost!"

Back in March, the musician revealed exclusively with PEOPLE that the pair were expecting their first child together, a daughter.

The couple shared a home video of themselves discovering the sex of their baby on the way via a slice of pink cake.

"We are beyond elated with God's gift of our baby girl. Of all the beautiful adventures we've been fortunate enough to have in our lives, there is nothing that compares to the joy we feel of finally creating our own family," said the couple at the time. "We're excited to show our child all the wonderful experiences life has to offer."