Chris Daughtry caught up with Billboard on the red carpet at the Concert for Love & Acceptance presented by GLAAD and Ty Herndon in Nashville on Thursday (June 6), chatting about celebrating pride month in Nashville and what advice he would give to aspiring country artists who are thinking about coming out.

Speaking of being in Nashville during CMA Fest to celebrate pride, Daughtry tells Billboard that it is so important to him to be there and to embrace unconditional love.

“We just came out with a song called ‘As You Are,’ and it's exactly what this event's about,” he says. “It's about love. It's about unconditional love. It's about embracing everyone as a human race and I feel like everybody deserves the right to feel accepted and loved for who they are when they are there, where they are, all that. So I'm very honored to be a part of it.”

Daughtry also shares some words of wisdom for up-and-coming country musicians who may be struggling with their identities, stating that they should be proud of who they are.

“Be yourself,” he says. “People want authenticity, right? And people see when it's not authentic. So be proud of who you are, and be accepted for who you are. People are going to either like you or not, but at least they're going to know why. And they're going to know that you're being authentic.”

Asked if he has ever grappled with being his authentic self, the singer replies that he thinks everyone does, explaining that he is nearly 40 years old and he only now feels comfortable in his own skin.

“I'm not trying to be this image of what people think I should be or what people thought I was,” he adds. “So I think everyone gets to a point in their careers. Some people reach it earlier than others but I'm kind of there right now.”

You can watch the full video interview above.