Tim McGraw says he 'would've died already' if he hadn't married Faith Hill

A successful partnership can make individuals better than the sum of their parts. Tim McGraw may believe this more than anyone.

The country star and actor says he "would've died already" if it weren't for Faith Hill, whom he married nearly three decades ago. The power couple have not only been married for more than a quarter-century but have also worked together on Taylor Sheridan's Emmy-nominated Yellowstone spin-off, 1883.

"I guarantee you, had I not gotten married to Faith at 29 years old, A. I probably would've ran my career into the ground and B. I would've died already with my career into the ground — one or the other, and it wouldn't have ever been where it's at now," he tells host Zane Lowe in a new episode of his Apple Music show.

McGraw also opened up about his struggles with alcoholism and getting sober in 2008, saying Hill eventually told him that it was time to sort things out. "Well, I don't know if the maturity's occurred yet, but she put up with it for a while because I was pretty sneaky about it for a while," he said. "But it was just overdoing stuff, and then I think when the kids got old enough that they could notice things is when she finally said, 'You've got to figure this out.'"

He also spent time talking to Lowe about the creative aspects of his partnership with Hill in advance of his 17th studio album, Standing Room Only, which is due out Friday.

"I'm always playing her the songs that I want to record and playing the mixes as I'll go along, and there's times we don't agree," the singer said. "There's times where she goes, 'I don't like the way that sounds.' 'Well, I do, and that's the way it's going to stay.' And the same thing when she's making a record. It's like, 'I think this should be your single.' She goes, 'No, I don't like that song. This is going to be the single.' I go, 'All right.'"

Listen to McCraw's interview in full on Apple Music 1 and watch the video of it below.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content

• Who played who in The Blind Side: See the cast and their real-life counterparts
• 1883's Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Black excellence at the Tonys, and more in EW's The Awardist digital magazine
• Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren head into the wilderness in first-look photos for Yellowstone prequel 1923