There’s a good chance that the last time you heard about Creed vocalist Scott Stapp it was in relation to his bizarre breakdown at the end of 2014 in which he posted some very disturbing videos on Facebook erratically claiming he was broke and “under some kind of pretty vicious attack” because people were taking advantage of him and stealing his money. Then news broke that his wife Jaclyn and her sister had called 911 because they were concerned about the singer after he claimed to be a CIA agent who was on a mission to kill President Barack Obama.

“I was not in my right frame of mind when I did that,” admitted Stapp about that bad period of his life exclusively to Headlines & Global News. “I was very sick at that point in time, and wasn’t thinking of any kind of consequences, or how that was going to come across to the public. I was in a delusional, paranoid, drug-infused place.”

Now, after receiving professional treatment for both bipolar disorder and drug and alcohol abuse issues, the 42-year-old is ready to make a comeback. The rocker displayed his passion for music during a Jan. 20 solo concert at New York City’s famed Webster Hall. The dynamic vocalist plowed through the gig with pure force, delivering raw emotion with every lyric he sang. Stapp’s set was a mix of Creed classics (like “Torn,” “Higher,” “One Last Breath” and, of course, “With Arms Wide Open”) and solo material (like “Slow Suicide,” “Proof of Life” and “Jesus Was a Rockstar”). Fans were ecstatic to see him back onstage again, looking healthy and sounding strong.

Stapp told HNGN all about his personal struggles, how VH1’s “Couples Therapy” saved his marriage and how he is excited to create new tunes again in the very candid interview below.

Are you clean and sober?
Yes, I am. Clean and sober, and living a very healthy life. With my bipolar diagnosis, I finally got this beast that’s really had an impact on my life for so many years managed and under control. I’m living a very healthy life in terms of diet, exercise and sleep, and just how I am as a spiritual and emotional human being. I really feel like I’m in the best place I’ve ever been, and I just want to continue to take life one day at a time and keep doing what’s positive and healthy every day.

What are you eating to stay healthy?
I do egg whites for breakfast, a salad with chicken or fish for lunch and chicken or fish with vegetables for dinner. I just eat very clean and very healthy, and it’s had a positive impact on me mentally and emotionally. Eating right has a definite impact on your mental health.

And what do you like to do for exercise?
I love to run. It’s been an escape for me and a time to get centered, even meditate at times. I try to do five miles every day or, at least, five days a week.

Are you taking prescription medication for the bipolar disorder?
I definitely have managed my bipolar with the proper medications, yeah.

Last year, you appeared on VH1’s “Couples Therapy” with your wife Jaclyn to repair your strained relationship. How was that?
It was probably one of the most difficult and challenging experiences that my wife and I have ever done together. With my health crisis I had over a year and a half ago, it’s not often that you get an opportunity to get a national stage to kind of tie that up and share your side of the story, and for my wife and I, share what we were working on as a couple on the heels of that crisis. We really looked at it as just the next right move for us. We spoke with Dr. Jenn and were reassured that this was authentic therapy and something that we needed at the time. So we committed to the process and came out of it a stronger, healthier couple.

Do you think you would have received the same benefits had you just done therapy on your own as opposed to on television?
I put my family out there publicly with my situation, so we really looked at it as an opportunity to share the reality of our life and what we were going through. I think that the process itself, with the cameras and everything, really kind of kept everyone honest and left you no place to hide or escape through the therapy process.

How are things with your family right now?
Everything’s great. My wife and I have never been better. We continue to work on us and our relationship. The kids [Jagger, 17, Milan, 9, and Daniel, 5] are great. Everyone was at the [Jan. 15 tour kickoff] show. It’s awesome when my family is all there. I get to show my kids what I do and let them experience that.

Do you still bring the kids onstage? It was a great moment when you brought a young Jagger out at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in 2000.
They sit sidestage sometimes and, if it feels right and it’s organic and the emotions are there, I may bring them out periodically. It’s nothing that’s ever really planned. It was awesome to see them [Jan. 15]. As I was singing “With Arms Wide Open,” I looked over to my left and saw my three kids standing there and it just made it that much more of an emotional experience for me.

You’ve been offering really cool VIP experiences for fans who attend your concerts.
I got to give the credit to my wife. The fans were reaching out to us, wanting to get a chance to hang out for a bit, and my wife really came up with some great ideas on how to connect me with the fans and have them share in the touring experience. My wife is a very instrumental part of the team in terms of the touring machine and co-management. We’re a partnership in every sense of the word, and I couldn’t do it without her.

When you meet fans, what are they most interested in talking about with you?
A lot of fans share their stories with me about how the music has impacted their lives, how it just made a connection with them at various periods in their lives, and how it’s been a soundtrack for certain things or helped get them through certain situations. People also just like to know what goes on behind-the-scenes, so a lot of questions about sound check and interest in our tour bus and how we live, tour and do what we do.

How does it feel when fans tell you that your music has had a profound effect on their lives?
Well, I really start to feel like it’s bigger than me. At some point, my struggles and my journeys through life that I’ve written about in the music has connected me with other people because we’re all living the same life with its ups and with its downs. Really, I just have a sense of gratitude that I was able to be a part in an indirect way of someone’s life through the music.

When you first started writing songs, were you aware that sharing such deep emotions would have such a major impact?
No, I had no idea. When I first started writing music, I never knew if anyone would ever even hear it outside of my friends and people locally in Tallahassee. So I had no idea that it would ever make it on a national level – I mean that was the goal, the dream, but it was never something that I thought about when I was writing.

Now, knowing your songs’ effect on people all these years later, do you think about it as you are writing new material?
I just try to stay true to myself and be authentic, and just continue to do what I do and be honest and share my truth through the music. I think that that’s really the only way I know how to do it. I think if I started thinking too much about what’s going to happen after the fact, I think it would compromise what I do.

Are you working on new music now?
I am, actually. I’m working on two full-length records. I’m working on a full-length record for a project that I’ll be making an announcement about at the end of February/early March, and I’m also working on a new solo record. There’s no specific date for completion, but I’ve definitely begun the process. I have such a wealth of material to write about given my life experience over the last couple of years.

Is there anything you wouldn’t write about or share?
I think, at this point, nothing is really off limits. My life has kind of become an open book, partly because of how I write lyrics and what I’ve shared in my songs, and also because of things that I’ve done that have become public in my personal life. So, really, I’ve put myself out there. Nothing’s ever really off limits.

What will you be doing after this leg of the tour ends in mid-February?
I am going to be going right into the studio and begin finishing writing and recording one of the full-length albums that I’m working on. And we’re getting ready to announce new tour dates. I’ll be continuing to tour through the remainder of the year.

Have you talked to the guys in Creed lately?
We periodically stay in touch through text. I ran into [drummer] Scott Phillips at a charity golf tournament and we got to hang out and talk. [Guitarist] Brian Marshall called me the other day. We’re cordial. We’re all working on different things right now. I think that, at some point in time, we’ll probably talk about what we’re going to do next – when the time is right.

Scott Stapp Tour Dates
Apr. 30: Moonstone Music Festival in Orlando, Fla.
May 1: Cox Capitol Theatre in Macon, Ga.
May 2: Georgia Theatre in Athens, Ga.
May 7: The Pub Fountains in Stafford, Texas
May 10: Bourbon Theatre in Lincoln, Neb.
May 11: The District in Sioux Falls, S.D.
May 15: Austins in Libertyville, Ill.
May 18: The Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio
May 20: Rock’N Derby in Schaghticoke, N.Y.
May 22: Blue Ocean Music Hall in Salisbury, Mass.
May 24: Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, Conn.
May 25: Jewel Nightclub in Manchester, N.H.

For more on Scott Stapp, visit his official website or follow him on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter).