Clint Black Releases New Music Video for Single 'America (Still in Love with You)' as a 'Love Letter to the Country'

Clint Black is proud to be an American.

On Friday, the country singer, 58, released his new single, “America (Still in Love with You),” along with the music video for the track, as a “love letter to the country that has given me so much.”

“I wanted this to be the next thing America heard from me,” Black tells PEOPLE. “I wanted this to be a song for ALL our friends. My friends and family all come from different points of view, and it was important to make sure it rings true to all our ears.”

In the chorus of the song, his first new music since 2019’s Still Killin’ Time, Black sings, “I’m still in love with you despite all our ups and downs/Gone our separate ways but we’ve come back around/Even when we fight, a little or a lot/When it comes to friends, you’re the best one that I’ve got/And I’m still in love with you America.”

The homemade music video, premiering exclusively on PEOPLE, is just as patriotic as the song’s lyrics, and Black says it was “born out of the limitations brought on by quarantine” amid the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“I scoured the many sites available for buying footage and found the ones that spoke to the lyric and my own views of what makes our country great,” Black says. “It took time to get the pieces together to make the video: camera, lens, more batteries … Once I was ready to shoot, I had to get a masked friend to come over and make sure I was in focus!”

RELATED: Clint Black: Singing with Wife Lisa ‘Does Something to Me’

In the video, Black sings and plays an American flag-painted guitar as distinctly American footage — of places like the Statue of Liberty and White House — is interspersed throughout. Service members are also featured, including Black’s friend of a friend, Kyle Milliken, who was killed while serving in the U.S. Navy.

“His wife, Erin provided the photo,” Black says. “Kyle was awarded the Silver Star. It was my wish to honor him in this video.”

As to his “biggest hope” for the song, Black says that it’s making “Americans and our friends and neighbors feel good.”

“America (Still in Love with You)” is the first single to be released off of Black’s forthcoming new album, Out of Sane, set for release on June 19.

“Out of Sane is made up of all original songs, except for one cover,” Black said in a statement. “I recorded it with a varied collection of musicians; some from my band and some with session players.”

“I believe it’s one of my best albums ever, and I think my fans will love it,” he added. “They’ve been asking for new music for a while and I’m thrilled to finally be able to deliver after five years since the last studio album.”

As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.