Inside Joseph Habedank’s Journey from Rehab to the Grammys — Why He Says MusiCares ‘Saved My Life’

For Joseph Habedank, being up for his second Grammy award is not just a nomination — it’s a remarkable nod to his journey from drug addiction to recovery.

Habedank, 34, began his career in gospel music as the lead singer-songwriter of The Perrys. But things took a drastic turn for the rising artist when he developed an ulcer in his throat and began using opioid pain medication during his tour in 2008.

“There was a lady who saw that I was in pain and I think she very instantly asked me, ‘Hey, how are you gonna sing tonight?’” he tells PEOPLE of the first time he was introduced to prescription pain killers. “I said, ‘I’ll be fine. I’ll get through it.’ She said, ‘Well, I think I’ve got some medicine that will help you.’”

The Ohio native says he began taking low dosages over the next few days. “I might’ve had maybe five painkillers that weekend and then I stopped,” he recalls.

But soon he found himself struggling with the start of a life-changing battle with addiction.

Read the full story at PEOPLE.com