Jimmie Allen's 1 Rule for Songwriting: Must Be Able to 'Sing in Front of My Grandmother'

With three No. 1 songs under his belt, Jimmie Allen certainly knows how to write a song. Still, he knows that words have meaning, and he's not about to take things too far.

In fact, he has a rule when it comes to his music, a rule he has pledged to never break.

"For me as a songwriter, one thing I've always told myself was I would never record or release a song that I couldn't sing in front of my grandmother," Jimmie, 36, told PEOPLE on Friday night at the MusiCares Gala in Las Vegas. "That's been my mentality even before I got my first record."

As a father to three children, he essentially has the same music philosophy, knowing that his kids will all be able to hear his songs. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass his children with his lyrics.

"Being a parent and knowing there are other parents out there, I don't want to put out music that parents won't want their kids to listen to," he said, adding that he's aware other artists don't hold that same mindset.

Jimmie attended Friday's MusiCares Gala with his wife Alexis, 25. They are parents to daughters Naomi Bettie, 2, and newborn Zara James, 5 months, as well as his son Aadyn, 7, from a previous relationship.

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"We're all different and we all have different types of music we wanna create," Jimmie explained. "But for me and who I am and my journey, I just kind of just wanna create good stuff that everybody can listen to."

He has topped the country music charts with his songs "Best Shot," Make Me Want To," and "Freedom Was a Highway" since dropping his debut album Mercury Lane in 2018.