Garth Brooks confirmed that he is coming out of retirement in in Nashville on Thursday. (Mark Humphrey/Associated Press) Following in the footsteps of musical contemporaries including rapper Jay-Z, country star Garth Brooks announced a musical comeback in Nashville on Thursday.

Brooks, 47, confirmed at a news conference the long-simmering rumour that he is officially ending his self-imposed retirement.

"We're going to take the retirement roof off over our head, and I already feel taller," Brooks told reporters.

The popular singer said he has no immediate plans and will take things as they come.

The top-selling country star released his last studio album, Scarecrow, in 2001, a year after he decided to retire to spend more time with his three daughters, all now teens. He also divorced his wife, Sandy Mahl, in 2001 and married country singer Trisha Yearwood in 2005.

He emerged from retirement to promote his three-disc compilation album of greatest hits — including four new songs — in 2008. The album finished 10th on Billboard's year-end list of top-selling albums.

In a 2008 interview, Brooks mentioned he would like to return to the music industry once his children had grown.

With files from The Associated Press