Jake Owen on Life, Love and the Constant Pull to Be With His Little Girl, Pearl
There was a time when Jake Owen couldn't get enough of the road. He couldn't get enough of the crowds, and the buses, and people screaming his name. Those cravings are still there, but home is where the heart is for this star. Home is where his daughter is.
“Now I have a girl that is missing me when I am on the road,” Owen says of Pearl, his 5-year-old daughter. “I mean, now when I pull into Nashville, I want to go build a treehouse or something with my girl."
"Being a dad is just about as rock star as anything that I have ever done," the Florida native admits. "I never thought I would say that."
Owen pauses, essentially surprising himself by the words coming out of his mouth. But then he continues. "I get on the bus and I ask the driver if we can get home faster," he says, laughing. “Nothing is missing anymore. I used to always feel like something was missing. With everything I had in my life, I was not fulfilled. (Pearl) is the greatest trophy of my life."
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Being a daddy has undoubtedly affected the decisions that Owen makes in his career now, including the recent news that he's joining Shania Twain on Real Country, a new singing reality show set to debut in the fall.
“I had someone back in the day tell me that I shouldn’t help people so much, because I would end up competing with them,” Owen recalls. “I totally disagreed with that guy. I wouldn’t be here if someone else didn’t help me. The country music genre is filled with real people helping out one another, and I love seeing people get the spotlight they deserve."
Just last week at Stagecoach, Owen experienced this sort of full circle moment with his friends Florida Georgia Line. "During my first headlining tour, I had FGL and Love & Theft open for me. And last week, I played before FGL at Stagecoach," he says, laughing. "That’s how it goes — full circle — and that’s ok. They truly deserve it and I am happy for them."
Finding new talent is something Owen has long wanted to do, he says, especially since he feels there is so much of it to be found. "There are a tons of people that are out there that I come across when I am on the road and traveling, and so many of those people just need to get in front of the right people," he says. "They have the talent. And getting with Shania to do this sort of show? I’m just totally excited."
He's also excited to share the lessons he has learned throughout his career.
"There was a time when I was just a guy singing songs," he says. "I lived like a vagrant and I was losing sight of what’s important. People don’t really talk about it a lot, because maybe it's not cool, but it’s so different when you are 23 and 24 getting your record deal and having great success and you are young ... It's not until you actually reach those quality things in life that it dawns on you. I mean, without it, there is just not a lot of substance."
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