Jake Owen iis a platinum-selling artist with ten #1 hits, a Breakthrough Artist of the Year winner, and one of the most recognizable voices in modern country.

You know him from “Barefoot Blue Jean Night,” “Beachin’,” and “American Country Love Song.”

But after two decades at the top, Jake Owen did something most artists never dare to do - he reinvented everything.

He stepped away from what was comfortable, bet on himself, and made the most honest music of his life.

In this powerful conversation, Jake opens up about taking risks, trusting his gut, and creating from a place of truth instead of expectation.

We talk about breaking free from Nashville’s major-label system, teaming up with Shooter Jennings, and rediscovering the joy of making music that feels good again.

This might be one of the most vulnerable and revealing conversations we’ve ever had on Americana Curious.

It’s a reminder that music can still move people — and sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is choose authenticity over approval.

🎧 You’ll Hear Jake Share:

🎵 Why he needed to trust himself again after 20 years of success

🔥 How he found the courage to take creative risks

🤝 The unexpected story behind his partnership with Shooter Jennings

💔 What a moment with his daughter taught him about pride, identity, and purpose

🎸 Why letting the music lead — not the business — changed everything

This isn’t a comeback story.

It’s a coming-home story.

A reminder that reinvention isn’t starting over — it’s stepping into who you really are.

And if you’ve ever felt torn between success and your soul…

Jake’s words will hit you right in the heart.

🎧 From Ben & Zach

We started Americana Curious because we believe real music still matters.

Too many overlook the artists carrying the torch for truth, connection, and heart — so every week, we bring you their stories.

Thanks for being here, for caring about the songs that still mean something.

If this episode moves you, share it with a friend who needs a reminder that it’s never too late to start over.

🎙 Subscribe for more stories that prove Americana is alive and well.

He's a platinum selling artist with 10 number one hits and one of the most recognizable voices in country music.

You know him from Barefoot Blue, Jean Knight, Beach End and American Country Love Song.

For two decades, Jake Owen was living the Nashville dream.

Hit records, sold out shows, and a life most artists only imagine.

But the higher the climb, the more he began to wonder, what if there's more to music than fame?

What makes a country superstar risk it all to rediscover his sound and himself?

After having a record deal for 20 years and a lot of success with a lot of people, I guess I could have got another one making this album.

I want to kind of do this on my own.

I don't want to just do something that's safe.

This is on me now.

Jake's owning his story, not chasing charts, not holding back.

He's making music that's raw, real and intentional.

A sound that finally feels like home.

This is what it means to bet on yourself again.

You let the music dictate the touring.

Going overseas here a few weeks back, I decided over there I'm going to play these unheard songs that are on this new album and see what they think.

And I did, and they freaked out.

These songs draw you in.

When your kids see you, do they see you as the rock star?

My little girl, she was wearing a Jake Owen T shirt, and it made me kind of uncomfortable.

I said to her, I was like, pearl, why are you wearing that shirt?

And she's like, dad, first off, I love this shirt.

And secondly, like, I'm proud of you.

That hit me in the heart.

This is Jake Owen's Americana rebirth.

Let's get into it raw, real road worn.

The artists we feature aren't chasing fame, they're chasing truth.

I'm Ben Fanning with my co host Zach Schultz, and this is Americana Curious, where we spotlight the unsung heroes of Americana music.

You'll get new songs, hard earned lessons, stories behind the music, and a big shot of inspiration.

Follow the show and rate us on Spotify and Apple and leave a review on Apple to help more people discover the power of Americana.

Let's get Americana curious.

My little girl, definitely.

The other day we were in Target and I noticed she was wearing a Jake Owen T shirt.

And it made me kind of uncomfortable, to be honest.

Like, I was like, oh, damn, that's weird.

Like, in my mind and maybe this sounds.

I don't know, to me it sounds weird.

I should not have thought of it this way.

But I was like, like, damn.

Like, I don't think people care when I see them in Target anyways.

But like, like, if my daughter has a J Go T shirt on, it's kind of like calling attention.

So there's part of me is like, I don't want to call attention.

But then I realized, I said to her, I was like, pear, why are you wearing that shirt?

And she's like, she's like, dad, I'm proud of you.

After 20 years in Nashville, why go independent now?

After having a record deal for 20 years and doing that thing, I guess I could have got another one.

There was a part of me that felt like that kid again from 20 years ago.

I felt like this is on me.

I believe in me the way I did then, and I want to kind of do this on my own.

So I flew into LA through a big old cloud of smoke on a red eye to Nashville A place to still call home All I've lost along the way I came to find out here A shooter and a five piece man in the heart of Hollywere we ain't doing it for the money ain't doing it for the fame I just think it's time to make a little change.

Been successful at.

But I also feel like there's so much more that I need to accomplish on a personal level way more than like music or career.

And so that's kind of.

That's my next trajectory.

It seems so darn risky because you have, you have the career, you have the voice.

Everyone points like, there's Jake.

Like, people know that and now you're kind of going out, taking this risk when you do, doesn't seem like you have to like, why are you feeling so compelled now to sort of go in this new direction?

It's funny that's making this album.

Shooter Jennings was an incredible, just kind of partnership in a way to meet him and know how, you know his desire to growing up in Nashville, to want to leave that place and go out to LA and make a name for himself and not just as Waylon's son, but somebody that made his own mark in the music business.

He.

He was just really.

He applauded me so much for that same reason.

He was just like, Jake, you.

The reason I'm fired up about making this album with you is because he's like, this took balls for you to come out here and step away from what was comfortable.

And he goes, that's what makes me want to make music with someone.

He's like, I don't want to just do something that's safe.

He's like, we have to.

And so that.

That.

Like, having that applaud from someone that I admired really, really went a long way for me and helped confirm what I was doing and felt right.

And I love that about Americana music.

Like, it's the collaboration, it's the community, and no one does alone.

And what better person for two icons like you and Shooter to get together to do something special like that?

I was gonna ask, how important is it to have Shooter, who's making just incredible albums?

I mean, he's.

I don't know how many Grammys he's up for.

For.

Yeah.

Producing, but how important it is to have somebody like that.

Not only that, like you said, lived kind of that life going from Nashville, getting out of there to have him doing this with you.

It's funny, I told him, and I tell a lot of people this.

Like, he's the one.

I think that is also took a risk.

Right.

I mean, like, I've had a great career.

I'm proud of what I've done, but we come from kind of two separate kind of.

The reason he left Nashville to go to LA was because of maybe a lot of the type of music coming out of Nashville time that I was even making.

And so for him to kind of like, go, you know what?

I want to work with a guy that made a living in time and the type of music, you know, even people reference it now, like, it's a baroque country.

Like, in time, my career, I was like, dude, you.

You're already in the cool club.

And like, you.

You're.

You're inviting me into it.

And.

And not just inviting me into it.

He's put his arm around me and told.

Telling everybody else, like, this is.

This is awesome, what we're doing.

And he, like, believes in me.

And what I found funny was I took a chance of making some music that maybe people looked back now that it wasn't their favorite.

As you said, Zach, maybe about the Shooter departing, wanted him to make.

But, like, I kind of took a risk then.

No different than the risk I took when I.

When I left Florida and moved to Nashville.

Like, I've always kind of wanted to do things different.

They haven't always been right.

I'll be the first to tell you that I've always been right.

But what feels good is.

Is chasing something that isn't.

Isn't what's expected.

Wow.

So when you got into it and you were in the.

As you've defined as the bro country days, and you were early in that barefoot Blue Jean Knight, these iconic songs.

Why were you making music then?

And when you wake up in the morning and you're making music now, why are you making music if it's changed?

It's because when you love music and you like.

It's not even about music as much, about the feeling I like to like when I wake up in the morning, one of the first things I want to do is grab my guitar and sit on the couch and have some coffee and like the way it feels under my arm and just, just strumming, strumming an open E chord, you know what I mean?

You're like, damn, this guitar sounds good.

You could make up a new song daily that didn't live the day before.

And it was something that could live forever.

And that to me is exciting.

It's like nothing else can give you that.

That feeling of like a high that music can give you.

So that's why I do it.

I do want to ask a question about Middle Aged Crazy, the Jerry Lee cover that he did on the album.

Because I mean, more about this album.

This, this album for everybody that's listening is kind of a nod to an old time honky tonk country sound, which we love.

But you did this song, which is about grasping with being a middle age kind of human.

So it's interesting to me that you chose it, but it sounds like it's kind of relevant to what's going on in your life.

Right?

Hey, he's 40 years old going on.

20.

And he hears of them sordid affairs he ain't had any.

And the.

Only thing beside him, you know, she understands that he's middle aged crazy Trying.

To prove he still can still ca.

Oh, totally.

And thanks for asking, Zach.

I. I love that song just in general, I think as I grew up listening to country music, I always like Jerry Lee Lewis.

But I love that song and I think I loved it because just the melody was great and.

But I never loved it from the idea that it made sense to me until like recently.

And I just think there's a part of me that I've always been kind of vulnerable with my feelings and how.

And my honesty to a fault.

People tell me that a lot.

What they love about me is that I'll tell them what I'm thinking, but they also don't.

What they hate about me is I tell them what I'm thinking.

And so this song, Middle Aged Crazy is a.

But it's a kind of honest, like, ode to where I am, you know, as a 40, like 44 year old guy.

To me that sounds old.

Like 44 sounds old.

I remember when I was a 24 year old kid and I had like a friend of mine, old name I was on tour with, I'm like, how old are you?

He said, I mean I just turned 44.

I remember thinking to myself, at least I got 20 years before I turned 44.

And now I'm like, damn, where did that go?

But I think like, because I said earlier, the idea of constantly like there's something next, like there's always got to be something that I'm working on.

It's not because like it's not about money or anything.

It's just about like fulfilling myself.

Even when I come home, my friend's like, you never sit down.

And it's like I just feel like I need to be doing something.

And so middle aged Crazy to me was a song that's kind of feel like I am crazy sometimes because I'm constantly chasing things that maybe I don't need.

Like what I have is right in front of me.

And that's what's gonna not drive me crazy is like just being okay with being here right now, you know, so powerful, man.

You know, you mentioned being on tour in that moment.

Like, oh my, I have 20 years before I'm like that guy's age.

And now you're there.

How do you envision this is going to change your touring life with taking this direction, going independent whereas before, right when you were in bro country phase, it feels like to me there's a set tour trajectory for that group.

To be honest, it's different with Americana and maybe the more independent route or maybe it's not with you.

No.

It's funny, I think for my team and people around me, there's a, there's a huge business behind that, you know, behind Nashville and, and, and songs on the radio that then promote tours and then the tours don't take it.

It's a lot of that, but there's a lot of pressure behind that.

There's a lot of overhead expenses behind a lot of that.

That honestly is what clouds the music, right?

When it's about the music and then you let the music dictate the touring, you get a lot more what I call intimate connection with your audience, with your fans.

And I noticed that even going overseas here a few weeks back, I decided over there because it's not like they have a bunch of radio stations like they do here.

So I thought, you know what?

I don't know that they care If I play five more number one songs tonight, I'm going to play these unheard songs that are on this new album.

They think, yeah.

And I did.

And they freaked out.

They freaked out.

They loved it.

And it goes to show you that, like, people just like good music.

And sometimes we can put too much emphasis behind.

I say we not meaning everyone, but we in kind of in this bubble that we can sometimes put ourselves in Asheville of, like, the lights and the cameras and the action and everything.

Like the.

You were talking, Zach.

I mean, John, Fran is a perfect example of, like, somebody that just told the story with the song.

And you don't need.

With the beauty of the storytelling of songs that he wrote, like, you don't need anything else.

There doesn't even need to be talks about what's gonna be on the content screen.

You know, these songs draw you in.

And so to answer your question with a long answer, Ben, I'm actually kind of excited about having this music dictate, like, maybe smaller venues that are more intimate, where people are there to listen and not just like.

Not just party.

And, like, they're like, dude, this song.

These songs were intentional.

Like, this music is intentional.

And so that's exciting.

That's exciting for me because I do play shows sometimes where I feel like we're just playing the show, meaning that, like, it was a third or fourth show of the week, and it was just like, we needed it to, like, pay.

To pay for the expenses.

So when we got home for the week, like, we weren't in the hole.

You know what I'm saying?

When you take.

And the only reason you have those expenses is because you're putting on the big show.

And so there's a lot of that as you figure out, like, you're like this.

We're getting way more towards business than we are about the music.

And this.

This.

This feels to me, like, about.

It feels more music, like, than business.

I'm excited about this because, you know, I. I don't listen to that other stuff that we don't have to right anything.

But I'm excited.

When we were, you know, talking about getting on, I was super pumped with this kind of going independent thing.

And I listened to the album, and I really was blown away.

And it's people that I love.

Shooter and Savannah Conley's on there, and he wrote some songs with Marvel.

Kendall.

Kendall Marvel.

Yeah.

And I just think it's really going in a good direction for my liking.

Yeah, no, thank you.

And I'm so grateful, like, when I got dude to be able to talk to you guys.

As a guy that's made the kind of music, I have to be on an Americana podcast.

You know what I mean?

It's a big, huge deal for me because you're allowing me to talk to people that may have been like, I don't.

First of all, I may not know that guy.

Secondly, if I do know that guy, I don't like him because I don't like his music.

And I'm not ashamed at all.

I'm so proud, like, of all the music I've ever made.

And you shouldn't be.

I'm not saying.

And there are.

Yeah, right, right.

I don't think you are at all.

But I've also realized, too, that, like, life, as I mentioned earlier, like, has really been a big part in me figuring out my musical direction and path.

And also, if I.

If somebody said to me what, like, what would be a piece of advice for, like, people that do dream about coming to Nashville and making it and it's music business, is that it is great and it can fulfill a lot of things, but it's like, as I mentioned, like, when it's all slowing down or you have a little bit of a teeter in trajectory, like, people vanish, man.

Like, you don't hear from anyone, but it's real cool.

And you can tell that people, like, Shooter is like, it's about the music, man.

It's not about the.

And he's like, the minute we finish this record, Shooter's like, dude, when are we making another one?

Like, when are we need to make way more of this?

And I was like, we're doing it, so it feels great, and I'm.

I'm excited.

I'm really grateful you guys have me on here to.

To kind of share my excitement about it.

Thank you so much, my friend.

And thank you, Dan.

You made.

You made it so much about the music, and the world's gonna love this.

I cannot wait for Americana Curious to get a hold of it because it's something special, and we can't wait to catch you on the road, too.

Well, thank you, Ben.

Thank you, Zach, and for keeping you all earlier.

And I hope you want to cross.

Paths sometime soon for sure, my friend.

All right, thank you, guys.

Bye.

Bye.

Thanks for joining Zach and I for this episode of Americana Curious.

Subscribe where you listen to your podcast so you are notified when a new episode is released.

I'm Ben Fanning, and it's been great sharing these artists and music with you.

Until next time, stay.

Americana.

Curious.