Jake Owen Calls Daughter Pearl the ‘Greatest Trophy’ of His Life

Jake Owen is used to playing before thousands of screaming fans each night, but his favorite fan is his five-year-old daughter, Pearl.

“Being a dad is just about as rock star as anything that I have ever done,” Owen tells Taste of Country of the daughter he shares with ex-wife, Lacey Buchanan. “I never thought I would say that.”

“I get on the bus and I ask the driver if we can get home faster,” he adds with a laugh. “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.”

Forget hanging with famous friends or jetting off to exotic places; when Owen is off the road, the only place he wants to be is with Pearl.

“Now I have a girl that is missing me when I am on the road,” Owen says of Pearl, his 5-year-old daughter. “When I pull into Nashville, I want to go build a treehouse or something with my girl.”

Owen is co-starring in the new reality TV talent show, Real Country, along with Shania Twain. The show, which will seek out new talent to give them the “ultimate showcase,” is perfect for someone as altruistic as Owen.

“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 shares. “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.”

“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 continues. “They have the talent. And getting with Shania to do this sort of show? I’m just totally excited.”

The 36-year-old hopes to pass on to other aspiring singers the lessons he’s learned to others starting out much the way he did 12 years ago.

“There was a time when I was just a guy singing songs,” recalls Owen. “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. Without it, there is just not a lot of substance.”

Owen’s latest single “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” is available for download on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Instagram/jakeowenofficial