Jake Owen Expecting Baby With Girlfriend Erica Hartlein

Jake Owen has some big news!The singer has revealed that he and girlfriend Erica Hartlein are [...]

Jake Owen has some big news!

The singer has revealed that he and girlfriend Erica Hartlein are expecting a baby, sharing the news during an ABC news special, I'm Coming Home, which aired on Nov. 22.

The special saw Owen and Hartlein visit Owen's hometown of Vero Beach, Florida, where they shared their happy news with his family.

"This'll throw you guys for a loop," Owen told his parents, Steve and Mitzi, and fraternal twin brother Jarrod. "[We] haven't told anyone, but Erica and I will be having a little addition to our Owen family."

The family was instantly excited, with Hartlein exclaiming, "Now I'm gonna turn really red!"

"I hope it's twins!" Mitzi shared while Steve chimed in, "Gotta have a little boy!"

"We don't need twins," cracked Owen in response to his mom's suggestion.

The upcoming arrival will be Owen's second child and his first with Hartlein. A rep confirmed the news to PEOPLE and shared that the baby is due in late spring/early summer. Owen and Hartlein, an interior designer, have been together since at least 2017, but have kept their relationship extremely private save for an appearance at the ACM Awards in Las Vegas earlier this year.

Owen shares daughter Pearl, who celebrated her sixth birthday on Nov. 22, with ex-wife Lacey Buchanan. Owen often shares snaps of Pearl on his Instagram account, and it's clear he absolutely loves being her dad.

In September, the Real Country judge posted a video of Pearl riding a bike, with Owen expressing how disappointed he was to have missed the moment due to being on the road.

"Being on the road is an amazing job and has so many special moments," he wrote. "BUT, being away from my little girl when she learned to ride her bike with no training wheels today is tough! I am so excited for her and a proud Dad. Her excitement in her 'Hey Daddy' made my whole week. Ha. It's the little moments in life. The FIRST times. Cherish them."

In April, Owen told PEOPLE about a recent father-daughter event he attended with Pearl, adding that he loves that the 6-year-old sees him as her dad only rather than the entertainer everyone else views him as.

"I went down and hung out with her and she was pretty excited to show me her teachers and all the stuff she's learning," Owen shared. "She's learning Spanish and reading right now."

"It was a super big deal to me, but it's so fulfilling to see her be so excited to show people her daddy," he continued. "To her, I'm not the singer Jake Owen, I'm just dad."

Photo Credit: Getty / Jason Kempin/ACMA2018

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