On Friday, country singer Jake Owen announced on Twitter that he and his wife Lacey Buchanan are divorcing. Just a day later on Saturday, he took to the stage to perform at WE Fest in Detroit Lakes, Minn., and during his performance he opened up to the audience about what he's been going through.
Owen played an acoustic version of Garth Brooks' "The Dance," he paused and got candid with fans. "A lot of people maybe shy away from it, but I think I'm going to do some weird stuff. My wife and I are getting a divorce, and this is probably the hardest s--t I've ever done in my life, to walk on stage every night, and try to pretend that everything's awesome, when it really isn't awesome. You know what I'm saying?"
The 33-year-old father credited his fans for helping him through the tough time, telling them at the concert, "But thanks to people like you guys for singing along, you have no idea how much you lift me up every single night, and I love my wife more than anything in the world, and I love my little baby girl Pearl more than anything in the world." The audience was quiet as they listened to Owen pouring out his heart, and cheered for him when he credited his fans for helping him along during this difficult time.
Owen continued, "If it wasn't for both of them, I wouldn't even be here right now to be a happy man. That's a dance I'm glad I got to dance."
The couple met when Lacey was in Owen's music video "Eight Second Ride" off of his 2009 album Easy Does It. He then proposed to the 22-year-old model in 2012, while on stage while performing in his hometown of Vero Beach, Fla. The duo got married that same year in a small and intimate ceremony on May 7 in Vero Beach, Fla.
After three years of marriage, Owen released a statement via Twitter saying, "This is the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. We appreciate your support and privacy in this matter."
"I wanted to let my fans know how much I've appreciated their love and support of not only my career, but my family as a whole," the "Don't Think I Can't Love You" singer's statement read. "Sadly, Lacey and I have decided to end our marriage. We want to focus on our daughter Pearl and make sure that she has a beautiful life with loving parents. We appreciate you respecting our privacy during this time."