10 Questions with ... Jake Owen

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Jake Owen is bursting into 2018 with a new record label, having recently signed with Big Loud Records; new management, which sees him teamed with Keith Gale, longtime VP/Promotion for Owen's label alma mater, RCA Nashville; and a new single, "I Was Jack (You Were Diane)," that impacts Monday, March 12th. Also from Owen, an upcoming tour called "Life's Whatcha Make It" and a podcast called "Good Company" that launched last Fall. He enjoyed a long and successful run at RCA, earning four #1 singles and eight top 10s. It's been a while since we threw "10 Questions" at Owen. He was gracious enough to discuss all his new projects.

1. Jake, thanks for taking the time for "10 Questions." We have a lot to talk about today, with the last 12-15 months a time of transition for you and your music. Let's start with music and your new single, "I Was Jack (You Were Diane);" just the idea of this song is interesting and clever. How did you find this tune?

Craig Wiseman sent it to me, which I thought was really smart on his part to come and send that to me after I'd only been here at the label for a week. We were talking about songs that I'd been drawn to over the years, and "Jack And Diane" was one of them. It just happened to magically work out to where Craig had a co-write with Tommy Cecil, who had told his buddy Jody Stevens, who had started this pseudo "Jack And Diane" idea with a guy named David Ray. He said, "You mind if I take that to Craig, and we'll figure out a way that this makes sense?" Craig said, "That's weird! Jake was just talking about 'Jack And Diane,'" so, they kind of re-wrote this thing and brought it to my attention. My life seems to have worked out that way in many instances before, where when you're least expecting something, it pops up out of nowhere, and it's undeniable.

2. Of course, the original "Jack And Diane" by John Mellancamp has one of the most iconic riffs in the history of Rock music. Can you share the logistics of getting that in to your single? Because, it sounds like it could be complicated to pull off.

We had to run it all by Mellancamp; he gave us his approval and thumbs up on it. He actually said he liked it from what we heard. They said they've heard that song try to be used so many times before, and he was never going for it. They added his name to the song as a songwriting credit, so that's pretty nice. He's gonna be able to get some royalties and new plays off that, which I'm sure doesn't hurt him. It's just super cool to think he gave it his thumbs up for approval. It's a song that kinda pays homage to the original "Jack And Diane," and it's something that's really cool, because I love the song, and I grew up with that song; it came out long before I was really into music, but as a kid - especially in college - how many times have I played that song? Because it's that nostalgic feeling of two kids, growing up in the heartland of America, sneaking off in the backseat of the car. It's basically the song that has set up every other great song that's been written about young love and the feeling of growing up in the land of the free as an American and living those dreams of your teenage years. What I love about it is the way that this was written - I was Jack, and you were Diane - is that we played the role of those kids, and it's kinda a tale of two kids who were living the lyrics of that Mellancamp song. I think when he heard it, he probably felt the same way, and thought it's a cool spin on it. I was flattered he liked it!

3. When you say you played it in college, did you just listen to it, or were you playing it live during shows?

I played it with my college band every night. The biggest thing was when you can scream, "Let it rock, let it roll, let the Bible belt come and save my soul / Holdin' on to sixteen as long as you can / Change is coming around real soon make us woman and man." And, that's the truth. Like, hold onto your youth! It's funny, because when I put out "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," the line in there was, "Never gonna grow up, never gonna slow down." It's those consistent feelings in songs that people are drawn to. And, that line, in particular, of "Jack And Diane" from John Mellancamp when he said, "Hold on to sixteen as long as you can," basically life will fly by, and the next thing you know, you're a grown up, and you're gonna be wishing that we were back here, so hold on to this for as long as you can. That's, to me, why I did this song. Those are the songs that work best for me and make me feel good about making music.

4. Your new music - lead by this single - is the result of a label change to Big Loud Records. You had been with RCA since 2006 and saw great success. How does an artist know when it's time to make a change, and what made the partnership with Big Loud Records appealing?

I can't speak on behalf of what any other artist thinks, but I think for me in my life, it's all about good instinct. I've just knew when it was time for me to leave college and leave for Nashville - drop out of college and leave a degree behind to move to a town that there was nothing promised other than an opportunity. And, I left, because I had that gut instinct. It was the same with this; I was at a label for a lot of years and had a lot of great success, but I saw an opportunity. And, this group is so behind what I'm doing, and they believe in what I'm doing. I have a producer downstairs with Joey [Moi] that is the guy that was behind five #1s, from "Beachin'" to "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" to the biggest hits I've ever had. To be able to reunite with him and come over here with him, making music, and have a group of guys lead by [Big Loud Records President]Clay [Hunnicutt] and girls like [Dir./National Promotion] Stacy [Waugh] that have passion behind wanting to make things happen - all of the attributes are there to make a really big impact. So, again, I just felt it in my heart and soul that this was the right thing to do. I feel very confident about it, and I feel like it's been a good move. If it didn't work out, I'll always wanna live my life knowing I followed my heart; I felt that way when I moved here to Nashville, and if it didn't work out, I didn't sign a record deal... At least I did it! That's what life's all about - no regrets.

5. Also, you made a management change, and it seems to have been a seamless one, with Keith Gale handling things now. Keith, of course, was RCA VP/Promotion your entire career with the label - someone who was in the trenches, fighting for every spin on every Jake Owen record. I'm guessing that long-term partnership was important to you?

At the end of the day, whether people wanna talk about it or not, good business revolves around people being consistent, working hard, and being diligent, and being present in moments when it's needed. That stems from the label side and from a management side. From the label side of things, Keith was always there for me - getting my music played, going to bat for me every single day - and, we've always had a connection, understanding, and a mutual respect for one another, where when I think I need to tell him something or vice versa, we're very open with each other. We had already made the management change before I made the label change, but it was a hard thing for both of us, because we had spent a lot of years there at RCA. But, as I mentioned, it's about consistency and about people being there, and, knowing that [Big Loud] was ready to go to bat for us, and I knew [Keith] would too. Having him onboard with me and a label that is too, it was everything I needed. I'm glad to be in a place where we can wake up every single day and put our best foot forward and literally see traction, because we're all working at it. If it doesn't work out, all of us can sit back and go, "Hey, we worked as hard as we could and as strategic as we could be, and it was what it was." You can never have a regret doing that.

6. Back to the music for a minute... As I understand it, in addition to working singles to radio, there's a strategy for sharing additional music simultaneously to other platforms. This feels unconventional, yet with the growing streaming numbers everywhere and the overall growth in music consumption; it also seems like a very smart way to spread your brand in 2018.

I've always wanted to do that. Years ago, I put out a Summer EP that had nothing to do with the music on the album at the time, but when you have momentum... It's how the world works; when people are hungry, feed them. They're gonna come back for more, but you can't keep them hungry for too long, right? Because, they'll go somewhere else and feed! My idea with them, combined, is to give someone great music and supplement it with one or two other songs that are great, so they can digest that for a little bit. And, when they're ready for new stuff, give them new stuff again. The way the world is these days, and the way people are consuming and digesting music, is a whole lot different than it was 10 years ago. I'm all for albums; I love albums. I think people that truly understand a great album and make a great album are very admirable, but I also feel like right now it's a world where people are picking what they want, and if you can give them individual, quality tunes, why not? It's no different than giving them individually on an album. People don't have the time and focus these days to hone in on something for an hour, so I'm hitting people three minutes at a time.

7. And, of course, there's a tour coming up, "Life's Whatcha Make It," which is a great outlook. Have some of the changes in your career in the past couple of years shaped that philosophy for you?

Oh, One-hundred percent. I mean, I've gone through a lot between label changes, divorce, having a child, my dad beating cancer, Vegas when that guy started shooting - I've been in a lot of really interesting situations the last few years, and I do believe life is what you make it. You wanna get up in the morning and be positive, then positive things are most likely going to happen, because positive energy attracts positive energy. If you wake up in the morning, and you're going to be a dick, then most likely the people around you are gonna be dicks, and it's just gonna be a negative day. From a standpoint of me being an artist in this business is that we all have a certain window of time to make the most out of it. So, life is going to be what you make of that. And, to me, whether it's your business or your life in general as a whole, you have this moment of time here, what are you going to do with it? Are you gonna have fun, are you gonna go to shows and be with your friends and create memories, or are you gonna wish you did done the road? I want to be the guy that did it. I think, the title of "Life's Whatcha You Make It" fits very cohesively with the idea of folks coming out to a show, bringing their friends, and creating memories, and carrying that with them through life. It took a while to come up with that, but I'm glad it worked out that way.

8. Speaking of your brand and widening it, you're doing that beyond music, too. You've started a podcast this year - which, is available on iTunes by the way - called "Good Company." Can you talk about this show, what its topics will be, and why you decided to add this to your list of things in 2018?

It's important for me to stay relevant in a world of mixed media outlets. I like the fact that people care enough, quite frankly, to listen to more of me than just singing a song; they care enough to tune in and hear what life's about. I think this goes hand-in-hand with the "Life's Whatcha Make It Tour;" I've already been doing things like the "Good Company" podcast, which stemmed from a song I recorded called "Good Company," and the "Good Company" song was recorded because it's about the company you keep, the friends around you, and the life you want to live. And, that bled into the podcast. I've talked to everybody from my grandparents - who have been married for 70 years - and how they've done that, all the way to talking to my dad a couple weeks ago about his cancer battle and the outlook it's put on his life. Really what the "Good Company" podcast is about is talking about life things that are positive and spreading a good message. Because, I feel like in a world full of people telling you things they don't like, it's important to talk about things that you do like. I've been fortunate to have an audience out there that wants to tune in and cares to listen to positive things.

9. You've been interviewed a ton. Have your entire interview experiences - both the good ones and the bad ones - shaped how you host your podcast?

Yeah, a lot. I mean, I've learned a lot, honestly, through talks like this with you, right now. Learning to interview people, it's about asking a question then sitting back and listening. I've listened back on some of my podcasts, where I've asked someone a question and as they're answering, I've cut them off, and I realized that I need to sit back and let them answer for a minute, because sometimes it takes someone a little bit to wrap their brain around the question. So, I enjoy it now being the guy that's always answering questions and always the guy who's talking. It's nice to ask a question to someone I genuinely admire and care about their story, then sit back and listen to what their answer is and digest that.

10. Was your experience hosting KKGO/Los Angeles middays for a month last year helpful in deciding a podcast was something you wanted to try? There's a saying that once you've done radio, it stays in your blood. Is that true for you?

I really enjoyed doing that. I just like working and staying busy. We only have so much time in this world and in this business - what are you going to do with it? To me, I can't sit back and be supporting a song on the radio; I have to do more than that. When social media was starting to get big, with Twitter and Instagram and all that, I was always doing random things for my fans on that, because I like to utilize this platform that I have in all different ways, whether with charitable aspects; I like doing things just to connect personally, one-on-one, with fans out there so they understand me more as a human than just a song. But, the taste of radio is great. I love the interview aspect. It's been something that I'll probably do more.

You were in Las Vegas at the Route 91 and witnessed firsthand a mass shooting tragedy. You're a Florida native, and we obviously know about the tragedy there last month. I'm not asking you to share your position on gun rights - unless you want to, of course - I am curious if you could share any thoughts on how witnesses and survivors can cope with these horrific incidents, as they try and move on. How did you manage the emotional aspect of Las Vegas, or are you still working through that? Also, has the Las Vegas experience changed how you feel onstage at outdoor shows or festivals?

I don't have the answer for how someone individually processes or handles something like that. Las Vegas is different than Parkland, FL. But, what's consistent about the two of them is the terror and horrific nature of what was involved in both of those circumstances. And, the fact that they were both, quite frankly, caused by guns. I'm a gun owner - I don't have any problem with guns - but, I think in order for people to process this and go forward with life in this grand scheme of what's become the world we're living in now, it's almost become weekly news. So, they're not going to take people's guns away, and I don't expect them to, it's their 2nd Amendment right. It's like anything; when we went through 9/11, no one thought that somebody was going to take airplanes and create bombs out of them into buildings. But, what happened was, they made a lot of changes that made people a little uncomfortable and irritable at airports, but we've had pretty good success since they've made changes. As long as they make changes with gun laws and make sure they get into the hands of the right people that are using them for the right things, it'll be uncomfortable and weird for a while, but people will know it's for the better. It's the same thing they do now on an airplane, because everybody else got checked just like them. As far as how I feel onstage, we're here for a moment, and I was definitely there and witnessed an insane situation, but so did a lot of other people. It's about going, "Okay, that happened, now what is the rest of life gonna be like?" It's hard to just forget about it, but we only have so much time here, and we're some of the lucky few that made it out of there, thankfully, alive. Now, I realize I have another opportunity to make the most out of this life, because you never know when something like that will ever happen again. You don't know when your last moment is going to be. If I'm onstage, and I'm singing songs, and I happen to go out that way, that ain't a bad way to go - doing what I love and playing for people that are there because they love it.