Jake Owen was on hand at the 2013 ACMs over the weekend to enjoy the industry festivities with his peers. When we spoke to the singer, he revealed it was the first time he and his wife have been away from daughter Pearl -- who made her grand entrance into the world on Thanksgiving.

"She has changed my world quite a bit," Owen tells Taste of Country about his baby girl. "This is great and all and the awards and the No. 1 songs and all that... but now, it's not about me anymore. It's about her." The singer joked that his wife Lacey didn't know what to do with herself over the weekend, since it's the first time they've left Pearl for an extended period of time and she is so used to tending to the little girl.

Owen also revealed that he'll like coming to the ACMs a little bit more in the future... once he gets a nomination, which is a fair point. "I enjoy coming out here. I'll enjoy coming out a little more when I get a couple nominations," he says. "You pull for your friends. The last few years I said that and [people ask] 'Are you nominated for anything?' [I say] 'No, I'm presenting, though.' It's good to pull for the people that have done well and have had a great year. That's what it is. At the end of the day, like I said earlier, it's not about awards or hit songs. It's about quality of life you lead and I can tell you that outside of all this, I have a pretty awesome life so I'm not worried about anything."

In addition to hoping for an ACM nomination one day, Owen would like to do a headline tour again. While he has love for the acts he opens for, he assures there's nothing quite like being a headliner on a tour, and that's his professional aspiration.

"Once you headline, you don't want to open up for anyone anymore," he admits. "And it's not because you don't respect them. I totally respect Jason Aldean and love being out there, but you want your name on the ticket. In a sense, I got to headline a tour and now I am back opening again and it's like getting called up from minor leagues to play major league ball and then the following season, you're going back to playing minor league again."

He adds, "I kinda want to get back to the big leagues."

Batter up!

More From KIXS FM 108