American country singer-songwriter Jake Worthington has announced that he’s taking a break from music, citing a need to work on himself for his family.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Friday (22 May), the How Do You Honky Tonk singer shared that despite living the life his “heroes” enjoyed, he needs an unspecified amount of time away from the spotlight to re-centre himself.
However, the news isn’t all bad: Worthington plans to return to his career and be “even better.”
His statement reads:
I live a life as my heroes did, but that life gotten a hold of me. I love my family my friends and my fans too much to let it take over me. I need to take some time to work on myself for my wife and daughter. I promise I will come back even better.
God bless Country Music. JW.
The announcement arrives amidst Worthington’s Intent To Tonk headline tour of the US, which is set to continue next month after a few weeks of opening shows for Luke Combs in stadiums. At the time of publication, it’s unclear how his remaining tour dates will be affected.
Worthington rose to fame after being named the runner-up on season six of The Voice US, which aired in 2014. Picked up by coach Blake Shelton, he performed songs such as Don’t Close Your Eyes by Keith Whitley and Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx.
After The Voice, Worthington was pitched as a “bro-country” artist by numerous managers. However, his aim was always to release traditional country music.
His debut EP was released in 2015. Worthington was signed to Big Loud in 2021 – after ERNEST shared a video of the singer covering a Keith Whitley song with the label’s President of A&R, Joey Moi.
Worthington’s self-titled debut album arrived in April 2023, and a year later, he signed with Big Loud Texas, an imprint founded by Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall.
Worthington’s second album, When I Write The Song, arrived in September 2025, continuing a whirlwind couple of years. The record features collaborations with Lambert, Marty Stuart and Mae Estes.
Outside of the spotlight, Worthington is a family man. In October 2022, he married his wife, Sophie, and two years later, the couple welcomed their first child, Whitley Anne Worthington. As of last November, the family has lived in Oklahoma.
Countrytown brings you Australia’s best country music news, interviews, charts and more every week! This post was authored by Countrytown and originally published on the Countrytown website. It has been re-published with permission.
