Jon Pardi has officially entered his dad era. Yesterday (February 20), he took the stage during the UMG Luncheon at Country Radio Seminar 2025. During his performance, he showed a new side of himself with an unreleased song called “She Drives Away” while trying his hardest to keep from crying.
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“I got kids, man! So I had to do a kids song and it’s one of my favorite songs off the new record,” he said while introducing the new composition. “See, I’m not crying. We’re not crying today. We made it through so many times not crying,” he added, steeling himself for the song. “This is for all the fathers out there,” he concluded before playing the opening chords of “She Drives Away.” Watch Pardi perform the heartfelt new track in the video below, captured by American Songwriter senior writer Cindy Watts.
Jon Pardi Made Big Changes for His Kids
Jon Pardi isn’t just singing songs about the complexities of raising children and the big emotions that come with parenthood. He’s also made some major life changes since becoming a “full-time girl dad.” Notably, he stopped drinking shortly after he and his wife Summer had their first child together.
The Pardis had their first child, Presley Fawn, in February 2023. Then, Sienna Grace joined the family in July 2024. He revealed in an interview that he “retired from drinking” in August 2023.
Pardi was staring down some serious health issues when he made the decision to walk away from the booze. “I was pre-diabetic, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to stop,’” he said. “I will say I’m retired. Doesn’t mean I can’t come out of retirement, but for right now, it’s been great,” he added.
He saw some drastic changes almost immediately. “I’ve lost a bunch of weight,” he said. “It just fell off my face. I really was getting to the point where every picture, every video, I was so unhappy with myself and it was just like where I was going,” he explained. “I was like I needed to take a break. So I just did a photo shoot. I was like, ‘Damn, I look good.’ Take that, Tito’s!’”
Featured Image by Scott Legato/Getty Images
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