Jackie Lee Admits He’s ‘Pretty Scared’ to Write a Song About His Late Mom

Thanks to his single "Getting Over You," country newcomer Jackie Lee is garnering plenty of attention. The singer recently sat down with The Boot to chat about touring and two of the most important women in his life: his late mother and his girlfriend, Tae Dye of Maddie & Tae.

"I'm not going to have a light show, all the bells and whistle," Lee says, discussing his opening-act spot on Dan + Shay's Obsessed Tour. "I want to be very honest and intimate; I want them to leave saying, 'That guy was funny, that guy was a good singer, and I was entertained.'"

Lee's 2017 tour calendar also includes some upcoming summertime country music festivals -- a blessing for his career, but a curse when it comes to spending time with Dye: "We are literally just missing each other on so many stages," he notes.

They're making it work, though. Lee calls Dye an "amazing person" and a wonderful support system when it comes to both personal and professional matters. She's not afraid to offer even a less-than-positive opinion, Lee says.

"She's very honest with me all the time," he explains. "Sometimes she's like, 'Is that too much?'"

Lee admits that he would "love" to write with his girlfriend and her duo partner, Maddie Marlow, but he feels like it might still be too soon: "There's a gap [where] you have to prove, 'I actually care about her; I'm not just dating her for the publicity!'"

Now signed to Broken Bow Records, Lee's career is on the rise -- but, sadly, he's doing it without someone very important to him. His mother passed away in June of 2016, after a battle with cancer. Lee hasn't written any music about the loss yet; he says he's "pretty scared to even go there." However, when he does decide to broach the subject via song, he has someone in mind to help co-write: Brent Anderson, who also helped write "Getting Over You."

"His mother also went to heaven, four months to the day before my mom," Lee shares. "We were kind of going through it together; [his mom] had the same thing ... I think he'd be the one I'd want to sit down and write it with because it's very un-explainable, the feeling that comes along, especially when she was so young."

Although Lee says it's "pretty overwhelming" knowing that he can't just hop in the car and head to East Tennessee to see his mom, spending as much time as possible with his family has helped Lee heal. He's been heading home on his off days to be with his father, brother and sister.

"On top of my mom being an amazing person, our family is really close," Lee says. "Musically ... there's no way in the world I could even begin to articulate -- put it in music, on paper -- how I feel right now. I feel very numb with it all ... It may be a song I write for the rest of my life."

Fans can find more information on Lee, his single and his tour dates on his official website.

10 New Country Artists to Watch in 2017