Country and Americana singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires are divorcing after almost 11 years of marriage.
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According to court records obtained by People, Isbell filed for divorce from Shires on Dec. 15.
Isbell and Shires have frequently collaborated on one another's albums and projects. Shires has been a member of Isbell's band the 400 Unit; and Isbell has played guitar for Shires' supergroup The Highwomen, which includes Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris and Natalie Hemby.
The couple had tied the knot in February 2013. They share 8-year-old daughter Mercy.
Isbell has been open about Shires' influence on his songwriting, and he famously wrote his stunning love song "Cover Me Up" about Shires.
The couple discussed their marriage in the 2023 Sam Jones documentary "Running With Our Eyes Closed," during which Shires reads an email in which she asks Isbell about seeking marriage counseling.
"If I'm holding back part of myself from the audience, I'd be within my right to do that," Isbell told The Associated Press about his decision to put his marriage front and center in the documentary. "But I don't think the connection would be as strong. For me, it's more important to connect with people on an honest level than it is for me to control my image."
The documentary follows the tension in their relationship that arose while Isbell was recording his 2020 album Reunions.
In a 2020 interview with The New York Times, Isbell reflected on the rough patch in their marriage.
"At one point, I said, 'It'd be easier if somebody had cheated.' Then we could say, 'You did this,' or 'I did this,' and 'Somebody needs to be real sorry,'" Isbell told the publication. "But it was more like, 'We don't know each other right now. We're not able to speak the same language.'"
Shires also got candid about the relationship in her 2022 song "Fault Lines," from her album Take It Like a Man.
"You could say it's all my fault we just couldn't get along," Shires sings. "And if anyone asks, I'll say what's true, and really, it's 'I don't know.'"
"During this time, the disconnect [between Jason and me] hadn't connected again," Shires told Nashville Scene in 2022. "It was a big blur of not being able to get through. So I thought, 'Maybe I'll write a song with my feelings and send it to Jason.'"
"All of us have had turmoil within our respective marriages, and it was definitely coming from a place of vulnerability," she continued. "In one word, that's how I would describe how I picked every song for the record. You have the choice to be vulnerable or not. However you handle yourself, it's all about choice."
