Deana Carter Separation: Country Star Files For Legal Separation From Husband Brad Malone

Deana Carter, a country singer who co- wrote 2011 CMA Song of the Year nominee "You and Tequila," is filing for legal separation from her husband of three years, the Associated Press reports.

Carter cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for split, reports TMZ. The paperwork, which was filed in Los Angeles earlier this week, shows that the couple has been separated for over a year.

According to Yahoo.com, the couple first married in Malibu back in October of 2009. They have no children together. Deana Carter is reportedly asking for spousal support and wants Brad Malone to pay her legal fees after the separation.

Deana Carter was born in Nashville and released her first album, Did I Shave My Legs For This?, in 1996, according to CMT.com. The first single, "Strawberry Wine," became a No.1 record and won the CMA Award for Single of the Year in 1997. The album went on to sell over 5 million copies.

But, Carter's second album was less successful, and she wound up leaving Capitol Records a few years later. She then moved out to Los Angeles to release her I'm Just a Girl record on Arista Nashville in 2003. She soon left that label as well for the independent Vanguard, under which she released two more albums, The Story of My Life and The Chain. According to her website, she is currently working on a new album set to be released sometime this year.

The country singer has also contributed to several movie soundtracks. Her song "Once Upon a December" from the animated film Anastasia earned her both Grammy and Golden Globe nominations.