Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley, the duo behind Florida Georgia Line, developed their interest in music through Church worship service and on the baseball field. Little did these two future artists know that it would lead them to meeting each other at Belmont University in 2008. Hitting it off immediately, Hubbard and Kelley formed the Florida Georgia Line in 2010.
The duo’s musical sensibilities have evolved over the years. Hubbard and Kelley haven’t just stuck to one pattern. The fact that it was a conscious effort on the duo’s part, makes Florida Geogia Line, as an act, all that more special and a favorite amongst its fans.
This is what Georgia born Hubbard had to say in an interview following the release of their latest album, “Dig Your Roots”
“A lot has changed for us over the last five years: We’ve grown up a lot in our music. We try to be really transparent in our music, and I think our music evolves as quickly as our life does, and I think it’s important to continue to do that and be real with our fans — not just try to record songs and record songs, but make sure they have some depth to them, make sure they have a purpose, and each song can have its own life.”
Early Days and Influences
Hubbard and Kelley were inspired by the likes of Garth Brooks, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn and Shania Twain. But when the two first met in college, they were into all sorts of different genres. According to Hubbard this is what it was like in college for both of them.
“It was hip-hop, country and rock in college. We probably had iPod playlists with all three of those genres, as loud as they could go. I’d say that would probably cover our Friday nights.”
A rising baseball prospect, Kelley earned a scholarship at the Florida State University. The Ormond Beach, Florida resident however, gave up his dream of going pro and enrolled at Belmont University. Hubbard, on the other hand, was a different story altogether. He used to lead his church worship and during his teenage years, formed Ingenious Circuit, a hip hop band.
As fate would have it, the two musicians met at Belmont University and the wheels were set in motion to form Florida Georgia Line.
Breakthrough and Stardom
Hubbard and Kelley decided to give music a try for two years after their graduation. They picked country music as their preferred genre and began to play small gigs. The Bro Country duo released two EPs “Anything Like Me” in 2010 and “It’z Just What We Do” in 2012.
However, it wasn’t until the release of their 2012 debut single “Cruise”, they caught the attention of big labels. This resulted in them getting decent amount of airplay. Florida Georgia Line soon signed a major record deal and rose to stardom when they came out with their debut album “Here’s to the Good Times” in 2012. The album was a massive success becoming the sixth bestselling album of 2013. Certified twice platinum in the US, the album also won multiple American Country Awards.
Rise to the top
After tours and performing for their fans all around the country, Hubbard and Kelley hit the studios once again. The result was “Anything Goes,” their second album that hit the music stores in 2014. It debuted at the top of Billboard 2002 and amassed sales close to 200,000 in its first week of release. The record was certified gold and scored three stars by AllMusic.
Florida Georgia Line released their third and most recent album “Dig Your Roots” in 2016 and it became the band’s first album to make it into the top ten in Australia music charts. While the first two albums contained fusion of different genres, "Dig Your Roots” is a refreshing departure from their signature musical style. Milder than their previous releases, it received 3.5 stars from AllMusic.
Apart from selling millions of records all around the world, Florida Georgia Line have also headlined multiple tours where millions of fans have bought Florida Georgia Line tickets. They finished their Dig Your Roots Tour in November 2016 and immediately turned their attention to their next road trip.
Smooth Tour 2017
Earlier this year, Florida Georgia Line announced that they will be going on their latest road trip, the “Smooth Tour” with artists Nelly, Chris Lane and the Backstreet Boys.
The “Smooth Tour” kicked off on June 2, 2017, at the Austin 360 Amphitheater and is in full swing now. It is scheduled to end in late October 2017.
If you are a fan of Bro Country and Country Pop, then you must check out the Florida Georgia Line schedule.
