Four years after Florida Georgia Line's breakup, Tyler Hubbard is riding a hot streak as a solo artist, with four consecutive No. 1 hits and a mended friendship with former partner Brian Kelley.
Solo Success and Hit-Making
Earlier this week, Hubbard held songwriting sessions with friends at his Nashville home, preparing for a busy summer festival schedule. Things have changed since his early days with Kelley at Belmont University, but the focus remains on making hits. “We used to sit around with guitars and write songs and that was it, and maybe make a little work tape,” Hubbard said. “Now we’re able to make demos and produce demos that sound almost like full records. So it’s a really cool time to be a songwriter. I really get a lot of joy out of it, and I love the process of creating and the challenge of trying to write a hit tune.”
Breakup and Reconciliation
Florida Georgia Line performed what could have been its final show in 2022, a seismic event in mainstream country music. The duo had been dependable hitmakers and pioneers of the bro-country movement for over a decade. Initially, Hubbard and Kelley were tight-lipped about the breakup, with speculation about differing political views. In 2023, Hubbard told Rolling Stone it boiled down to Kelley announcing solo career intentions. The good news is they intend to work together again after a surprise appearance at NMA Fest in Nashville earlier in June.
“It’s been awesome, man,” said Hubbard, set to perform a solo show at Country Thunder on Saturday, June 27. “Me and BK just kind of reconnected and decided to just work on building the friendship back. We’ve been having a lot of fun hanging out, doing fun things and connecting our families and spending time together. It’s been really special just to heal and repair that friendship, and we feel at this point that we’re stronger than ever. It’s really exciting and led us to think that we need to get back on stage and play some shows. I miss playing those songs and we miss playing with each other. Yeah, we just decided, let’s put a handful of shows together in the next year and go out and throw a party and have some fun.”
Chart-Topping Solo Career
When asked to elaborate on the rift, Hubbard’s management asked to keep the tone “positive and focused on Tyler.” Regardless, Hubbard hit the ground running after the split. He released his first solo single, 5 foot 9, in May 2022, quickly topping charts. His self-titled debut album in 2023 featured 18 tracks with co-writes from Thomas Rhett and Keith Urban. The Urban co-write, Dancing’ in the Country, also hit No. 1. His 2024 sophomore effort, Strong, included hits Back Then Right Now and Park, both reaching No. 1, making Hubbard the first male country artist to achieve four consecutive No. 1 songs after leaving a successful group.
