Earlier this week, Tyler Hubbard held songwriting sessions with friends at his home in Nashville, just days before a busy summer festival schedule. The country star, known for his work with Florida Georgia Line (FGL), is balancing a thriving solo career with a rekindled partnership with former bandmate Brian Kelley.
Friendship Restored
Hubbard confirmed that the relationship with Kelley is on the mend after a four-year hiatus. “It’s been awesome, man,” Hubbard said. “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.”
The duo surprised fans with an appearance at the opening of CMA Fest in Nashville earlier this month, sparking reunion rumors. Hubbard added that they plan to play shows together again. “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.”
Focus on Solo Career
Despite the reunion plans, Hubbard emphasized that his primary focus remains his solo work. “I’m pretty much solely focused on my solo career minus playing a few FGL shows with my buddy,” he said. Since FGL’s breakup in 2022, Hubbard has released three albums: his self-titled debut in 2023, Strong in 2024, and the single Land in May 2026. Land is a ballad that took two years to complete, with Hubbard recording it multiple times with different producers. “This song is probably the only song in my career that has taken this long a journey to get to the audience and get to radio,” he said.
Hubbard’s solo success includes four consecutive No. 1 hits, making him the first male country artist to achieve that feat after leaving a successful group. His singles 5 foot 9, Dancing’ in the Country (co-written with Keith Urban), Back Then Right Now, and Park all topped the charts.
Creative Process Evolves
Hubbard noted that songwriting has changed since his early days with Kelley at Belmont University. “We used to sit around with guitars and write songs and that was it, and maybe make a little work tape,” he 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.” He added that the goal remains the same: writing hit songs.
When asked to clarify the cause of the original rift with Kelley, Hubbard’s management intervened, requesting the tone remain “positive and focused on Tyler.” Hubbard previously told Rolling Stone in 2023 that the split stemmed from Kelley’s desire to pursue a solo career.
