Brian Kelley revealed that he didn’t want Florida Georgia Line to split up while pursuing solo projects – nearly two years after country music duo broke up.
The singer, 38, last performed with former bandmate Tyler Hubbard, 37, in late August 2022 at the Minnesota State Fair – where the pair also announced the news of their split.
However, during a recent appearance on John and Tammy’s San Diego Morning Show, Kelley opened up about the duo’s breakup and stated that the decision to go their separate ways in the music industry wasn’t mutual.
‘The heart of where I was coming from was really having everything stay the same and stay together and also intertwine our solo stuff.’
‘I didn’t see, personally, for me, a need for a break or a reason to stop,’ Brian further expressed.
Brian Kelley, 38, revealed that he didn’t want Florida Georgia Line to split up while pursuing solo projects – nearly two years after country music duo broke up; seen in April in Nashville
Hubbard last performed with former bandmate Tyler Hubbard, 37, in late August 2022 at the Minnesota State Fair – where the pair also announced the news of their split; seen in August 2022 in Ontario, Canada
‘Unfortunately, we couldn’t really get on the same page of what that looked like. We’re both chasing separate dreams, but you never know how it may circle back.’
Despite claiming that the pair had mixed feelings when it came to Florida Georgia Line splitting up, Kelley stated that he was thrilled with Tyler’s success as a solo artist.
Last month in April, Hubbard dropped his second solo studio album, Strong, which landed on the Billboard 200 chart. ‘He’s crushing it. I’m happy for him and I expect him to do well.’
‘I’m forever grateful for our fans and I love them to death. Still hearing our songs on the radio, I’m just really really grateful from the bottom of my heart,’ Brian added.
Aside from Strong, Hubbard released his debut self-titled album in January 2023 as well as his first solo single, 5 Foot 9, in 2022.
Kelley has also been focusing on his own solo career, and dropped the album titled Sunshine State Of Mind in June 2021.
And earlier this month, he released the second solo studio album, Tennessee Truth, under the record label: Big Machine Records.
Florida Georgia Line was formed in 2010 in Nashville, with Brian and Tyler finding success with tracks such as Cruise and This Is How We Roll.
‘I didn’t see, personally, for me, a need for a break or a reason to stop,’ Brian further expressed; seen earlier this month in Miami Beach, Florida
‘Unfortunately, we couldn’t really get on the same page of what that looked like. We’re both chasing separate dreams, but you never know how it may circle back,’ he said; seen in 2021 in Las Vegas
They also collaborated with various other artists, including Bebe Rexha on the chart-topping track, Meant To Be (2017).
When together as Florida Georgia Line, the duo notably released a total of five albums, with their last being Life Rolls On (2022).
The group also received numerous accolades over the years, such as garnering wins at the Billboard Music Awards, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards.
In 2019, Florida Georgia Line also received a Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for Meant To Be with Bebe Rexha.
However, speculation about a rift within the duo arose when Hubbard briefly unfollowed Brian on Instagram in 2020 due to political differences.
Tyler later opened up about the choice during an appearance on the SiriusXM podcast Exit 209 With Storme Warren, per Entertainment Tonight.
‘I unfollowed BK for a few days while we were through this political, you know, in the middle of this election and everything going on,’ he explained.
‘And I even called him and told him, “Hey buddy, I love you. And I love you a lot more in real life that on your stories right now…So that’s why I’m unfollowing you. Nothing personal. I still love you. You’re still my brother.”‘
Florida Georgia Line was formed in 2010 in Nashville, with Brian and Tyler finding success with tracks such as Cruise and This Is How We Roll; seen in 2019 in New York
However, speculation about a rift within the duo arose when Hubbard briefly unfollowed Brian on Instagram in 2020 due to political differences; seen in 2019 in L.A.
At the time, he also denied that Florida Georgia Line was splitting. ‘Somebody sent me an article two days ago that me and BK were breaking up and I thought, “Well, that’s news to me…We’re on great terms.”‘
‘We’re feeling stronger than ever. We’re loving and supporting each other through even all the chapters that we’re in now and [are] excited for the future…We can’t wait to go on our next tour together…’
However, in February 2022, it was revealed that the country music was ‘taking a break’ and later that summer, the group announced their concert at the Minnesota State Fair would be their ‘last.’
While on stage, Tyler told the crowd, per Country Now, ‘This is our last official concert as Florida Georgia Line. Let’s see what we got left in the tank. I just want to take a second because I don’t want this moment to get lost tonight.’
‘I want to express our gratitude, from BK and myself, from the bottom of our heart, man, for the last 12 years of our life that you guys have allowed us to do what we love.’
‘You’ve enabled us to chase this crazy dream of writing songs and playing shows and hoping somebody will show up to listen, so thank you guys. Man, it really, really means the world to us,’ Hubbard continued.
Earlier this month, both Brian and Tyler commented on the group breaking up on separate episodes of the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast.
Hubbard stated, ‘For me, it was really unexpected. But BK came to me and said, ‘Man, I’m really feeling like I want to do a solo thing.” And I’m like, “Really?”‘
However, in February 2022, it was revealed that the country music was ‘taking a break’ and later that summer, the group announced their concert at the Minnesota State Fair would be their ‘last’; seen in 2021 in Las Vegas
‘We were just getting out of our first deal. We were kind of in a sweet spot that we had worked for 10 years to get to,’ he added.
‘I’m like, “Why don’t we ride this thing out for like five more years, 10 more years, and then we can do the solo thing or whatever?”‘
Tyler continued, ‘But again, like, I wanted to support him. He was adamant, like, “Nah, now’s my time. I really need to do this for myself.” And I’m like, “Well, hey, whatever you need to do, bro. Like, what do you want from me?”‘
‘He’s like, “I just want support.” So I’m like, “Okay, you got it,”‘ he added, and said that Kelley ‘definitely initiated the whole thing from the beginning.’
‘When I say caught me off-guard, it wasn’t that we had never mentioned it before. It’s just I didn’t think it was going to happen then,’ Hubbard said, comparing the split to a ‘divorce.’
‘BK had this thing where he wanted to still do Florida Georgia Line, but he wanted to do the solo thing, too, and I had to tell him…I can’t do both.’
During Brian’s interview, he explained that there was no ‘beef’ between the pair and said that he had ‘voiced’ wanting to pursue solo artistry ‘for a long time.’
Hubbard stated, ‘For me, it was really unexpected. But BK came to me and said, ‘Man, I’m really feeling like I want to do a solo thing.” And I’m like, “Really?”‘; seen in 2019 in Beverly Hills
During Brian’s interview, he explained that there was no ‘beef’ between the pair and said that he had ‘voiced’ wanting to pursue solo artistry ‘for a long time’; seen on stage with Bebe Rexha in 2018 in Nashville
‘It wasn’t a surprise because the marker was once the deal was up,’ Kelley further expressed.
‘I had an idea that once the deal was up, Tyler would get a solo deal under the same label, I would get a record deal and we would renegotiate a new record deal.’
‘It wasn’t just that I had to have a solo career – I would word it as “I want a solo outlet, as a creative, as a songwriter.”‘
Brian added, ‘I wanted to reshape that part of the story. It gets sticky about what things go where? I think it’s easy to figure out. It’s not an emotional thing for me when we’re talking about business and creativity.’
